2021 Toyota Highlander

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Alenza Sport, Tire Size: 255/50/R20, DOT Number: 276100C2R. The contact stated the vehicle was inspected by the dealer, where it was discovered that all four tires were prematurely worn quickly and showed defects. The tires were replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V452000 (Tires). The dealer informed the contact that the issue was related to the previous recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was 80,000. The tire failure mileage was 7,000.

*Component/System:** The **Fuel Pump / Fuel Delivery System** failed. The vehicle and the replaced spark plugs/coils are available for inspection upon request. **Safety Risk:** The vehicle **stalls abruptly while in motion (at speed)**, causing an immediate loss of motive power in traffic. This creates an extreme risk of rear-end collisions and leaves the driver stranded in active lanes of travel. The vehicle must be shifted to park, turned off, and restarted to temporarily "reset" the system, which is life-threatening in high-speed or heavy-traffic environments. **Confirmation/Reproduction:** The problem has been confirmed by an **independent service center**. Initial diagnostic codes led to the replacement of spark plugs and ignition coils; however, the stalling persisted. Subsequent diagnostic testing specifically identified the fuel pump as the point of failure, consistent with symptoms of known Toyota fuel pump recalls. **Inspections:** The vehicle has been inspected by an **independent mechanic**. It has not yet been inspected by Toyota corporate, the police, or insurance representatives, as no crash has occurred yet—though the risk is imminent. **Warning Symptoms:** The Check Engine light illuminated on January 21, February 21, Febuary 26, March 6 and March 10. Prior to the first total stall, the vehicle exhibited brief hesitations during acceleration. There were no specific "Fuel Pump" warnings on the dashboard; the vehicle simply loses power without a countdown or secondary safety mode (Limp Mode).

My vehicle is experiencing a transmission safety issue that has been diagnosed by the authorized Toyota dealer service center (Toyota of Scranton). During my most recent service visit on 3/2/26, the dealer reported that the transmission is “failing and whining” and recommended full transmission replacement. This condition creates unsafe driving behavior, including abnormal whining noise during acceleration and the concern for sudden transmission failure while driving. The Highlander started exhibiting issues with the transmission within the past 7 days. This issue appears consistent with the known transmission defect referenced in Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T‑SB‑0008‑21, which addresses whining and grinding noises caused by internal transmission component failure in 2021 model‑year vehicles equipped with UA80-series transmissions. Multiple independent reports indicate that this condition can worsen and may lead to loss of power or drivability while the vehicle is in motion. For safety reasons, I am submitting this complaint so the issue can be evaluated as part of any ongoing or future defect investigations. I am concerned about the potential risk of transmission failure while driving, which could increase the chance of a crash.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was transmission fluid leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then noticed fluid leaking from the transfer case while the vehicle was parked and turned off. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transfer case had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,700.

While driving westbound on I-8 at approximately 70 MPH in the left lane, a warning message suddenly appeared on my dashboard stating that a malfunction in the hybrid system had been detected. Immediately after the alert, the vehicle lost power and stopped accelerating. I was forced to quickly maneuver across multiple lanes of traffic and barely made it to the narrow right shoulder. Because I had been traveling in the left lane at highway speed, the situation was extremely dangerous, and I was fortunate not to be rear-ended. The vehicle was undrivable and had to be towed to a mechanic. Upon inspection, the cause was identified as a faulty fuel pump, which triggered the hybrid system malfunction and sudden loss of power. The vehicle has only 44,000 miles, making this premature failure especially concerning. Toyota currently has possession of the vehicle but is refusing to cover the repair. Notably, there was a recall issued for fuel pump failures causing similar issues in 2020 model-year vehicles. Given the identical nature of the failure, I believe this indicates an ongoing fuel pump defect that has not been fully resolved.

Both of the front door lock actuators went out, so the vehicle won’t lock at all & I can’t use my Toyota app that I pay for. The left back door/hatch rail that lifts up the door is making a loud sound upon opening & getting stuck when opening. Have to push the open button several times or open it manually to get it to open at all. Have taken it to the Toyota dealer to inspect both & both are costly to repair. Can’t find either of the parts anywhere, so I’m guessing a lot of others are having these issues as well.

At around 70,000 mi the transmission started making noises and at the 80,000 mile marker I took it in for its maintenance they found debris in the transmission fluid and I was just told it's either a replace it now or replace it when it falls out of the vehicle. A vehicle with less than 100,000 mi and I am the only owner, for the transmission to go out or start going out and Toyota not solve problems is ridiculous

I bought this vehicle used on 04/23/2024 with 18,596 miles on the odometer. When I was inspecting the vehicle prior to delivery at the dealership, I noticed a crack low on the windshield. The dealership replace the windshield prior to my taking delivery of the vehicle. In the spring of 2025 I had a crack develop in the windshield and had to have it replaced. Another crack has since developed (it is now 2/25/26), and I will, once again, have to have the windshield replaced. I have not driven on any freeways recently, so no high-speed travel. I have been driving for over 40 years and have never had this frequency of windshield failures. I have become aware that this issue is discussed by numerous newer model year (2021, 2022, 2023, etc) Toyota Highlander owners. Some have replaced their windshield multiple times like me. It would appear that there may be an issue in the design/aerodynamics of the front/windshield or a defect in the structure of the body that supports the windshield, that leads to this increased frailty of the windshield. I would very much like to see the NHTSA look into this issue and to force Toyota to look carefully at the high number of windshield failure incidents in these vehicles.