NHTSA Complaint #11646431 — 2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

2021 Vehicle has 105,000 miles, purchased certified used in 2023 from dealership. Whining noise with acceleration began so we brought to dealership to get the recalls fixed and asked about the whine on acceleration. Vehicle inspected at the Toyota dealership and service advisor stated that the transmission needed a full replacement and would have catastrophic failure if we keep driving. Advised that a new transmission is needed and cost of replacement is $10,000. The warranty no longer applies as the vehicle has over 100,000 miles. However we purchased with 66000. Technical service bulletin (T-SB-0008-21) notes that transmission issue recognized by Toyota since 2021. Hundreds of posts and complaints by Toyota Highlander owners with 2021 models can be found online. The dealership tried their third party warranty and the claim was denied. There should be more support from Toyota in supporting customers in replacing the transmission as it is clear this is a known issue. A recall is needed and a remedy in place. There is no reason a transmission should fail this early. Toyota needs to provide more support for this safety issue and replace the faulty transmission.