| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Toyota Highlander repairs by problem area
Engine (25%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (6%)
Brakes and Traction Control (12%)
Suspension and Steering (13%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (27%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (8%)
Other (8%)
Select a problem area
- Engine
- Transmission and Drivetrain
- Brakes and Traction Control
- Suspension and Steering
- Electrical and Air Conditioning
- Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim
- Other
Chart based on 1179 repairs.
Toyota Highlander transmission repair cost distribution
$2500+ (6%)
$1000 - $2499 (23%)
$500 - $999 (13%)
$100 - $499 (24%)
< $100 (35%)
Chart based on 71 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2019 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
295-horsepower 3.5L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 27900 mi | Burning oil smell.Transfer case which is bolted to the transmission was leaking oil onto exhaust pipe.Transfer case had to be removed and its cover re sealed with a liquid gasket maker.Paid by warranty.Repair took 3 days. No courtesy car.Toyota Canada would only pay for $40/day after 10 days waiting for car to be repaired. |
2018 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
295-horsepower 3.5L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 1000 mi | Transmission is not as smooth as I would like, especially when vehicle is cold. I haven't taken in for a check yet, but think public should be aware of this issue if they are considering this vehicle. |
2018 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
295-horsepower 3.5L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 63240 mi C $75 |
Repaired leak. New Front pump Seal (torque converter to Oil pump). |
2017 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
295-horsepower 3.5L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 14000 mi | Replaced transmission AND transaxle of car purchased new. 13,998 miles. Lemon Law qualified. Additionally DEALER SCRATCHED THE HOOD AND TORE BODY MOLDING FROM VEHICLE. While waiting for body parts, a vibration while driving was discovered. Repaired body and CORRECTLY REASSEMBLED THE EXHAUST. All caused by the dealer. |
2017 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
295-horsepower 3.5L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 3000 mi | Harsh shifting, lack of power. Updated the software for the transmission as mine was built before a certain date which had the problem as noted in a Toyota TSB |
2016 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 134000 mi US $421 |
Passenger-side CV boot torn; CV joint beginning to click when in reverse and steering wheel moved all the way to left. Tire Kingdom replaced entire passenger CV axle with OEM part. |
| I had 125 miles on the car and the transmission jolted...I couldn't get the car past 1st gear (auto trans) . They towed it to the dealer. Check engine light was on. Dealer said it was 1.5 quarts low on trans fluid. This car was brand new. |
2016 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 48000 mi | water pump replaced |
2015 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 25000 mi US $1500 |
Pan leak |
2013 Toyota Highlander
Engine not specified
| 175000 mi US $250 |
Rear pinion seal |
2013 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 55000 mi | Rear differential pinion seal replaced. Could see fluid blowback upon inspection 3 months earlier; subsequent visit showed it to be quite wet. Sign of a problem applies, but there were no non-visual/mechanical symptoms. |
| 56000 mi | Tsb for whine around 40 mph. Transmission replaced under warranty. |
2013 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
245-horsepower 3.5L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD
| 31000 mi | Loud whine from hybrid drive train under light load, speeds 35 to 50 mph. Dealer acknowledges noise but says it is not sufficient to warrant repair. Pursuing with Toyota national now. |
2012 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 11000 mi | Clicking noise 50% of the time when shifting from park to drive/reverse. Dealer has replaced the shift mechanism twice. Now they are telling me that this is a common sound on highlanders. |
| 104000 mi US $380 |
Check engine light on accompanied with erratic shifting. Car would die at stop lights and could only be re-started in neutral. Dealer found park-neutral safety switch faulty. Replaced switch and car now drives normal. |
| 72000 mi US $4500 |
Torque converter threw a "check engine" code...dealer replaced entire transmission. |
| 58000 mi | Rear end locked up/Froze on highway. Toyota certified when purchased and maintenance at same dealership. Total replacement covered under warranty. |
| 67000 mi | Bought car with a little bit of factory extended powertrain warranty still valid. Heard pinion gear whine when driving, found that Toyota has a Service Bulletin out for a batch of improperly honed pinion gears, took to dealer. Dealer verified and put in a remanufactured transaxle under warranty per the service bulletin. Excellent service, no hassles, car is now perfect! Way to go, Toyota! |
| 161000 mi US $200 |
Flush & fill transmission fluid |
| 4000 mi | Drivetrain making a growling/grinding noise. Noise confirmed by dealer. Source not found. Crankcase oil changed. No sign of wear or grinding. Unknown if other components inspected. Holding open ticket. |
2011 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 16000 mi | Clunking noise with sharp turn |
2011 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 76260 mi C $2600 |
2nd time problems with the transfer case. This time seals, and transmission seal |
2011 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
187-horsepower 2.7L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 106640 mi C $2000 |
Torque converter to be changed, shaky transmission and shuddering. Estimate CAD $2,000. Didn't do it, added a bottle of additive and traded at the same dealer i bought it from for a new Camry. |
2010 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 12400 mi | Check engine light turned on while on a 400 km trip back from sea level to Mexico City (2,300m OSL). Car was left for two days at dealership. The mechanic said the cause was transmission overheating, fluid changed as a precaution. |
2010 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 31000 mi | Transmission leak. Shop could not find where leak originated from, and painted transmission over to identify leak next time. |
| 33000 mi | oily transmission. Dealer conclusion was that this is not unusual leak, not a problem. |
| 63200 mi | Transmission was slipping. After EXTENSIVE (6 days) analysis, no problem was found. |
2010 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
245-horsepower 3.5L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD
