NHTSA Complaint #11671361 — 2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

POWER TRAIN issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number	11671361
Vehicle	2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
Component	POWER TRAIN
Date of Incident	June 1, 2025
Date Filed	July 5, 2025
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	NC

Consumer Description

My 2020 Toyota Highlander Platinum started having the well-known "whining" sound at just under 60,000k. This is coming from the transmission. The vehicle is now just over 60,000k and I did not know that the noise was a cause for concern, let alone something that was an issue (I am not tech savvy - I'm just a regular person). I will not drive this vehicle again, as it is my only transportation for my children. Toyota issued a service bulletin about this issue for 2021 Highlanders ONLY, but as I am now experiencing this problem, I see that this is something well known as a problem.

Related Complaints for the 2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Other POWER TRAIN Complaints

#11719509 — February 20, 2026 — At approximately 120,000 miles, the vehicle began exhibiting a pronounced shudder or vibration between 40–50 mph unde...

#11714593 — January 30, 2026 — THE TRANSMISSION FAILED SUDDENLY.

#11711916 — January 19, 2026 — Our 2020 Highlander with 45,000 miles started making a whining noise when accelerating. After the Toyota garage looke...

#11711712 — January 18, 2026 — I have experienced ongoing transmission problems, including but not limited to rough shifting, delayed acceleration, ...

#11710814 — January 13, 2026 — Whine noise when you accelerate coming from the automatic transmission. Car is hesitant in shifting gears when needin...

Recent Complaints for the 2020 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

#11719509 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — February 20, 2026 — At approximately 120,000 miles, the vehicle began exhibiting a pronounced shudder or vibration between 40–50 mph unde...

#11714768 — AIR BAGS — February 1, 2026 — Taken vehicle at least 6 times to dealer (Corwin Toyota), to enquire about the 23v-865 recall, and each time have bee...

#11711802 — UNKNOWN OR OTHER — January 19, 2026 — Premature transmission failure. Vehicle had less than 100K miles. Took the vehicle in for an oil change before a lo...

#11711392 — BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA — January 16, 2026 — The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera screen displ...

#11709295 — UNKNOWN OR OTHER — January 7, 2026 — The sunroof suddenly exploded while stopped at a stoplight. Luckily I had the interior slide shut otherwise we would ...