Complaint volume
284 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
2020 Toyota Highlander Complaints
284 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, grouped by component category.
284 Total complaints
12 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
9 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, air bags, 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 12 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 55 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 37,738 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, air bags, 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 2020 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.
2020 Toyota Highlander
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Toyota Highlander complaints?
12 Crash
0 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
10 Towed
7 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Toyota Highlander complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 102
AIR BAGS 29
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28
STRUCTURE 22
SERVICE BRAKES 21
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4
SUSPENSION 4
ENGINE 3
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 3
284 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I took my car in for service and I noticed my car is making a loud whining noise. I asked the mechanic about it and he said my transmission is going out. I found on the web several people complaining about the 8-speed Toyota transmission and how it will stop working shortly. The complaints are numerous and it listed all the of the technical bulletins that Toyota issued and they knew about the problem years ago. I am taking my car to shop to have it fixed or replace. Based upon all my research, I am concerned that the car will stop working and leave me in an unsafe situation. I am not happy that Toyota is selling such a defective product. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Premature transmission failure due to factory defect. All maintenance was done on time and at dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The vehicle recently began making a whining noise when the gas pedal is pressed that is consistent with premature failure of the transmission. I took it to my local dealership and they recommended replacing the transmission and limiting usage of the vehicle to short trips until that is done because the transmission could fail while driving which would result in loss of power to the wheels which could lead to an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission failing/confirmed by dealer at 70k. No slipping, no warning messages, just whining prompted me to have it inspected. There are multiple lawsuits regarding these UA80 transmissions and Toyota is refusing to fix or acknowledge the manufacturing flaw. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | This Toyota Highlander make whining sound when I try to speedup, even a little bit. I had a transmission shop checked, and I was informed there is metal pieces in transmission fluid. I am concerned it will break one day on highway while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission failed. It is available for inspection. Should the transmission have completely failed on the road, it could have lead to an accident. Per the dealership diagnostic: replace transmission and torque converter assembly with applicable seals due to internal transmission failure. It has not been inspected by anyone else. No warning lights. This is a widespread problem in 2017-2020 Toyota Highlanders. Failure frequently happens right after the expiration of the manufacturer warranty and Toyota refuses to pay for it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | My 2020 Toyota Highlander hybrid sometimes has a brake slipping or surging sensation when I apply my brakes while stopping. It happens periodically and not every time. I have not taken it to a Toyota service station for this specific reason but I mentioned it while in for a recent oil change. They checked for a recall but didn't find any. I have somewhat gotten accustomed to the issue and have been able to adjust. As I have stated, it doesn't happen every time I apply my brakes. My concern is if I allow someone else to borrow my car or even sell to a new owner. I believe I am the second owner. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle to respond as intended and the contact could smell smoke while stopped. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to where the diagnosed the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, as the shift selector switch was replaced. The manufacturer was notified on the failure and offered to cut five thousand dollars off the cost of repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 41,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 41,800 |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Vehicle jerked and then a metal grinding sound. Vehicle would then not even roll in neutral on an incline. Had to be towed to dealer. Transmission has a crack in the case. Need a whole new transmission. I was left on the road. No warning whatsoever. