2006 Toyota Highlander Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 22about this part
- Share
- 8%of 278 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 42,194miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2006 Toyota Highlander, 8% of the 278 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 42,194 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving my vehicle all the lights on my dashboard illuminated. My vehicle lost power and I had to pull over. It died there. I was on belfield ave and gratz street in philadelphia, pa . I subsequently had it towedback to my residence.”
NHTSA complaint #11385175, filed 2020-12, 174,000 miles“Driving on the highway, car broke down and stopped functioning. Took the vehicle to the dealership and was charged $4259.81 to replace transfer case. After some investigating, I discovered that Toyota had issued a TSB (tc008-07) to replace the right-hand bearing seal that would have prevented this. My car was in service at the dealership multiple times prior while under warranty, and they could have prevented this by replacing the seal.”
NHTSA complaint #10649715, filed 2014-10, 49,389 miles“I bought this car 6 months ago and have the following problem. There is a unpredictable 2-3 second hesitation on acceleration when entering traffic stream from a parking lot or attempting to pass another vehicle when I am driving relatively slow and want to accelerate. When I have to scoot it stumbles before picking up speed so I am not scooting as well as I should be to keep from interfering with other oncoming traffic. …”
NHTSA complaint #10185505, filed 2007-03, 5,407 miles“I have a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid. It has the four wheel drive I system. Any time the vehicle senses slipping in the tires it cuts power to all wheels. I have been stuck in very manageable conditions. Not only do you not get 4 wheel drive to help out of adverse conditions, you get no drive to any wheels and are left stuck. I spoke with Toyota and they said that the vehicle is designed to do this to prevent damage to the hybrid system. There is no information in any of the literature provided when purchasing a vehicle. …”
NHTSA complaint #10246565, filed 2008-10, 1 miles“I was driving in my Highlander with my daughters in the back seat when suddenly out of no where all the alert lights came on and there was no power at all - the gas pedal was non functional - I was in the far left lane of a an interstate and fortunately I was able to get off the road and pull the car out of traffic as it rolled to a stop. I waited on the crowded interstate for two hours for a tow. I was told that the Highlander hybrid inverter had failed - the dealer replaced the part that week and the car drives normally now. I was advised that in fact this is a known problem. …”
NHTSA complaint #10424256, filed 2011-09, 62,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10134454Aug 24, 2015TechTip: Condition - The vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the Engine ECM has been…
- 10134169Mar 18, 2015TechTip: Condition: Engine No Start and/or Poor Engine Power DTCs set immediately after performing service on the Inverter such as SSC D0M for IPM replacement or Inverter…
- 10109408Oct 16, 2014TSB: The purpose of this bulletin is to assist in the identification and location of serial numbers on 2006 -2014 model year remanufactured automatic transmissions.
- 10109404Oct 16, 2014TSB: The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of the correct torque converter bolts during automatic transmission/transaxle…
- 10109403Oct 16, 2014TSB: World Standard (WS) Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) was introduced to reduce maintenance costs and increase the mileage between scheduled maintenance checks. Here are…
- 10109493Sep 30, 2014TSB: The purpose of this bulletin is to assist in the identification and location of serial numbers on 2006 - 2014 model year automatic transmissions.
- 10109492Sep 30, 2014TSB: The purpose of this bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic transmission/transaxle assembly to avoid MIL "ON" shifting issues and/or…
- 10132084Oct 1, 2013The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic transmission/transaxle assembly to avoid MIL ?ON,? shifting issues, and/or…
- 10133836Feb 20, 2013This bulletin contains general vehicle pulling diagnosis and repair procedures along with specific information to help correct pulling complaints.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 7% |
| 2023 | 20 | 11% |
| 2022 | 55 | 21% |
| 2021 | 229 | 43% |
| 2020 | 126 | 39% |
| 2019 | 214 | 42% |
| 2018 | 72 | 26% |
| 2017 | 77 | 28% |
| 2016 | 1 | 1% |
| 2015 | 7 | 4% |
| 2014 | 9 | 7% |
| 2013 | 11 | 5% |
| 2012 | 7 | 4% |
| 2011 | 16 | 9% |
| 2010 | 6 | 3% |
| 2009 | 7 | 5% |
| 2008 | 18 | 4% |
| 2007 | 8 | 6% |
| 2006 | 22 | 8% |
| 2005 | 51 | 23% |
| 2004 | 58 | 20% |
| 2003 | 13 | 5% |
| 2002 | 14 | 5% |
| 2001 | 13 | 9% |
Other parts of the 2006 Toyota Highlander
102 complaintsVehicle speed control
43 complaintsElectrical system
26 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
24 complaintsEngine cooling
21 complaintsEngine
19 complaintsSteering
16 complaintsAir bags
12 complaintsElectronic stability control
12 complaintsFuel system
12 complaintsOther or unknown
10 complaintsExterior lighting
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2006 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology