Complaint volume
453 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2019 Toyota Highlander Complaints
453 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Toyota Highlander, grouped by component category.
453 Total complaints
22 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
12 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, fuel/propulsion system, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 22 crash reports, 1 fire report, 12 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 139 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 27,463 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, fuel/propulsion system, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2019 Toyota Highlander?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2019 Toyota Highlander
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Toyota Highlander complaints?
22 Crash
1 Fire
12 Injury
0 Fatality
27 Towed
7 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Toyota Highlander complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 149
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 48
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 16
ENGINE 12
AIR BAGS 9
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 8
453 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. A passerby helped push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 143,335. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 143,335 |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission has exhibited signs of premature failure due to an internal component defect. The only indication was a whining noise when accelerating. This was first noticed around July 2025 when the car had about 78,000 miles on it. The car was later inspected by the Toyota dealer on 08/20/2025 with 79,253 miles on it. The Toyota dealer determined that "the noise being heard was the transmission becoming faulty" and prescribed replacing the transmission "as soon as possible." This is a safety concern if the transmission suddenly fails while driving, but I am not going to wait for that to happen before replacing it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | SUV has a pronounced whine coming from the transmission. This started at approximately 85,000 - 90,000 miles and has progressively gotten louder. The car currently has 96,000 miles on it. As I understand it Toyota has issues multiple technical service bulletin about this exact issue covering the 2017-2018 highlander but my 2019 is not covered even though it has the exact same 8 transmission. I have not taken this to the dealer as I understand it would not be covered under the factory power train warranty which is 5 years or 60,000 miles. I've purchased several Toyota vehicles over multiple decades, but with this issue on a vehicle that is not yet 7 years old I am a bit dissapointed and will not be purchasing any more toyota vehicles. Since this issue is specifically related to the powertrain it is most certainly a SAFETY related issue when this transmission fails. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | There is a potential of a serious accident concerning this car. The engine shuts down completely when you are emerging into traffic. I consider this a death trap. Out dealer in Lima, Oh does not want to fix it. I don't seem to be able to get this problem fixed. I appreciate hearing from you as the problem is getting worse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Severe whining from drivetrain car had less then 80,000 when problem started. Dealership has no answer. Car has drivetrain transmission UA80F which has numerous documented issues and has been used in many vehicles which all has same drivetrain problems. This is known problem at Toyota Motor Sales. This issue can cause vehicle transmission to just fail and leave car valueless. The whining has been getting worse every time driven. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | At approximately 64,607 miles, my 2019 Toyota Highlander experienced a complete transmission failure. The vehicle had. been properly maintained. There were no warning lights prior to the failure. The transmission began making a high-pitched whining noise, followed by difficulty shifting. Research shows that many other 2019 Highlander owners have reported the same issue, often described as the "death whine," occurring between 50,000-100,000 miles. These failures appear related to the UA80 8 -speed automatic transmission, which has already been the subject of service programs in earlier 2017-2018 Toyota vehicles. Transmission replacement cost range from $7,000 - $10,000, with parts frequently on backorder. A major drivetrain failure at such low milage, raises significant safety concerns, and appears to be a recurring defect that warrants investigation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission started whining at 90k miles and has failed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, upon depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 51,000 |
| Aug 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The AC stopped working on our 2019 Highlander. The vehicle has very little corrosion underneath or in the engine bay, yet the rear AC lines have corroded at a location where two different types of metal contact each other. This has been happening with many highlanders after 5 years, and the cost to replace is expensive. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | 8/15: I was informed that the had a transmission failure requiring full replacement. The highlander is a 2019 SE with a UA80 transmission which we have now discovered has multiple complaints against it. Our car only has 108,000 miles and has been maintained with all required maintenance a full transmission service. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I was nearly in an accident because the vehicle was unable to accelerate quickly due to transmission shift delay. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal whining sound emanating from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced; however, there was a back log on the part. