Complaint 2128258

Complaint Summary

POWER TRAIN

Owner Narrative

2017 Toyota Highlander XLE Why hasn’t Toyota issued a recall?! My transmission failed at 2AM on the Florida turnpike 140 miles from home, after a physically and emotionally exhausting day moving my daughter to college. I slept in my car 7 hours, scared, waiting to get towed. The closest shop that was open early on a Saturday was an hour away in the other direction and when I got there, they told me they wouldn’t be able to look at it until Monday. Pointless to pay 2 nights at a hotel, so I got an Uber to get a rental to get home. It wasn’t bad enough when I found out the cost to replace the transmission on a car with 96k miles (my Camry had 300k when I sold it), but even if I agreed to pay, the transmission is backordered, and it could be months. Months! I had to pay the diagnostic fee - completely understandable - and I needed it moved to avoid a $75 per day storage fee. AAA would tow it 100 miles, then $7.00 per mile. When I asked to speak with someone because I had the upgraded membership that provided 200 miles, I was told they wouldn’t cover any part of the tow because it was already at an auto shop. The least expensive option was to get a transport company ($300) to pickup and deliver the car to the local Toyota dealership. They’re anticipating at least 3 months, but they’ll pay for a rental if I agree to have them do the repair. Has Toyota fixed the issue, or will the new transmission likely to have the same problem?

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.