2011 Toyota Highlander Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“Driving on a city street at about 35 miles per hour I was heading home with my kids (5 y.o. And 7 y.o.) when the vehicle decelerated and lost power while I was driving in traffic, I was fortunate that the care rolled long enough to pull over to a safe spot with my children and call for a tow. Lights that came on check hybrid system, check brake system, check 4wd system, and the check engine light came on. …”

“My 2011 Toyota Highlander v6 awd suffered a sudden oil cooler pipe failure/rupture leading to catastrophic engine failure/damage at approximately 85,000 miles. This is a known defect with certain 2008-2011 highlanders and was the subject of a service bulletin and eventually a warranty enhancement (ze2) starting in 2014, but we were never notified of this issue via mail or by the Toyota dealer at which the vehicle is regularly serviced. The vehicle was traveling on the highway when the problem occurred. …”

“At low speed, the auto has a serious delay when you press down on the gas pedal to enter a lane of traffic such as entering an interstate from an entrance ramp. After the delay the auto then surges into the traffic lane. Toyota officials claim it is caused by a communication problem between the computer and the transmission. They told me that it cannot be corrected. I feel that the delay and surge is not safe.”

“I only have 7k miles in my car I own the car for only 1 year. I notice that the steering wheel is not balance at all. At least 5-10 degree to the right. I have my car service every 6 months with Toyota it should be balanced and done the tire rotation??? Also the transmission occasionally stall about 1-2 second when I accelerate to 30-40 MPH. I am afraid that the transmission will have problem within this 2-3 years. Like honda transmission failure on odyssey.”

“The following email/report was sent to the Toyota dealership from whom I had purchased this new vehicle: I am writing to report an abnormal incident, which may or may not be related to the stall problem I had encountered, and which you inspected during my last visit. In this incident, I was very gently trying to move the car into my garage from a stationary position (there is a small 10 to 15 degree grade over a 3 ft distance before the garage floor became level again). …”