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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | • Transmission Failure. Inspection is available upon request. • We do not know if we are at risk if the transmission fails while driving. • Certified Toyota Dealership diagnosed and deemed failure – recommends full replacement • Component was inspected by a certified Toyota dealership • No warning lights | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Less than 95k miles. Dealer says transmission needs replaced and cooler. Bought new- owned 5 years and 2 months. Many other 2019 highlanders online stating same problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Hello, it seems that my vehicle is having a whirling noise when accelerating at different RPMs. When I researched, it isn’t an isolated incident because many others online are experiencing the same issue with most of them being told that the transmission must be replaced. And further investigation, I found that the issue could be the trans axle assembly component which can cause issues if not replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Upon acceleration, the engine revved high and a whine sound started once the car (2019 Highlander XLE) approached 25-40 miles per hour. It appears that this is a transmission issue that Toyota was aware about years before selling the 2019 (and later) Highlander and other models (according to consumer complaints online). The car has 92,700 miles on it and is thus out of warranty. It had a recall in 2020 though I do not know exactly what was allegedly fixed. Had Toyota disclosed these serious transmission issues, I would not have purchased the car. My local mechanic has advised that the transmission will need to be replaced at a high cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | At approximately 85K miles my 2019 Highlander began to exhibit a high pitched “whirring” sound upon accelerating. The noise stops once you take your foot off the gas. I brought the vehicle to my local Toyota dealership to investigate the noise. They concluded that it is the transmission and I would need to replace the entire transmission. There are no warning lights or other indications aside from the sound. Transmission fluid is clear of any shavings or other indicators of an issue. Toyota service stated they could not tell me if or when the transmission might fail, just that it should be replaced. There are multiple reports of similar occurrences on online Toyota forums. There are also recalls for the exact same sound for the 2018 Highlander. I opened a case with Toyota customer service and was told there was nothing they could do to assist. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | When starting the vehicle, and extremely loud feedback noise is emitted from the front right speaker. This happens intermittently. Sometimes it's every 5th time you start it, and sometimes every 29th start. This started happening after the dealer-provided SOS Safety subscription expired. The noise is extremely loud and very disturbing especially for individuals like our daughter who has special needs. I would not be surprised if it is damaging our hearing. It would likely be especially harmful to children! It has been confirmed by the dealer and is currently back at the shop whule they are further investigating the cause. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | 2019Toyota Highlander = Transmission whine and hard shift at times, Needs replacement transmission at 106,000 mile , no codes stored | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | A whinning noise can be heard from car while driving. Vehicle has just under 60k miles and dealer is saying the transmission is failing and it would need to be replaced. There was no warning lights or indication on display. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Complaint Regarding DCM Module Failure in 2019 Toyota Highlander Platinum Our 2019 Toyota Highlander Platinum is experiencing severe audio system malfunctions, beyond simple Bluetooth and connectivity failures. The vehicle sporadically emits an extremely loud screeching feedback sound upon startup and at unpredictable times while driving. This deafening noise is highly distracting to the driver, posing a significant safety risk. Toyota has been aware of this issue for years and documented it in Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0112-20, which identifies the faulty vehicle assembly locations. However, despite widespread reports from owners and the high cost of repairs, Toyota has failed to issue a recall. Given the clear safety hazards associated with this defect, I firmly believe Toyota should recall affected Highlanders and provide immediate replacements for the defective DCM module. Owners should not be forced to cover costly repairs for a known issue that compromises driver safety. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | 2019 toyota highlander bought 3/15/25 with approximately 82,000 miles. Started making whining noise 4/7/25. On 4/9/25 took vehicle to dealer 4/11/25 notified need new transmission and transaxle seal need on new transmission. 2 weeks later on 4/25/25 picked up vehicle drove home 3 days later noticed gear oil leaking and sprayed all over under chassis. Vehicle brought back to dealer on 4/29/25. On 4/30/25 notified needs new transaxle seal on new transmission. Notified on 5/9/25 new transmission will need to be replaced again. They stated there is gouging/nicks where transaxle and transmission connect. Dealer is saying there is no transmission to put in. Toyota has put a stop to all transmissions. So now I have a vehicle with only 82,000 miles and no way to fix it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission failed while driving down the highway almost causing an incident. These transmissions are very unsafe and should be recalled. Toyota refuses to take responsibility for this year Highlander although it is the same 80ua transmission that was recalled in the 2017 and 2018. While Toyota has said this problem has been remedied in the later years it is very false. Please do an investigation on this before people get hurt from accidents if they haven’t already. