Complaint 2175135

Complaint Summary

POWER TRAIN

Owner Narrative

I am writing about my 2021 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD VIN # [XXX] . I purchased this vehicle brand new on 3/29/2021 at ‘Koons Easton Toyota’ in Easton, MD. In October 2025 I started hearing whining noise from the engine compartment. It was audible only when accelerating the vehicle and would go away if I took my foot off the accelerator. On 10/22/2025, I took the vehicle for inspection to ‘Ourisman Toyota 40’ dealership in Edgewood, MD. The technician told me that this is a known issue in this model/year and recommended to replace transmission as there was no other fix. He gave me a $9,995 estimate for transmission replacement. I subsequently learned that there was technical service bulletin on this exact defect released by Toyota on 2/9/2021. It said that models with UA80F transmission will make whining noise and then fail. The only remedy was to replace the transmission with brand new transmission part number 30500-0E160. This bulletin was posted on NHTSA website also. [XXX] This bulletin was released 50 days before I purchased the brand-new vehicle on 3/29/2021. My frustration and disappointment came from the fact that Toyota had known about this issue for 50 days and still proceeded to sell this vehicle to me. This is unacceptable as there should have been a recall on this defect or Toyota should have pulled the vehicle from the market. This is not about the powertrain warranty running out as that would apply to unforeseen issues that neither manufacturer nor buyer knew about in advance. It is about knowingly selling the customer a defective product even after disclosing the major defect publicly. Transmission failure can be a serious safety issue because it could have caused sudden loss of power and difficulty controlling speed. I request NHTSA to investigate these widespread Highlander transmission issues the same way Ford F150 transmission issues are being investigated. Thanks INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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