Complaint volume
442 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
2021 Toyota Highlander Complaints
442 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Toyota Highlander, grouped by component category.
442 Total complaints
16 Crash reports
3 Fire reports
11 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, service brakes, 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 16 crash reports, 3 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 38 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 26,599 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, service brakes, 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 2021 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.
2021 Toyota Highlander
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Toyota Highlander complaints?
16 Crash
3 Fire
11 Injury
0 Fatality
9 Towed
8 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Toyota Highlander complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 146
SERVICE BRAKES 41
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34
STRUCTURE 33
AIR BAGS 28
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 22
ENGINE 13
TIRES 8
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 7
VISIBILITY/WIPER 7
442 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I was driving to a stop light when I heard a Raddle. Pull over and all the oil came out the engine. When I took it to the dealer they told me that the engine blew up. 14k repair that Toyota would not cover the repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the transmission. The contact was concerned about the sound and contacted a dealer. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,347. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,347 |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I am reaching out regarding our 2021 Toyota Highlander which currently has $65 K miles and is just out of warranty. Recently we noticed a wining noise during acceleration. We took the vehicle to the dealer who told us that the transmission will need to be REPLACED. $9500 repair. This is a known issue with Toyota and they will not work with us on this. We are stuck! No customer goodwill! Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I purchased my brand new Highlander on January 31, 2021 and was told today that I need a transmission replacement. My vehicle started about two month ago with a whining sound while accelerating. My vehicle currently has 78,000 miles and is out of the extended warranty of 60,000/5 year. I learned that Toyota released a bulletin on February 9, 2021 stating transmission issues for particular Toyota models, the Highlander being one. After researching the issue, there are several stories of Highlander owners who are experiencing the same issue. It’s a shame that they knew of the problem in February 2021 and with the transmission replacements on vehicles less than 5 years old and haven’t issued a formal recall for this known defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | STRUCTURE | Power Back Door (PBD) will not open or close and/or stops moving while opening or closing. Problem seems to be in the motor controls of the strut assemblies on both sides of rear hatch. Vehicle is off warranty, but should be covered by Toyota due to faulty factory installed equipment... Instead, they want to charge us $1600 to repair. On the Toyota forums, many people are complaining of the same exact problem! Toyota needs to have a recall and repair at the cost of the manufacturer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | 2021 toyota highlander AWD limited - Car started making a whirling (whirring, whining) noise upon acceleration. It ramps up as accelerating. There are no warning lights showing. It stops when you take foot off of gas. Problem had been confirmed by 2 toyota dealers as needing a new transmission. One said it was in last gear, the other simply said noise was coming from the transmission and based on the NSB in 2021 it was transmission so would need to be replaced. One was $9700+, the other was $8600+. Went back and forth with Toyota to see if they would provide any help. They won’t cover any of the cost. Husband has a 2019 toyota highlander XLE making the same exact noise. Haven’t taken it yet for diagnostics | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Known transmission failure.whining noise when accelerating. T-SB-0008-21 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | STRUCTURE | The liftgate has had issues from the moment I purchased this vehicle. It had 30,000 miles and we purchased all extended warranty options. The liftgate often fails to close, especially in cold weather. There have been times I have to manually push the liftgate closed certain instances. This would not even work, and I unknowingly started driving my vehicle while the liftgate was still open about an inch or two essentially, the liftgate seems to have a mind of its own sometimes it will work just fine more more often often than not it malfunctions. This is dangerous because it could easily cause a head injury or trap a child or a family member inside the car if it will not open or closed properly. We took the car to our dealership to have it repaired while under warranty. My car care technician reported that there was dust/dirt which voided my warranty coverage. I paid a lot for the warranties and for this woman to report dirt on my vehicle’s backend and that then causing my warranty coverage to not be valid was just ridiculous. We fought for an exception to