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle, and the transmission was shifting hard. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 95,000 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission makes a whine noise and also experiencing some harsh shifting. Dealership confirmed the whine noise is an indication of transmission failure and they recommend replacing the transmission. Toyota needs to do a recall on this transmission!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | the transmission completely failed. it is at Spitzer Toyota in Monroville. PA | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving my Hybrid System Malfunction, check AWD, check engine, and Pre-Collision System Malfunction all came on simultaneously, it also said to put in P. It wouldn’t accelerate so I had to have it towed to the dealer since it had only been 3 days since I bought it. It was sent to a Toyota service center where it took 3 weeks for them to diagnose and replace the high pressure fuel pump. I got the vehicle back, it drove fine for a week until the same thing happened again. It stopped accelerating, said to shift into P-only the Hybrid System Malfunction, check engine, and Pre-Collision System Malfunction came up this time. I had it towed back to the Toyota service center since the problem clearly wasn’t solved and am awaiting a new diagnosis. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Needs transmission at 90,000 miles - original owner - well maintained car- manufacture defect according to dealer According to various websites other 2019 Toyota Highlanders have had similar issues Had 2009 Highlander that lasted til almost 200,000 with no Issues | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Transmission failure; See attached Customer Support Program Bulletin No. POL19-04 [XXX] (for 2018 Highlanders). My vehicle is a 2019, same body style, same transmission type, etc. Toyota dealership diagnosed my vehicle today and confirmed that the issue is the same as listed in the bulletin. I filed a case with Toyota (corporate). I have located thousands of other customers online reporting the same issue as described in this bulletin. I'm requesting that Toyota modify the bulletin or create a specific one for 2019. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | We have noticed a whinning noise as we accelerate the vehicle. Doing some investigation online I came across a lot of threads with the same issue. Seems to be the transmission. Reached out to a Toyota tech friend and he mentioned it is the transmission. They have had several Highlanders and Camry with the same issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission while accelerating. The contact stated that over time, the whining sound became louder, and the vehicle later had transmission shifting malfunctions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 64,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 64,000 |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | My 2019 Toyota Highlander with 56k miles has a whining noise whenever the accelerator is pressed down. The noise stops when you release the accelerator. This was confirmed by my Toyota dealership service department. They informed me the transmission needed to be replaced. They said this is a common problem with this vehicle but yet there has not been a recall. Cost of replacement is around $8000. Fortunately for me my vehicle is still under warranty. I found many similar complaints about the transmission on the Toyota Highlander Forum. I don't understand why there has not been a recall. Going forward I am concerned that the replacement transmission could very well have the same problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | My 2019 Toyota Highlander with 56K miles has a whining noise whenever the accelerator is pressed. The noise stops when you release the gas pedal. This was confirmed by my Toyota dealership service department. The transmission does need to be replace. They said this is a common problem with this vehicle and yet there has been no recall. Fortunately my vehicle is still under warranty. I found manner similar complaints about this transmission on the Toyota Highlander Forum. I don't understand why there has not been a recall. Going forward I am also concerned that the replacement transmission could very well have the same problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at low speeds in a parking area, she briefly lost control only coming to a stop after colliding with a light pole. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact and his wife were both transported to an area hospital by EMT. The driver was treated for injuries to her left hand and thumb, and the contact was treated for non-descript injuries to his head, face, and chest trauma. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was informed that the manufacturer intended to inspect the vehicle but had yet to receive an update. The failure mileage was 41,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | 41,000 |
| Feb 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The CPO vehicle was purchased at 60k miles 11/5/2024. The vehicle started bogging down accelerating from a stop, while pulling into traffic, and decelerating randomly at 62k. The vehicle went in to the dealership at 64.5k on 2/20/2025 where they stated the transmission needed replacing due to a transmission whine and incorrect acceleration/deceleration. Toyota corporate will not acknowledge the dangerous problem with the UA80 transmission that 1000's of customers are having. This transmission is in many models with similar issues from 2017-2019. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The SOS speaker squeals very loudly when starting the vehicle about 7 out of 10 times and is available for inspection. Problem is known by Toyota. [XXX] No. No warning indication or messages. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |