2017 Toyota Highlander
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 267 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 9th highest complaint count among 25 Highlander model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 18 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 26 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpNov 4, 2020
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
Campaign 20V682000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical systemNov 27, 2018
Fujian Wanda Automobile Glass Industry (Wanda) is recalling certain aftermarket Replacement Windshields sold for use in 2014-2018 Toyota Highlander vehicles. The windshields have an attached wire harness that water may leak into, possibly causing damage to the vehicle's Engine Control Module (ECM).
The ECM damage may result in the engine stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Wanda will notify owners, and service centers will replace the windshields, and inspect the ECM for damage, having it replaced, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2019. Owners may contact Wanda customer service at 1-864-281-2760.
Campaign 18E107000 on NHTSA.gov
EquipmentAug 23, 2017
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2017 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles equipped with accessory roof rail cross bars. The fasteners for the roof rails may not be torqued properly.
The roof rails may loosen and possibly detach from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
GST will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and properly torque the fasteners, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2017. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 17R3.
Campaign 17V520000 on NHTSA.gov
Tires, temporary/emergency spare tireMay 2, 2017
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (Gulf States) is recalling certain 2017 4Runner , 86, Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla iM, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Sienna and Yaris vehicles. The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as stated on the Tire Pressure Label.
A spare tire that is not inflated to the proper value may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Gulf States will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the spare tires, adjusting their pressure as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 15, 2017. Owners may contact Gulf States customer service at 1-800-444-1074. Toyota's number for this recall is 17R2.
Campaign 17V295000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
73 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Sep 9, 2025
TRANSMISSION ON THIS VEHICLE FAILED AND CAUSES SUDDEN DECELERATION CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE. SUDDEN DECELERATION. YES, TOYOTA OF VERO BEACH HAS CONFIRMED FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. NO, WARNING JUST FAILED THEN GOT ALL THE WARNINGS AND LIGHTS IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER.
Power train, Sep 9, 2025
2017 Toyota Highlander XLE Why hasn’t Toyota issued a recall?! My transmission failed at 2AM on the Florida turnpike 140 miles from home, after a physically and emotionally exhausting day moving my daughter to college. I slept in my car 7 hours, scared, waiting to get towed. The closest shop that was open early on a Saturday was an hour away in the other direction and when I got there, they told me they wouldn’t be able to look at it until Monday. Pointless to pay 2 nights at a hotel, so I got an Uber to get a rental to get home. It wasn’t bad enough when I found out the cost to replace the transmission on a car with 96k miles (my Camry had 300k when I sold it), but even if I agreed to pay, the transmission is backordered, and it could be months. Months! I had to pay the diagnostic fee - completely understandable - and I needed it moved to avoid a $75 per day storage fee. AAA would tow it 100 miles, then $7.00 per mile. When I asked to speak with someone because I had the upgraded membership that provided 200 miles, I was told they wouldn’t cover any part of the tow because it was already at an auto shop. The least expensive option was to get a transport company ($300) to pickup and deliver the car to the local Toyota dealership. They’re anticipating at least 3 months, but they’ll pay for a rental if I agree to have them do the repair. Has Toyota fixed the issue, or will the new transmission likely to have the same problem?
Power train, Aug 23, 2025
Transmission whining, harsh shifting, delayed acceleration
Power train, Jun 24, 2025
Car suddenly began to slip out of gear and have difficulty shifting smoothly. After having car examined by 2 repair shops it was determined the UA80 Transmission needed replaced. Repair shop advised car was not safe to drive with this condition. Warning lights for Check Engine and Check AWD system and traction control came on at the same time as the slipping and rough shifting.
Power train, May 24, 2025
The transmission on my Highlander is making a whining noise. I took it to Blackstone Toyota Service for inspection, in Fresno, CA, after my own mechanic inspected it and told me that it was a transmission problem. Toyota told me that the transmission is going out and the car can quit on me at any time and is no longer safe to drive. But since it is out of warranty now they will not do anything to help me with this problem. There has been no warning lamp, message or other symptoms yet. After my service in Nov. 2023 i noticed a slight whine when i accelerated. I had a friend mechanic look at it and he said it could be just because the tires had been rotated. A couple of months ago the whine started on deceleration. I took it to Johnson Auto in Clovis, CA and they were the first ones to tell me it was in fact a transmission problem. I then called Toyota call center and was told that the vehicle needed to be inspected by one of their dealers, and then they could help me. I explained that I didn’t want to go spend more money on the inspection if Toyota would not do anything to help me, I already knew it had transmission problems. I took it to Blackstone Toyota Service Center and they confirmed that the transmission is going out, at only 7800 miles. I called the Toyota call center and was told that since it is out of warranty they will do nothing to help me with this problem. I told them the prior agent I had spoken to said that Toyota would help me. I was told they will do nothing else to help and there was no one else I could talk to about the transmission problems. I was told that they didn’t know of any problems with the 2017 Toyota Highlander and that there were no recalls. I told them that there were lots of complaints about the Toyota Highlander online and I was surprised that they didn’t seem to know anything about the Highlanders having transmission problems. Many people in my same circumstances with expensive repairs way too soon on their Highlanders.
