2021 Toyota Highlander Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 228about this part
- Share
- 43%of 533 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 59,674miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 228 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2021 Toyota Highlander, 43% of the 533 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 59,674 miles. 3 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.
“Our Transmission is failing on our 2021 Highlander. It has a little over 76,000 miles on the vehicle. 2021 and 2022 seem to have many issues with the transmission failing. The dealership's estimate is almost $11,000! We only buy Toyotas and never had this issue with our Sequoia, sienna, avalon, Rav 4 with lots of miles and never needed a new transmission!”
NHTSA complaint #11749504, filed 2026-07“My vehicle has 67,100 miles. A whining/whistling noise recently started and the dealer has diagnosed that a new transmission is needed at a cost of $6,000-$8,000 and it is out of warranty. Researching this shows that this is a known manufacturing defect referred to under T-SB-0008-21. I am concerned that my transmission will fail while I am operating the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11743547, filed 2026-06“Transmission failure at 62000 miles. Toyota issued a service bulletin in Feb 2021. I bought the vehicle new in August 2021 and was not told of service issue. Also, I took vehicle to Toyota dealership for service every 5000 miles up to 55000. I was never told about service bulletin nor advised there could be a full imminent failure of the transmission.”
NHTSA complaint #11663469, filed 2025-05“My 2021 Toyota Highlander was making a high pitched whine sound upon acceleration with the sound level holding steady at a consistent speed. We took the vehicle to a Toyota dealership to have it looked at and were told the transmission needs to be replaced. No other warnings were received. We are concerned about our safety if the transmission goes out while on the road.”
NHTSA complaint #11740214, filed 2026-05“Technical Service bulletin was issued for my 2021 Highlander car in February of 2021 for a well documented transmission issue (whine and grind noise). We are now put in a position that requires us to replace the transmission at a substantial cost. This expense is budget crushing and any assistance in getting Toyota to assist with the expense would be greatly appreciated.”
NHTSA complaint #11713180, filed 2026-01Related service bulletins
- 10201352Jul 6, 2021TT: Some 2014-2021 model year vehicles equipped with Dynamic Torque Control AWD system may experience a ?Noise? or ?Abnormal Operation? condition from the rear differential front…
- 10188917Feb 9, 2021TSB: Some 2021 model year Avalon, Highlander, and Camry vehicles equipped with UA80E or UA80F transmissions may exhibit a whine or grind noise from the transmission. This…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 7% |
| 2023 | 20 | 11% |
| 2022 | 55 | 21% |
| 2021 | 228 | 43% |
| 2020 | 126 | 39% |
| 2019 | 213 | 42% |
| 2018 | 71 | 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 2021 Toyota Highlander
70 complaintsBrakes
68 complaintsBody and structure
52 complaintsEngine
47 complaintsAir bags
42 complaintsFuel system
31 complaintsElectrical system
28 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
17 complaintsForward collision avoidance
12 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsExterior lighting
8 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2021 Toyota Highlander
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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