be filed and they never spoke of this again. Dishonest and untrustworthy, this is how I would define my Toyota dealership. The issue was noted immediately to dealership/technicians. We had them provide us with a repair quote that was very costly and so we would not let them do the work. There is a massive amount of information for this problem and it is a common occurrence. Toyota is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that some of its “Highlander SUVs contain defective power-door components. This problem allegedly prevents the automatic open/close feature on the back door, also known as the “liftgate,” from working properly and has already cost some car owners thousands of dollars in repairs. According to the suit, Toyota knew about the defect and hid this information from the public.” Thus, the tech noted “dirt” to conceal a much bigger problem, make $$ off a loyal customer, revealing dishonest practices. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | •The transmission malfunctioned and developed an abnormal internal noise at approximately 67,000 miles, which is an unexpected failure at low mileage. The vehicle had been properly maintained and had no prior mechanical issues. Atlanta Toyota inspected the vehicle and confirmed the transmission had failed and required full replacement. The dealer also stated that as a result of the transmission failure, other related components showed excessive and abnormal wear. A second independent service center inspected the vehicle and confirmed the same diagnosis. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. • This unexpected transmission failure created a serious safety risk due to the possibility of sudden loss of power, inability to accelerate, or complete transmission failure while driving. I rely on this vehicle daily to transport my child to school and to commute to work. A sudden failure while in traffic could result in becoming stranded or involved in a collision. • The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Toyota dealer and an independent service center. Both stated that the failure was unusual given the low mileage and normal use of the vehicle. • There were no warning lights, messages, or diagnostic trouble codes prior to the failure and afterward. The only symptom was an abnormal internal noise from the transmission, which began suddenly at approximately 66,000 miles. • The vehicle has received regular maintenance and is used for normal daily driving. There was no abuse, heavy towing, or unusual use that would explain a transmission failure at this mileage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission in my 2021 Toyota Highlander began making a loud whining/whirring noise that increases with vehicle speed. The vehicle was inspected by a Toyota dealership, and I was told the transmission has failed and needs to be replaced. Toyota stated the repair would be out of pocket, despite the vehicle’s age and proper maintenance. There were no warning lights prior to the failure. This condition affects drivability and raises safety concerns, including the risk of sudden transmission failure or loss of power while driving, especially at highway speeds. I believe this is a premature transmission defect and am reporting it for investigation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Toyota is asking me to pay for a brand new transmission replacement in my car that is only 5 years old, 74,000 miles on it. The cost is $10,000. How is it possible a brand new vehicle is needing this? I have read a lot of reviews that Toyota is knowingly using the transmission type that they even had to recall on earlier models. Why are they still making vehicles using this type of transmission when it continues to need total transmission replacement so early on? And Offer zero assistance. We bought Toyota because we thought it was the best. I will never buy Toyota again, this is a huge cost for a young family with a teachers salary. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I am writing about my 2021 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD VIN # [XXX] . I purchased this vehicle brand new on 3/29/2021 at ‘Koons Easton Toyota’ in Easton, MD. In October 2025 I started hearing whining noise from the engine compartment. It was audible only when accelerating the vehicle and would go away if I took my foot off the accelerator. On 10/22/2025, I took the vehicle for inspection to ‘Ourisman Toyota 40’ dealership in Edgewood, MD. The technician told me that this is a known issue in this model/year and recommended to replace transmission as there was no other fix. He gave me a $9,995 estimate for transmission replacement. I subsequently learned that there was technical service bulletin on this exact defect released by Toyota on 2/9/2021. It said that models with UA80F transmission will make whining noise and then fail. The only remedy was to replace the transmission with brand new transmission part number 30500-0E160. This bulletin was posted on NHTSA website also. [XXX] This bulletin was released 50 days before I purchased the brand-new vehicle on 3/29/2021. My frustration and disappointment came from the fact that Toyota had known about this issue for 50 days and still proceeded to sell this vehicle to me. This is unacceptable as there should have been a recall on this defect or Toyota should have pulled the vehicle from the market. This is not about the powertrain warranty running out as that would apply to unforeseen issues that neither manufacturer nor buyer knew about in advance. It is about knowingly selling the customer a defective product even after disclosing the major defect publicly. Transmission failure can be a serious safety issue because it could have caused sudden loss of power and difficulty controlling speed. I request NHTSA to investigate these widespread Highlander transmission issues the same way Ford F150 transmission issues are being investigated. Thanks INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | We began noticing a whining sound that has progressively gotten louder and more frequent upon acceleration. After taking it to the dealership, they claim it requires a transmission replacement. According to the dealership themselves and information online, this seems to be a common defect with 2021 Highlanders. