2019 Toyota Highlander Engine Problems

Your 2019 Highlander developed a whining noise from the transmission at 50,236 miles while still under warranty, and the dealership performed a transmission service. The noise returned within weeks along with hard and delayed shifting, which your dealership now says indicates transmission failure requiring full replacement. Since the original problem was reported under warranty but wasn't properly fixed, you're asking Toyota to cover the replacement cost even though the vehicle is now out of warranty.

Bought car in April 2025. Has 80,000 miles. Transmission failed.

In early January 2026 there was rough/delayed shifting, whining noises, and fluid leaks. Probably linked to the faulty UA80E/F transmission type. The check engine light came on 1/15/26, I took it into a local repair shop. The mechanic flushed and changed the transmission fluid, replaced all of the spark plugs and the serpentine belt. I picked it up on 1/16/26. There was still shuddering, strange sounds (whining/grinding), and hesitation. On 1/20/26 I drove it and the rough/delayed shifting, whining noises, hesitation and burning smell started happening. The car completely broke down on the freeway and wouldn't drive at all. I had to slowly pull over to the shoulder of the freeway and have the car towed to the repair shop. They inspected it and said I need a new transmission, and it cannot be fixed. I believe the next steps are to have it towed to the toyota dealership to have it looked at.

Initially had issues with acceleration with RPM’s going high with car moving very slowly. Five days after that started, car broke down 3 times in one trip & would not drive or go in reverse. Per dealership, the car needs a new transmission even though it’s only a 2019 with 110,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the contact heard abnormal buzzing sounds coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the failure could not able to be replicated. The contact stated that a day or two days later, while stopped at an intersection, and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with head gasket failure, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.

Started noticing a whining noise when accelerating. This appears to be drive shaft/transmission issue. Was quoted 7k to remove and replace. This should be an active recall for this issue what is Toyota doing?

Whining sound when when pushing the gas to accelerate. When you let go of the gas it stops.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle began to loose automotive power and stalled. During the incident, several warning messages were activated which included the check engine light and the ABS warning. While inspecting the vehicle smoke and fire began to stream from under the engine hood and moments later the frontend of the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed and later towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 96,200.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the crankshaft sensor. The contact was informed that the crankshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was not available.

Experience "dead zones" in accelerator pedal movement. Experience "no acceleration" with first 1-2 inches of travel from idle position. This is constant and does not vary noticibly with speed. I was driving in an suburban shopping area in York PA with three lanes of travel in each direction. I intended to move from the laft hand lane to the center lane. I indicated my intentions and waited for an opening. I was travelling about 35-40mph. When an opening came along, I steered into the indended lane, but depressing the accelerator to increase my speed, no acceleration occurred. I then panicked and depressed the pedal quicker, and the ensuing acceleration nearly catapaulted me into the semi truck in the center lane ahead of me. I missed the truck by inches. I have had this issue evaluated at Bennett Toyota in Lebanon PA, and the Lancaster Toyota, the dealer who sold me the vehicle in May of 2023, is aware of the issue. Bennett Toyota service department tried to fix the issue by replacing the brake switch. That did not alleviate the problem. I have had several other instances when pulling into traffic when the delayed acceleration caused me issues but no accidents. I believe this issue is related to the selectable "snow" driving function. I think the system is somehow stuck in the "snow" mode at all times. I may have substantiated this today when I experimented with the "snow" function while driving at about 45 mph. When I select the "snow" mode while driving, the accelerator "dead zone" actually gets worse. Bennett Toyota Service response is "it drives like any other Highlander". If that is so - this is truly a huge issue with "drive by wire" tachnology...!!! As a note, at Bennett Toyota I did drive a 2019 Highlander privately owned by the service manager and it did indeed have the dead zone in the acelerator - a fact that the service manager admitted to me verbally. I have read many instances of this issue in chats online.

The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while his wife was driving in a parking lot at approximately 2 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without the contact's wife having depressed the accelerator pedal. The vehicle crashed into a railing in the garage. The contact stated his wife had not noticed any warning lights. The vehicle had minor damage to the front grill and bumper there were scrapes and dents on the driver's side front fender and also to the passenger side front fender. The vehicle was drivable. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, the vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Battery constantly keeps dying. I have already bought two new batteries. I have been stranded because my car would not start. For no reason and never know when it will happen but battery will drain and not crank

Driving under "normal" weather conditions when the check engine light warning along with the hybrid maintenance warning light. The car stalled while trying to safely pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the nearest Toyota dealership. They confirmed fuel pressure codes p0087, p107b, p3190. I was told Toyota has not issued any updates for this problem. So I am stuck with a car that isn't safe to drive, especially long distances.

My vehicle was not part of the fuel pump recall like the other 3.3M vehicles from Toyota. However, my vehicle exhibited the exact same symptoms as those cars and stranded me on the side of the road twice. This included pushing on the accelerator and getting no response from the car followed by numerous system warning lights including hybrid system malfunction, front collision system failure, and check engine light. Initially, the dealership could not find anything wrong when I first brought it to them. The second time it happened, I was able to bring the car in with the check engine light still on so they were able to diagnose it and are currently replacing the fuel pump. My car (and many others) should have been included in this recall, this is a huge safety issue as this had me stranded on the side of very busy highways twice plus not being able to accelerate in traffic.