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission failed after 56,000 miles. Based on the research this UA80 transmission has a lot of problems and Toyota has issued TBS and even extended warranty for the previous year models in the past. The transmission failed right after the time allowance for the 5 years 60,000 mile powertrain warranty, but within the mileage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection is a good thing, but there's a problem. It stops the car too abruptly on the highway, leading to rear-end collisions. When you release the brake pedal, the car remains stationary. To get it moving, you need to press the accelerator pedal. There have been four instances of the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection being activated in the last 12 months. Two of them ended in rear-end collisions. In the other two cases, there were no cars behind. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission developed a "whine" just before 87,000 miles resulting in the transmission and torque converter needing to be replaced as the transmission was failing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I have a 2020 Toyota Highlander Limited, at 140k my car began whining with acceleration, I took it to the dealership and a new transmission and was quoted 9,790 alone for a new transmission. I have had Toyotas since I began driving, I have never put more than breaks and battery’s in them. It seems this transmission has been a constant problem and failing early in life. I am not sure how there is not a recall for as many reports that there is. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving on a busy road going 50 mph and my sunroof exploded. Nothing hit my vehicle and It wasn’t a hot or cold day. No one was injured because my sunroof cover was luckily closed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a passing vehicle suddenly attempted to merge lanes and struck the vehicle on the passenger side door at approximately 45 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that she sustained pain in her right chest, head, and left arm, and medical attention was sought. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot, where it remained for further investigation. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,083. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 89,083 |
| Apr 2026 | POWER TRAIN | At approximately 75,000 miles the vehicle had a whining noise coming from the engine area. Took it to the dealer and they tested it, listened to it and determined that the transmission needed replaced. They confirmed the t-case oil is in good condition and level. No maintenance issues or concerns. Just that the transmission had gone bad. Toyota wants $8,000 to replace a transmission with low miles for a 2020 vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | POWER TRAIN | UA80 8 Speed transmission on 3.5V6 AWD transmission whine with transmission failure | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The vehicle is a 2020 Toyota Highlander experiencing a transmission system malfunction, specifically involving the automatic transmission and/or torque converter. Component/System Failure: The transmission produces a noticeable whining noise during acceleration and exhibits abnormal shifting behavior, including hesitation and delayed response when pressing the gas pedal. The issue appears to originate from the internal transmission components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: This condition creates a serious safety concern, as the hesitation and delayed acceleration can impair the driver’s ability to safely merge into traffic, cross intersections, or respond to changing road conditions. The unpredictable response increases the risk of a collision, especially in high-speed or congested traffic environments. Reproducibility / Confirmation: The issue is consistently reproducible and occurs whenever the vehicle is accelerated. The problem has not yet been fully resolved and is in the process of being addressed with a dealership/service center. Inspections: The vehicle is scheduled to be inspected by a Toyota dealership. At this time, it has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Warning Signs / Symptoms: There were no warning lights or dashboard messages prior to or during the issue. The first symptom noticed was the whining noise during acceleration, followed by abnormal shifting behavior and hesitation. These symptoms have progressively become more noticeable over time. This issue appears consistent with reported transmission problems in similar model vehicles, raising concern that this may be a broader defect affecting vehicle safety. I took my vehicle to 3 different mechanics and they told me that my vehicle is not safe to drive long term without a total transmission replacement. Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | POWER TRAIN | My 2020 Toyota Highlander experiences transmission jerking and hesitation during low speed acceleration. The issue was first reported to the dealership while under warranty but was not diagnosed. The vehicle now requires transmission replacement 7k miles over the warranty despite the issue being reported during the warranty. Toyota has refused a repair under warranty and has violated their terms of powertrain warranty. This 8 speed transmission commonly has issue during production years 2017-2022 and toyota has admitted to a production defect. Despite that they have refused a goodwill repair or a warranty repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Vehicle produces a noticeable whining noise under acceleration. Shifting is completely normal and no other drivability issues are present. Issue matches the pattern described in TSB T-SB-0008-21 (UA80E/UA80F front carrier assembly pinion shaft bearing failure). Multiple owners report dealers are diagnosing this as requiring full transmission replacement at 8,000–12,000, with no partial repair or recall offered despite Toyota’s prior knowledge of this defect in earlier model years (ZJC Warranty Enhancement Program for 2017–2018). Requesting NHTSA investigation | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | POWER TRAIN | 1. The vehicle’s transmission appears to be failing. I was driving my 2020 Toyota Highlander on the freeway at about 75 mph with my family in the vehicle when the car suddenly lost power and would not accelerate properly even though the engine was still running. Because of the sudden loss of power, I had to carefully move the vehicle to the shoulder of the freeway. At the time I did not realize it may have been related to the transmission. 