NHTSA Complaint #11679684 — 2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

POWER TRAIN issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number	11679684
Vehicle	2021 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
Component	POWER TRAIN
Date of Incident	July 8, 2025
Date Filed	August 10, 2025
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	NC

Consumer Description

Vehicle starts to produce humming and whining sounds as speed picks up from underneath the vehicle, likely from the transmission/final drive gear area. This problem is consistent and persistent. The whining noise stops when the throttle is released and will resume as throttle is engaged. More reported cases of transmission failure, sudden lost of propulsion and grinding noise are found on public forums. Toyota issued a service bulletin about this problem. Toyota issued extended warranty to prior model years from 2016 to 2017 of the same issue. This will affects millions of Toyota sold with the UA80, UA80E and UA80F transmissions in the US.

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