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | Vehicle makes a loud noise when under 65mph. Car shakes when breaking. Transmission needs to be replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I had the 60,000 mile service on February 2,2026 and after the service was completed I left the dealership and got on the freeway to go home. I heard a whining noise and immediately turned around and took it back to the dealer. I took the mechanic who worked on my car for a drive and he was able to hear the winding noise and we returned to the dealership. It took the mechanic three hours to come to the conclusion that I needed a new transmission. They still have my car and I have not heard anything about coverage or when it will be done. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ENGINE | Complete transmission replacement for failure. Toyota said it is an unknown issue but has not issued a recall for 2020/2021 models. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. Toyota should be responsible, especially because they will not cover it if you go over your manufacturer warranty of 60k. I purchased this car last week, and had to get a full new transmission the following week because they did not disclose to me that it was failing! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | Trunk has stopped working. It loudly beeps and will not open on its own. Trunk has to be manually opened and shut with great force to be used. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | whinning noise during acceleration on the road and gear shift problems | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission has failed, making high pitched whining noise while accelerating. Will need full replacement the car only has 66k miles on it - just out of warranty | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | - The vehicle has been experiencing shifting issues (its an automatic vehicle) when driving in all instances and at all speeds that has progressively gotten worse over the past 4-8 weeks. - As it seems to be a transmission issue (and a known one pending litigation) the safety issue is if the transmission fails during operation of the car. - It was brought to a dealership to be inspected after it was initially felt as more of a vibration than the more harsh shifting/engine sounds and issues that it is currently experiencing. The dealership thought it to be the front hub assembly/bearing that was the issue. I had the front driver side replaced and the issue still remains and has continued to worsen. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. - There have been no warning lamps or messages at all. - Through research it appears this is a known issue with ongoing litigation (2 class action lawsuits currently in litigation related to UA80F transmissions of which it appears that our VIN is in the affected group). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | Just after the 60,000 mile warranty, the car started making a whining noise when pushing the accelerator. This is part of the well known transmission problem. Transmission will need to be replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | I started hearing a winning noise that got louder with speed, this month I took it to the dealership in Austin, TX and they said it needed a new transmission. It only has 67,219 miles. My 2008 was sold at 219k miles with no problems. I see online there has been problems with this type of transmission for many years. They are replacing it with the very same transmission.... | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ENGINE | We have been hearing whining coming from the front of the vehicle for months. Over the life of our time with this car, we have reported to Toyota multiple times about the sound, and about how sometimes the engine seems slow to shift. The whining increases as you press the gas pedal. Toyota is aware of this issue with Highlanders, but has told us they aren't going to fix it, as there is no recall on the issue. Turns out, there's a TSB related to the exact issue that we have with our Highlander. Now that we are out of warranty, we are looking at potentially replacing the transmission of a vehicle that Toyota has a record of intentionally avoiding to repair. Multiple independent service centers have confirmed the issue. They all have referred us back to Toyota because of the severity of the issue. There were no warning lamps or lights or the issue. However, the "whining" is audible every time in the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle failed, then failed to respond while in drive or reverse. No warning light was illuminated. The contact called for Roadside Assistance and had the vehicle towed to a safe location. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | Unknown |