2.Recently I brought the vehicle to an authorized Toyota dealership for a routine oil change and because I had started hearing a whining noise when accelerating, especially above about 30 mph. After inspecting the vehicle, the dealership informed me that the transmission needs to be replaced and provided a repair estimate of approximately 9,800. The vehicle currently has around 72,000 miles and the transmission is available for inspection upon request. 3.The sudden loss of power on the freeway created a dangerous situation because traffic around us was moving at highway speeds. My family was in the vehicle and I had to maneuver the car to the shoulder while vehicles were passing at high speed, which could have resulted in a serious accident. 4.The issue has been confirmed by the authorized Toyota dealership service department. When the incident occurred and we were stopped on the shoulder of the freeway, we contacted the highway patrol because we were concerned about our safety while stopped on the highway. 5.No warning lights or messages appeared on the dashboard prior to the loss of power. The only symptom noticed before bringing the vehicle in for service was a whining noise during acceleration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Vehicle: 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE Purchased: August 2020 Owner: Original owner Transmission: UA80F Dealer quote for “Transmission assembly remove and replace: $8,666.22 +tax The vehicle is experiencing delayed acceleration (lagging power) and a loud whirring noise from the transmission when the accelerator pedal is pressed. The whirring noise immediately stops when the accelerator pedal is released. The Toyota Highlander had just exceeded the 60,000 mile/5 year powertrain warranty. Vehicle has 68,079 miles and is 5 1/2 years old. The delayed acceleration creates a serious safety hazard, particularly when starting from a complete stop while attempting to make a turn into traffic. On multiple occasions, the vehicle failed to respond promptly when the accelerator was pressed, placing the vehicle at risk of being struck by oncoming traffic. On February 17, 2026, Oakbrook Toyota diagnosed the vehicle with a failed/bad transmission after charging a $200 diagnostic fee to investigate the whirring noise and power delay. This failure occurred on a vehicle that has been properly maintained and has not been modified. Upon searching the Internet, there are many, many complaints regarding the UA80 transmissions failing between 60,000 and 70,000 miles. There are also multiple lawsuits filed for failed transmissions. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | My 2020 Toyota Highlander, with 83k miles, started making a whining noise when accelerating. I took the vehicle to a local auto shop and they advised there was a transmission issue. There were never any warning signs of issue. I then took the vehicle to Antwerpen Toyota in Clarksville, MD (where the vehicle was purchased) and paid $185 for a diagnostic appointment. On February 20, 2026, The dealership provided a written estimate for “Replace automatic transmission assy” with a total cost of $9,403.77. I am very concerned for the safety of myself and others continuing to drive the vehicle without proper repair. The vehicle is otherwise in great condition and I keep up with all regular maintenance. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | At approximately 120,000 miles, the vehicle began exhibiting a pronounced shudder or vibration between 40–50 mph under light acceleration or steady cruising. The condition progressed to delayed shifting and intermittent loss of acceleration response. The most concerning issue is hesitation and reduced acceleration when attempting to merge into traffic or increase speed. On multiple occasions, the vehicle failed to respond promptly to throttle input, creating a potential safety hazard due to loss of propulsion. The vehicle was evaluated at two authorized Toyota dealerships. Both indicated that the condition is consistent with torque converter or transmission failure. Full transmission replacement was recommended at an estimated cost of approximately $9,000. No whining or grinding noises are present; symptoms primarily involve shuddering and hesitation. The vehicle has not been driven since October 21, 2025, due to safety concerns and to prevent further damage. The vehicle has been regularly maintained at Toyota dealerships and has not been used for towing. This complaint concerns loss of acceleration, transmission shudder, and potential premature failure of the 8-speed automatic transmission. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | AIR BAGS | Taken vehicle at least 6 times to dealer (Corwin Toyota), to enquire about the 23v-865 recall, and each time have been told the repair is not available. Most recently asked December 2025. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |