NHTSA Complaint #11661584 — 2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

I am filing this complaint due to a severe transmission failure in my 2021 Toyota Highlander XSE, which I believe poses a significant safety hazard. At approximately 70,000 miles, the vehicle’s 8-speed automatic transmission failed. Prior to this failure, I reported a persistent gear noise (described as a whining or grinding sound during acceleration and gear shifts) to my Toyota dealership [Shore Toyota] when the car had less than 60,000 while the vehicle was under the 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. The dealership dismissed the noise as “normal” and did not perform diagnostics or repairs, despite my concerns. The gear noise worsened over time, leading to more frequent noise and shifting, jerking, issue failure in May 2025. The noise occurres while driving from 0 to at 35mph. I later learned that the 2021 Toyota Highlander’s 8-speed transmission (UA80E/UA80F) has known issues, as documented in Toyota Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) T-SB-0008-21 (issued February 2021). The TSB describes a whining noise identical to what I reported, requiring a full transmission replacement for affected vehicles. Numerous other owners have reported similar failures, with some experiencing delays of 3–6 months for replacement parts due to backorders. My vehicle’s symptoms match the TSB, and the dealership’s failure to address the noise during the warranty period likely allowed the defect to progress to catastrophic failure.