2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Power Train Problems

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. TOYOTA REPLACED ENTIRE TRANSMISSION

HELLO, THERE. I WANT TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE ABOUT HIGHLANDER PROBLEM. MY WIFE AND ME WENT TO MYSTIC,CT FROM MY HOME FOR PLEASURE AUGUST 8. I USED CRUISE CONTROL WITH 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY. AFTER I FINISHED TRAVELING THERE, I TRIED TO USE THE SAME CRUISE CONTROL ON THE WAY HOME. AND THEN SUDDENLY MY CAR MADE PROBLEM IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. RPM WENT UP TO OVER 3000 AND RPM NEEDLE ON DASHBOARD STARTED DANCING. AND I WATCHED 'CHECK AWD SYSTEM','TRACTION CONTROL TURNED OFF','CHECK ENGINE VISIT YOUR DEALERSHIP' COMING UP. AUTOMATICALLY MY CAR LOST POWER CONTROL. WE WERE VERY SCARED BECAUSE EVERYONE THERE WAS DRIVING A CAR WITH HIGH SPEED AT NIGHT. I TURNED ON EMERGENCY LIGHT AND PUT MY CAR ON SERVICE ROAD. FORTUNATELY, NO BODY FOLLOWED BEHIND MY CAR AT THAT TIME. IF SOMEONE KEPT APPROACHING MY CAR,WE WOULD HAVE MADE BIG TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. THIS...

SINCE I LEASED BY HIGHLANDER I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE CAR SHIFTS VERY HARD, SOMETIMES SPUTTERING BETWEEN 5-10MPH AND THEN ACCELERATING. DEALER REFLASHED THE COMPUTER BASED ON TECHNICAL BULLETIN TSB-0194-17. THEY HAVE NOW HAD THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS AND HAVE REPLICATED THE ISSUE AND I AM AWAITING GUIDANCE. THE VEHICLE HAS 13,000 MILES ON IT, THERE SHOULD NOT BE MAJOR TRANSMISSION ISSUES. MY COMPLAINT DOESN'T SEEM ISOLATED.

AT ABOUT 11,000 MILES, A HIGH PITCH WHINING SOUND APPEARED DURING ACCELERATION. THE DEALER IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE PARTS ARE BACK ORDERED. I WAS ADVISED TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL TOYOTA APPROVED THE REPAIR AND THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THIS ISSUE IS COMMON AND MAY LEAD TO COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE PRESENTING A SAFETY ISSUE.

4 WEEKS AGO THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE HIGH PITCHED WHINE DURING ACCELERATION FROM 40 MPH AND UP. THE WHINE'S PITCH WOULD CHANGE UP OR DOWN WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CHANGED GEARS AND THE VEHICLE'S SPEED CHANGED. ON 2/12/2018, THE TRANSMISSION LET GO (THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT NO POWER TO THE WHEELS) WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY 45 MPH STREET. FORTUNATELY, THE PERSON BEHIND HERE DIDN'T REAR-END HER AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE INTO A TURNING LANE AND STOP WITH FLASHERS ON. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND ON. THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. RIGHT BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION LET GO, SHE HEARD A GRINDING NOISE. WHEN I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE WHINE WAS GONE ON ACCELERATION, BUT NOW IT WOULD WHINE ON DECELERATION! THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO...

AS I WAS TURNING LEFT AT A GREEN ARROW ACROSS A DIVIDED HIGHWAY, THE CAR STOPPED MOVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ALARMS IN ADVANCE OF THE STOP, NOR WERE THERE ANY CRUNCHING OR GRINDING SOUNDS AT THE TIME THE CAR STOPPED. I COULD TELL WHEN I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AT THE TIME THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN THAT SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT. AFTER THE CAR STOPPED, I TRIED TO RE-START 2X IN THE INTERSECTION, THEN PUSHED THE CAR OUT OF THE INTERSECTION. THE LIGHTS AND ELECTRICAL CAME ON, BUT WHEN I PUT IT IN GEAR AND HIT THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE RPMS WENT UP, BUT THE TIRES DID NOT ENGAGE. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WITH CALLS TO TOYOTA ENGINEERING TOOK 2 DAYS TO DIAGNOSE IT AS A TRANSMISSION " PRODUCTION ERROR" THAT REQUIRED A "COUNTERMANDED" REPLACEMENT. THEY HAVE HAD THE CAR IN...

WHILE DRIVING UP THE I-5 GRAPEVINE AT 72 MPH THE CAR SUDDENLY SLOWED WITHOUT ANY WARNING TO UNDER 20 MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE DASH SAID AWD SYSTEM DISENGAGED OR ERROR OR SOME SIMILAR MESSAGE AND TO TAKE TO THE DEALER. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO ACCELERATE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. I PULLED OFF, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, AND IT STARTED RUNNING AGAIN. I'M LUCKY I WAS NOT REAR ENDED.

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 72 MPH WHEN VEHICLE DIED CAUSING A POTENTIALLY VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, MASTER WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, SEE DEALER FOR REPAIR MESSAGE DISPLAYED. WAS ABLE TO LIMP TO SIDE OF ROAD AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. AFTER 2 DAYS OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTING THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY (LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON VEHICLE). THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING, HOWEVER, NOW NOTICE A DECREASE IN GAS MILEAGE AND DIFFERENCE IN TRANSMISSION SHIFTING SINCE REPLACEMENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT DRIVE FORWARD AND ROLLED BACKWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR AXLE SHAFT SUPPORT BEARING RETAINING RING FAILED AND CAUSED THE AXLE TO SEPARATE FROM THE TRANS AXLE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 192.