Power train, Apr 21, 2025
My 2017 Highlander XLE AWD had complete transmission failure at 106,000 miles. Toyota has an extended coverage warranty for this but according to them my VIN number was not included even though it failed for the same reason as the recalled transmissions. Loud whining started around 100,000 miles on acceleration around 30mph and continued to get louder. From a dead stop it is very slow to accelerate and misses 3rd gear and jerks. There is a TSB out on this and the extended customer satisfaction extended warranty ZJC but they refuse to cover. I was also told by Toyota corporate that even if my VIN was affected they would not cover due to all maintenance not being done at a toyota dealership. I am the 4th owner and should not be penalized for this. My case number with Toyota is Toyota Brand Engagement Center Case 250416002071
Power train, Apr 2, 2025
Known issue with the transmission assembly that results in a whining noise and eventually hard shifting and transmission failure. Known issue acknowledged by Toyota across this model and date, but they seemingly are only addressing some vehicles - and not others - with said known issue.
Power train, Feb 27, 2025
Transmission failure requiring replacement. Known pattern failure from Toyota. Customer support program from Toyota does not cover all affected vehicles.
Power train, Jan 7, 2025
Transmission intermittently allows the RPMs to double from 2,000 to 4,000 RPMs. It occasionally displays trouble codes, and exhibits a grinding, whirring noise. An Independent transmission shop confirms that it needs to be replaced. Toyota has issued a recall referred to as Customer Support Program ZJC, but their representatives claim that our vehicle does not qualify, even though the date and model of the transmission clearly Falla under their parameters.
Power train, Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked but still running in a driveway on an incline. After exiting the vehicle, there were abnormal beeping and ticking noises detected, and the vehicle began to roll down the street. The contact and daughter were pinned between the door and the vehicle. The contact's daughter sustained injuries to her chin and teeth. The driver has lumps and bruises on her leg and back pain, but medical attention was not provided. The rear wheels were on the curb and hit a trash can, and the vehicle stopped rolling. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Power train, May 23, 2024
In city driving, vehicle began exhibiting slightly delayed shifting from 1-2 and 2-3. Downshifts from 3-2 seemed slightly rough. Approximately 5 minutes later when accelerating from a stop on an uphill grade, the shift from 2-3 was delayed (2nd gear disengaged, engine speed increase ~1000RPM, then shifted to 3 abruptly). At next stop, lower gears where not available. Vehicle seemed be in 4th(?) gear when accelerating from a stop. Very little power available. Had to engage hazard flashers and other vehicles navigated around our vehicle. Managed to limp car ~ 1 mile to home. Approaching driveway, Master Warning Light, Check Engine Light and 4WD Warnign light all illuminated. This issue created a loss of power that impaired the drivers ability to maintain a safe speed relevative to traffic. Had this issue occurred during high-speed operation, the vehicle may have been disabled in a high-risk area. Transmission appears to be unreliable.
Power train, Feb 1, 2024
2017 Toyota Highlander experienced delayed and rough shifting in 3rd gear. Safety of acceleration is affected, especially merging onto highways. Diagnosed with bad transmission on 12/26/2023 by Toyota service. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to failure. Unknown cause, car is regularly serviced per manufacturer recommendations by Toyota. Part on backorder for approximately 3 months.
Power train, Jan 10, 2024
There is a toyota service bulletin for known transmission issues with this vehicle. I had noticed that my gears weren't shifting properly. The dealer checked vehicle and said transmission was bad, and that toyota would replace it, for free. However, the part would take one month to arrive. This all occurred on 1/9/2024. I was told by the dealer that Toyota would not cover a rental car while the part was on order, but only for the repair itself. The dealer told me the Toyota recommendation was to not drive the vehicle -- but other customers had done so until they received their parts for repair. I picked up my vehicle after work at approximately 7:15pm. While driving, the vehicle completely shutdown on me in a major highway miles from downtown Philadelphia, in a flooding rainstorm that produced nearly 4 inches of rain. If Toyota knows there is a problem with this vehicle and its transmission, then why is there no recall? And if I'm being told the I should not drive the vehicle, then why isn't it mandated or required for them to provide me a rental - especially since this is the fault of Toyota?