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| Aug 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I had just driven up a steep driveway and made a slightly sharper than 90 degree turn at a very low speed to pull into a home parking spot when the car lunged forward suddenly and slammed into the stone wall of the house at a high speed. The section of this driveway after the turn is only 2.5 car lengths, but the car picked up enough speed to smash the front of the car in. The car was totaled and driver and side curtain airbags all deployed. I do not know why this happened as there is no way I would have hit the gas hard while pulling up to a building to stop. I also would not have slammed on the gas thinking it was the brake since there would have been no reason to slam on the brake when I was only going 5-10 miles per hour max around the tight turn. My shoe was not caught on a pedal, both sandals were still on my feet after the accident. I am not a two footed driver. I feel that it was an accelerator malfunction, as the gas pedal had always been a little strange with a delayed response, but may have also involved the transmission after driving up the steep hill and then returning to a short but flat stretch leading up to the house. I was very bruised up, particularly my shins and ankles. Two months later, I still have some visible bruising. I also had injuries from the seat belt on my chest and what appeared to be a powder burn from the airbags. I was quite traumatized by the sudden acceleration and violence of the crash and not understanding how or why it happened. If someone had been standing in front of the house to greet me on my return, they would have been killed. The car was towed away and totaled by the insurance company, so the problem hasn't been reproduced or confirmed. There were no warning lamps or messages that I'm aware of prior to the incident, except that the gas pedal has always felt inconsistent concerning when it engages. My phone self-dialed 911 and law enforcement came out to do an accident report. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My car only has just over 70,000 miles and my transmission failed. I get regular maintenance services when needed and never had any prior issues with transmission. I was driving when the transmission failed on me leaving me stuck on the road. I took the car to Toyota service center and was told it needs to be replaced and no further details. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Car started to make whining noise when accelerating, was taken to a car repair shop & it was found that the transmission will need to be replaced with only around 43k miles on the vehicle. Let it be noted that there are many other people on numerous Toyota forums complaining of the same issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I’m reporting a drivetrain and engine performance issue affecting my 2019 Toyota Highlander, which I believe is related to Toyota's T-SB-0160-18, T-SB-0008-21, and Customer Support Program ZJC (CSP ZJC). My vehicle is exhibiting the same symptoms like: 1. Intermittent engine misfires (no consistent CEL, but noticeable during driving) 2. Hesitation and shuddering during light or moderate acceleration 3. Unintended surging/lunging — the vehicle will randomly jerk forward without throttle input 4. Whining noise under acceleration, which appears to come from the engine bay These symptoms negatively affect vehicle control and driver confidence, especially when merging, passing, or driving in traffic. The behavior is unpredictable and poses a potential safety hazard. After researching, I found that Toyota issued T-SB-0160-18 and T-SB-0008-21 for this engine, acknowledging similar performance issues due to valve train irregularities and ECM programming. Toyota also released Customer Support Program ZJC, offering limited support to some VINs. However, despite my vehicle showing the same symptoms, it is not included in the CSP, and Toyota has not offered assistance without out-of-pocket costs. This issue appears to be more widespread than Toyota’s internal VIN list suggests. Many Highlander owners have reported the same issues online, and I believe Toyota should take responsibility for correcting these performance defects under a recall, not a limited CSP. I respectfully request that the NHTSA investigate the scope and validity of Toyota's CSP ZJC and TSBs related to the 2GR-FKS engine and push Toyota to expand CSP ZJC or issue a formal recall to cover all affected vehicles based on symptoms, not just VINs | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 3 of the 4 door lock actuators do not work properly. Some don't lock and some don't unlock. The only door that currently works is the driver's door. If I don't realize that a door did not lock someone can break into my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | STRUCTURE | . | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Defect with Transmission as hundreds of other people if not, thousands have already stated. Whining noise from Transmission after only 70,000 miles such a big issue that Toyota has a backorder on replacement transmissions. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Check engine light has came on. Code p107b which is what the recall for this vehicle year has but doesnt incude my vin. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission started making a whining noise. Auto shop confirmed it will need a new transmission. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE | Whining sound when when pushing the gas to accelerate. When you let go of the gas it stops. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | A wine and hard shifting, toyota does not agree. I experience this issue several times a day. Taking it into the dealership again to try to diagnose. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | There has been a high incidence of this model of Toyota Highlander having faulty transmissions. My vehicle had 129,000 when the transmission failed. It was metal shavings in the fluid. I’m hoping you will put pressure on Toyota to recall or help replace these transmissions. Thank you. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When I start the Highlander, there is a loud (hurts your ears) feedback noise through the speakers, and the red and green lights near the SOS button flash multiple times. This happens intermittently, and when it doesn't happen the SOS button only flashes red/green once. My wife, the primary driver of the car, has slowly developed tinnitus and this is the only loud, ear piercing, noises she have been exposed to. This noise can also bring on extreme headaches. I can't imagine the damage it could do to a child. We have tried to get this fixed at the mechanic and Toyota says the part is backordered. When we go to Toyota they state they have not heard of the issue. When we search the internet it is easy to find threads of this same issue on the same model, Toyota seems to be hiding this is a known issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |