2022 Toyota Highlander

While accelerating, the vehicle produces a loud whining noise from the transmission area underneath the vehicle. I took the vehicle to Modern Toyota in [XXX] on XXX at 103,287 miles. The dealer diagnosed the condition and their invoice states the vehicle "needs the transmission replaced due to a gear whine." The estimated repair cost is approximately $10,498. This vehicle is equipped with the UA80E 8-speed automatic transmission. Toyota documented this same condition in Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0008-21, which describes a whine or grind noise from the transmission caused by the front carrier assembly pinion shafts, and prescribes transaxle replacement as the repair. My vehicle exhibits the identical symptom and requires the identical repair. The vehicle is the original purchase, bought new on XXX. The failure occurred outside the 60,000-mile powertrain warranty limit, leaving the full repair cost to the owner. This appears to be a widespread defect affecting UA80-equipped Toyota vehicles across multiple model years, and I am reporting it so it is on record. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Because I am not an expert, I cannot say with certainty what exact vehicle components contributed to this incident. On August 17, 2026, at approximately 12:40 PM, I was slowly driving my 2022 Toyota Highlander XLE in a parking garage where I park my car every week. I saw a parking space, so I slowed down and began pressing the break as I went into the parking space. All of a sudden, the engine revved up, and the vehicle lunged over the wheel stop and hit the cement wall, even though I continued pressing on the break. I then shifted the gear into "Park" and turned off the ignition. It all happened so fast and was quite frightening. I, subsequently, inspected the damage; among other things, the hood, front bumper, fender, and some of the trim around the lights were damaged. The seat belt restrained me, but the air bag did not activate. My chest is still sore, and I have some bruising on my left shoulder. I have reported the incident to my insurance agency. On August 20, 2026, I took the vehicle to a collision repair center recommended by the insurance claims agent. I have another appointment on August 24th to have a different repair center inspect and asses the damages and give me a quote on the repairs needed. The experience was shocking, and I would not want this to happen to anyone, which is why I am reporting the incident. This kind of malfunction could have resulted in an injury to another human, so I am thankful that only my vehicle and I were affected. This unfortunate and alarming experience has definitely made me hesitant to drive the vehicle for fear of it malfunctioning again.

Because I am not an expert, I cannot say with certainty what exact vehicle components contributed to this incident. On August 17, 2026, at approximately 12:40 PM, I was slowly driving my 2022 Toyota Highlander XLE in a parking garage where I park my car every week. I saw a parking space, so I slowed down and began pressing the break as I went into the parking space. All of a sudden, the engine revved up, and the vehicle lunged over the wheel stop and hit the cement wall, even though I continued pressing on the break. I then shifted the gear into "Park" and turned off the ignition. It all happened so fast and was quite frightening. I, subsequently, inspected the damage; among other things, the hood, front bumper, fender, and some of the trim around the lights were damaged. The seat belt restrained me, but the air bag did not activate. My chest is still sore, and I have some bruising on my left shoulder. I have reported the incident to my insurance agency. On August 20, 2026, I took the vehicle to a collision repair center recommended by the insurance claims agent. I have another appointment on August 24th to have a different repair center inspect and asses the damages and give me a quote on the repairs needed. The experience was shocking, and I would not want this to happen to anyone, which is why I am reporting the incident. This kind of malfunction could have resulted in an injury to another human, so I am thankful that only my vehicle and I were affected. This unfortunate and alarming experience has definitely made me hesitant to drive the vehicle for fear of it malfunctioning again.

In March 2026, a sound was noticed at coasting speed. At regular servicing in June 2026 at 74,226, Service Department was informed of sound and stated that it might be wheels/ brakes. A further service appointment stated that the transaxle assembly will need to be replaced at a quoted cost of $10,657.97. At regular service 62,981 and 68,217 the Multi-Point Inspections showed Transmission/ Transaxle, Differential and Transfer Case all marked “OK”. At regular service 74,226, after informing Service Department of the sound, the Multi-Point Inspection shows “Sealed Transmission, fluid not checked”. Nothing was marked with Differential or Transfer case and everything “Under Vehicle”- driveshaft, drive, axle hub and bearing, steering linkage, suspension, fluid leaks, exhaust system, fuel lines were all marked “OK”