Power train, Nov 15, 2023
Highlander shift issue 11/14/2023 On 11/14/2023, our 2017 Toyota Highlander, vin# [XXX] , upon driving the transmission decided on its own to disengage. Our Highlander stopped propelling itself in either direction. We had to manually push our vehicle into a parking spot and await the tow truck. Our Highlander is in mint condition with 71,400 miles on it. This was scary because the vehicle would shift on the shifter, but for some reason the transmission would not engage. The engine worked perfectly fine. We had the Highlander towed to the nearest Toyota dealer who pushed the vehicle into their garage and placed on a lift. The Highlander had no idiot lights on, no cable issues, fluid was fine per the Toyota Technician. The Toyota Tech placed the vehicle on their main computer and there were no error codes. The Tech reset the computer on the vehicle with a Toyota Master computer, and the vehicle started to work as normal. I consider this a huge issue and I thank God that my wife was not on the interstate highway when this happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Oct 31, 2023
About two weeks prior to the transmission failing, I started hearing a high-pitched whining coming from the transmission, difficulty shifting, and lurching forward when engaging the gear. On the evening of October 4th, my wife was driving at 65 mph on a busy freeway in Atlanta when the vehicle lost acceleration. She was nearly hit while stopped on the freeway. Fortunately, kind motorists got out of their cars and pushed her to the side of the road. The car was towed to a Toyota service shop, and we were advised they could not do the repairs. The mechanic stated it was a known internal Toyota issue. I did some research online and found hundreds of posts from Highlander owners of 2017-18 vehicles complaining about issues with the transmission failing. I found Toyota Customer Support Bulletin POL [XXX] dated 4/18/2019, REPAIR COVERAGE FOR UA80 TRANSMISSION ON CERTAIN 2017-2018 MY SIENNA AND CERTAIN 2017-2018 MY HIGHLANDER VEHICLES. The mechanic said the failure code with a failed transaxle and all the symptoms my vehicle experienced were consistent with the bulletin. My time period for the bulletin was for cars produced from November 2016 to December 2017. My vehicle’s manufacturing date was 12/8/2016. Toyota claims my vehicle although produced during this time was not impacted. It is my belief that Toyota was aware of multiple failures on UA80 transmissions on vehicles produced from 2016 to 2020 and deliberately identified a smaller number to avoid a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Oct 9, 2023
Driving on the highway vehicle suddenly drop speed. I was able to exit but not proceed forward once exiting. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed with need for new transmission. There was a customer support program bulletin POL 19-04 noting similar problems. However, Toyota is stating this 2017 is not associated with the program. The whine noise and reduced power are all listed with this program. The vehicle sudden reduce power may have resulted in a major accident on busy Atlanta highways. A known transmission issue that Toyota is not willing to support customer in resolving is unbelievable. I was basically told because the vehicle was not serviced at a Toyota dealership regularly, they cannot support.
Power train, Jul 21, 2023
Several times on the highway when getting up to speeds around 70mph the transmission would rev but not accelerate or maintain speed - usually slowing to around 40-50mph or slower depending on the hill grade. The check engine light came on, initially was told it was probably a fluke. The mechanic couldn’t get it to do the same thing for him. Brought it back again when the issue persisted. He suspected the transmission was slipping, referred me to the dealer. The light was off by then, the dealer said they couldn’t diagnose with no light so we needed to wait until it came on. It finally came on while driving on I71 but the car completely lost all power and I was stranded on the side of the highway and had to be towed to the dealer. I did a quick google search and saw a class action suit for this vehicle and year in which the plaintiffs complained of the same issues. Toyota opened an extended warranty on vehicles with this transmission. I called Toyota to see if my VIN was included and they confirmed it is. The person I spoke with (“Cannon”) assigned case # 20612000768. Per the dealer, my vehicle only met half of the criteria to be included under the program. We were stuck with a $6,149 bill to replace the transmission. The dealer won’t even guarantee it for 30 days because it’s a used Toyota transmission, which to me speaks volumes.
Power train, Mar 12, 2023
Transmission lost power while driving and began to slip. Had to pull over immediately. Check engine light illuminated. Happened again several more times before I was able to take to dealer. Dealer was able to reproduce and diagnosed as transmission failure requiring replacement for $10k. Due to the low miles and age (6 years, 3 months) I requested that Toyota help cover costs which they declined to do. This is a dangerous situation and I believe Toyota should have fixed as goodwill.
Power train, Jan 1, 2023
Transmission problem in our 2017 Toyota Highlander started at 104k miles. unfortunately for us out of warranty and lucky for dealer and manufacture who shifted the cost to consumer outside warranty. We experienced delayed and sudden shifting, slow at accelerating. One day the engine kept revving but car was not moving. Also reverse gear stopped working. We brought the car to local dealer, who gave us every excuse in the world that it was our driving habit, we take it off roading etc etc. The truth I am a very careful driver which I am sure the dealer laughed at me for saying that. Never took the car off roading, or on monthly long trips. All services were completed by the dealer. The quoted us a cost of $9500 plus tax plus $250 diagnosing fee. Also reported the issue to Toyota consumer line, got the same answer car is outside warranty and no cost sharing as no official recall has been issued. Upon doing some research, we came across similar issues reported by same model. The sad part is local dealership was fully aware of similar issue, yet they failed to warn customers or suggest necessary repairs while the car had full warranty. A tech at dealer even said, they are not going to suggest it as in that case the repair would have to be done at dealers expense. How, is this ethically right to leave the consumer in dark, at risk on the road and blame the problem on bad driving habit? This is perfect case of bad dealership and a company hiding their problem. Wait till actually someone dies to issue a recall?