| 109000 mi US $500 |
Front axle boot torn - replaced boot and other axle parts |
2009 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 88000 mi US $400 |
Outer control arm joint cover was ripped. |
2009 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
187-horsepower 2.7L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 129500 mi US $20 |
Leaking main seal. Added seal sealant, conditioner |
2008 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 205000 mi US $2000 |
Replace Axle Boots |
| 222284 mi US $365 |
Replace leaking inner CV boot |
2008 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 84000 mi US $330 |
Truck was having occasional shift flares when shifting in lower gears. The transmission oil was reported as being dirty, so we changed the fluid which took care of the problem. |
| 168000 mi US $400 |
Drive shaft replacement due to worn u-joints; u-joints are staked-in and not replaceable |
| 109200 mi US $1146 |
CV boot was torn, $400 |
| 122000 mi US $850 |
Rear axle leak. |
| 142000 mi US $200 |
CV axle passenger side |
| 51660 mi | Oil transmision cooler leaking, had to replace the whole unit |
| 217985 mi | Diagnosed bad CV joint in front; not replaced. Vibration is present starting at 68 mph (gets much worse around 90) and does not abate with change in throttle input. |
| 62000 mi | Started feeling weird vibration when driving in the 80km/hr range. Felt like AWD system was acting up. I pulled over switched to low speed 2wd, drove for a couple of blocks at low speed, switched off low range and kept going without issue. |
2008 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
209-horsepower 3.3L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD
| 120000 mi US $1250 |
Repaired front boots that were leaking. |
2007 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
215-horsepower 3.3L V6 5-speed automatic AWD
| 114000 mi | Right front passenger side CV axle making a clanking noise. |
2007 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
208-horsepower 3.3L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD
| 130800 mi US $1000 |
Mechanic noticed that boots on left front axle were torn. He tried to pull axle apart to clean and grease, but was unable to. Hybrid axles are different than standard. Ended up getting new axle from dealer. |
2006 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
215-horsepower 3.3L V6 5-speed automatic AWD
| 61000 mi | Transmission was intermittently "hard shifting". No codes were set. Mechanic was able to replicate by driving vehicle. Toyota replaced the transmission & covered 100% of cost of repair (although out of warranty), as I had brought it in twice previously for same issue with no resolution. |
| 48360 mi C $1800 |
Had transmission oil leak that required the drive-shaft and other components to be removed in order to fix the leak. Parts were only 10% of the repair, the rest was labor. |
| 58280 mi C $1200 |
Replaced leaking transfer case seals |
2006 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
208-horsepower 3.3L V6 Hybrid CVT FWD
| 85000 mi US $100 |
Replaced CV axle on front passenger side. Vehicle had lots of shaking when brakes were applied. Once replaced, vehicle drives like new. |
| 138000 mi US $1200 |
leaky transmission seal needed to be replaced |
| 150000 mi US $400 |
Half shaft (Left) |
2005.5 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
215-horsepower 3.3L V6 5-speed automatic AWD
| 81220 mi A $1600 |
transfer case rebuild |
2005 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
230-horsepower 3.3L V6 5-speed automatic FWD
| 211700 mi | Storage vibration/ loss of power. Mechanic says its CV joints, but not sure I believe it. Need 2nd opinion from dealership. |
| 244000 mi US $1500 |
Vibration in front end. Front axle replaced. |
| 301200 mi US $1000 |
Torn CV boot- axle went bad. |
2005 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
230-horsepower 3.3L V6 5-speed automatic AWD
| 161000 mi US $1147 |
Replaced worn U joints. |
| 134000 mi US $35 |
Verify small oil leak from front differential (4WD). Top off oil. |
| 59000 mi | Leak developed in the transfer case, repaired by the dealer. |
2004 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
230-horsepower 3.3L V6 5-speed automatic AWD
| 90000 mi US $1900 |
Replced drive shaft from front to rear due to play in shaft. |
| 104000 mi US $1300 |
Car developed a vibration when accelerating in lower gears. Took it to transmission shop. Could not find any codes or transmission issues. Diagnosed as a bad u-joint in the drive shaft. Not U-joint staked to shaft. Must replace entire shaft. |
| 284740 mi C $2312 |
driveshaft assembly replacement over the broken U-joint |
| 330460 mi C $680 |
transmission leak, replaced transmission pan(?) and gasket |
| 127000 mi US $500 |
seal rear |
| 97960 mi C $150 |
Replaced front differential seal. |
| 40000 mi US $200 |
Replaced leaking output shaft seal. |
| 107200 mi US $572 |
Parking solenoid lubricated after shifter would not engage from Park into Reverse without several attempts, especially when cold. |
| 165000 mi US $65 |
erratic shifting. sticking shift solenoid 2nd to 3rd shift problem |
| 142000 mi US $600 |
Front drive shaft section had to be replaced due to non replaceable ujoint failure. |
2003 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
220-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 87000 mi | Tranny started slipping. |
2003 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
220-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic AWD
| 158800 mi US $370 |
Pinion oil seal with new 80W90 Gear oil. |
2003 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
155-horsepower 2.4L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 164000 mi | Transmission gave out after 3+ years of minor power fluctuations. |
2003 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
155-horsepower 2.4L I4 4-speed automatic AWD
| 144460 mi C $560 |
Worn-out Front universal joint |
2002 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
220-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 161423 mi US $3658 |
Would not change out of 1st gear. |
2002 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
220-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic AWD
| 190000 mi US $800 |
Replaced transmission fluid |
2001 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
220-horsepower 3.0L V6 4-speed automatic FWD
| 252434 mi US $3154 |
Transmission failed. Had to replace it. |
2001 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
155-horsepower 2.4L I4 4-speed automatic AWD
| 60760 mi C $400 |
transmission leaked and brake pads replaced |
| 88000 mi US $100 |
Transmission cooler hose was split and leaking. Replaced with new hose & new hose clamps |
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See TrueDelta's information for all Toyota models.
