2021 Toyota Highlander

Technical Service bulletin was issued for my 2021 Highlander car in February of 2021 for a well documented transmission issue (whine and grind noise). We are now put in a position that requires us to replace the transmission at a substantial cost. This expense is budget crushing and any assistance in getting Toyota to assist with the expense would be greatly appreciated.

I started hearing a winning noise that got louder with speed, this month I took it to the dealership in Austin, TX and they said it needed a new transmission. It only has 67,219 miles. My 2008 was sold at 219k miles with no problems. I see online there has been problems with this type of transmission for many years. They are replacing it with the very same transmission....

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle failed, then failed to respond while in drive or reverse. No warning light was illuminated. The contact called for Roadside Assistance and had the vehicle towed to a safe location. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

In May 2021 I purchased my Highlander XLE with 5 miles on the odometer. In Feb 2021 dealerships were notified of Toyota Technical Service Bulletin (T-SB-0008-21) dated Feb 2021 was a problem. I have never been notified of the TSB for transmission whine/grinding noise. At approximately 75,000 miles (out-of-warranty) and regular servicing, my vehicle developed a noticeable whine from the transmission. Now at 102,000 miles I am stuck with a transmission replacement ($7500-$9000) looming at sometime in the future. Very disappointed. I have been reprimanded by grandkids that "You drive like a Grandpa" so, I am not hard on my vehicles. My 1993 Chevy S10 had over 388.000 miles when sold. it was solid!. I think Toyota should be forced to do the right thing and cover any cost of replacement and temporary rental. Seems replacements are back ordered for months!

I bought my 2021 Toyota Highlander on 11/17/2025 and approximately one month later, I heard a whining noise when the car accelerates past 25 mph. The whining noise gets progressively louder the more the car accelerates. In addition, when driving over a bump or hump, there is a grinding/creaking noise that occurs. I took my car into the Toyota dealership on 12/29/2025 and the service technicians were able to replicate my issues. They even stated that the issue is caused by a bearing failure inside the transmission. I also purchased an extended warranty but unfortunately the inspector sent by the warranty company wants me to get a transmission fluid exchange because they think that will solve the issue. The entire transmission needs to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the contact heard an abnormal whining sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that it was a known failure. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to work with the dealer to have the transmission repaired. The failure mileage was 66,000.