Power train, Nov 18, 2022
On March 9, 2022, the transmission in my 2017 Toyota Highlander completely failed while I was driving on a busy road during rush-hour traffic. I was approaching a stop light and was braking when the vehicle lunged forward and then stopped moving. I pressed the accelerator to move up to the stop light but the vehicle would not move, even though it was in Drive gear. I changed the gear to Park and then back to Drive and the vehicle still would not move. The engine was revving and the RPMs were increasing but the vehicle would not move while in Drive gear. I also tried to reverse but the vehicle still would not move. I had to exit the vehicle and ask for assistance from other motorists to physically push my vehicle off the road into a parking lot so as not to continue blocking the busy road. I called for a tow truck which towed my vehicle to Scott Clark Toyota City dealership in Matthews, North Carolina. They inspected the vehicle and the next day let me know that transmission had completely failed. They added that they had never experienced this and it was especially unusual on such a new vehicle. The vehicle was only 5 years old and only had 45,000 miles with no prior issue or warning. We bought the vehicle new in 2017 and it has been serviced regularly by a Toyota dealership. Thankfully, the vehicle was still under factory warranty and the transmission was replaced at no cost to me.
Suspension, Power train, Electrical system, Jan 18, 2022
When the vehicle was ~1.5 years old following its 10,000 mile maintenance, substantial thumping generated from the rear of the vehicle. Each time, the dealership attempted to resolve the problem finding issues with struts; however, it only went away in late March after having the vehicle in the shop for weeks at a time on 5 different occasions Nov 2018 - Mar 2019. I engaged Toyota HQ (800-331-4331) - filing report #1901092572 - requesting an exchange of the vehicle. This was denied and I was offered a 8 year warranty. *Due to COVID, I rarely drove this vehicle through 2020 and most of 2021, where to date, I have only ~34,000 miles on the vehicle. -On 21 Oct 2021, my wife was stopped at a gas station and attempted to start the vehicle. The vehicle would not start and the following lights came on without previous warning: 1)Braking Power Low, 2)Maintenance needed soon, & 3)Orange yellow triangle lit up with exclamation mark. My wife was stranded for 3 hours and the vehicle had to be towed. The dealership informed me that Toyota installed a generic battery into the vehicle (when being sold) that was only to have 4-5 years of life; however, my concern was that this vehicle had just completed maintenance and there was no warning of this upcoming issue. When repaired, I had to pay for the name brand (True Start) battery. -On 16 Jan 2022, after having driven the Highlander for 25 minutes, I started the engine while in a parking lot. While moving forward and the engine still going, the brakes and power steering went out. On the dashboard, the same lights that came on in Oct 2021, did so again. I had to let the vehicle coast (having no control) with my wife and child in the car through the parking lot. It came to a stop at the concrete parking curb stop at a store front. Toyota stated that since there was no check engine light that there was no code and they could not duplicate the problem. The vehicle was sent back to me with no resolution or explanation.
Power train, Engine, Sep 1, 2021
The car jerks upon acceleration. It is so pronounced that it causes whiplash in driver and passenger
Power train, May 5, 2021
UNABLE TO PUT MY CAR IN DRIVE GEAR. STARTED MY SUV WANTED TO GET TO REVERSE. I TRY MAYBE 20 TIMES BEFORE I GOT TO IT. IT WAS HARD TO MOVE RIGHT AND DOWN. I WAS PARKED I MY DRIVEWAY WAS STEPPING ON MY BRAKES. HAPPEN 4 TIMES YESTERDAY. HAVE NOT DRIVEN TODAY.
Power train, Engine, Mar 12, 2021
MY TRANSMISSION ALL OF A SUDDEN IS HARD SHIFTING AND WHINES. TRANSMISSION FLUID IS FULL OF METAL SHAVING AND DARK FLUID NOTICED. NO WARNING OF ANY KIND. NOW BEING TOLD IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION 6K MILES JUST PAST FACTORY WARRANTY. I HAVE READ THAT NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED.
Power train, Mar 9, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON MAKING A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE SHUT-OFF AS HE DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MOLLE TOYOTA (601 W 103RD ST, KANSAS CITY, MO 64114) WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 37,000.*JB CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE DID RESTART HOWEVER IT WOULDN'T GO INTO ANY GEAR FORWARD OR RESERVE.*JB