NHTSA Complaint #11685112 — 2022 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

I am writing to express my concerns regarding my 2022 Highlander. As a loyal Toyota family, with this being my fourth Toyota, my husband’s second, and my parents’ fifth, we have consistently valued the Toyota brand and our dealership in Bryan, TX. Recently, I brought my Highlander with (73,000 miles) to Family Toyota in Arlington due to a whining sound during acceleration. I was informed that the transmission requires replacement, at an estimated cost of $8,291. Furthermore, the transmissions are currently on back order, which would leave me without my vehicle for several months. While I have not found any official recalls addressing this specific issue, I have noted that this is a common concern with this model, and there are several class-action lawsuits pertaining to similar transmission problems across various models. I have also sought opinions from two independent transmission repair shops, both of whom have quoted a full transmission replacement. I contacted Toyota several times on what options may be available to me. They so far have left me with no rental car assistance and offered a very small discount on their known issue. I have already incurred approximately $800 in rental car and diagnostic expenses and am unable to cover the $8,291 replacement cost. It is disheartening to have owned my Highlander for less than three years, be unable to drive it, and still owe $20,000, which is not what I associate with the Toyota standard of quality. I now can not get to work and have a $47,000 piece of junk in my driveway and not even an apology from the company I once thought was #1 in customer service and reliability.