ALTHOUGH MY CAR WAS NEW (ONLY 11 MONTHS OLD) AND LESS THAN 5000 MILES, IT HAD SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY WHILE I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP OVERNIGHT. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS MY FAULTY FUEL PUMP AND THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THAT HAPPEN TO SUCH A NEW CAR BEFORE. CURRENTLY I HAVE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON (MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 6200 MILES ON IT) AND IT ONLY GOES AWAY WHEN I PUT IN A FULL TANK OF GAS. AFTER I DRIVE ABOUT 2 MILES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON AGAIN. I AM TERRIFIED MY CAR ENGINE WILL JUST DIE ONCE I'M ON THE ROAD, OR WORSE, THE FREEWAY. I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITHOUT THAT FEAR. PLEASE SEE CULVER CITY TOYOTA RECORDS FOR PROOF OF MY FUEL PUMP PROBLEM AND ENGINE DYING. THEY ALSO HAVE RECORD OF MY TOWING TO THAT DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY ON SEPT 1, 2020.

TWICE MY VEHICLE HAS DIED IN TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY I WAS ON SURFACE STREETS AND NOT A FREEWAY. BOTH TIMES I HAD TO PHYSICALLY PUSH IT INTO A PARKING LOT.

I RECEIVED A RECALL ALERT EARLY IN THE YEAR. THERE IS NOT YET A FIX FOR THE LOW-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR ONLY A FEW MILES SINCE THE NOTICE AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE POSSIBLE FAILURE. I DRIVE I-68 IN MARYLAND, MUCH OF IT WITH 3 LANES AND ALL UP AND DOWN MOUNTAINS. A FAILURE ON THIS HIGHWAY WOULD BE VERY SERIOUS, QUITE LIKELY FATAL. A FAILURE WOULD MEAN THAT THE CAR WOULD STALL AND NOT RESTART. SPEED LIMIT IS 70MPH--LIFE-THREATENING IF THE CAR WERE TO BE IN THE CENTER LANE GOING UPHILL. THE CAR WOULD HAVE TO BE DRIFTED BACKWARD DOWNHILL TO REMOVE IT FROM THE ROADWAY. THIS IS THE END OF APRIL. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLY LONG TIME TO BE WITHOUT SAFE USE OF THE CAR. I EXPECT MONETARY COMPENSATION AS WELL AS EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR LOST MONTHS OF INCONVENIENCE, FEAR AND LOST USAGE OF THE VEHICLE. WE WERE OFFERED AN ALTERNATE SMALLER CAR WHICH WOULD BE INADEQUATE FOR OUR NEEDS. ACCEPTING THE SUBSTITUTE WOULD REQUIRE THAT WE TURN OUR CAR OVER TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WOULD SIT ON A LOT EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. IF THE DEALER WOULD PROVIDE A SATISFACTORY SUBSTITUTE, OUR STIPULATION WOULD BE THAT THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER REMAIN AT OUR HOME WHERE IT IS GARAGED.

MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN RUMBLING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. A DEALER TURNED IT OFF VIA RESET, BUT THE CAR IS STILL ACTING UP. WE JUST GOT A NOTICE FROM TOYOTA THAT THE VEHICLE IS AT RISK OF STALLING UNEXPECTEDLY AND WITH NO REMEDY FOR OVER A MONTH.

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE CAR ABRUPTLY LOST POWER AND IT FELT LIKE THE ENGINE WAS GOING TO STALL OUT COMPLETELY, BUT THEN THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIME TODAY. IN TWO CASES I WAS NEEDING TO ACCELERATE BRISKLY AS I WAS EITHER CROSSING, OR ENTERING ONTO, A BUSY STREET WITH FAST TRAFFIC. IN TWO CASES (IN BOTH CASES I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN FROM A STOP) THE RED EXCLAMATION POINT WARNING SIGN APPEARED BRIEFLY ON THE DASH BOARD UPPER SCREEN. ON THE THIRD OCCASION (I WAS ACCELERATING STRAIGHT AHEAD FROM A STOP), A RED WRITTEN MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE CENTER DASH BOARD SCREEN, BUT IT DISAPPEARED BEFORE I COULD READ IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V012000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE TOYOTA OF NORTH CHARLOTTE DEALER (LOCATED AT 13429 STATESVILLE RD, HUNTERSVILLE, NC 28078) AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE DRIVING AND THAT THE FUEL CONSUMPTION HAD INCREASED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT WOULD NOT CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 26,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY 2019 HIGHLANDER (SE V6 WITH ONLY 490 MILES) STARTED HAVING HIGH IDLE RPM ISSUES AT ABOUT 300 MILES. AT STOP SIGNS/RED LIGHTS YOU REALLY HAVE TO KEEP YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL. LET OFF THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE TAKES OFF (SAME THING IN REVERSE) MAKING DRIVING IT UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS. PULLING INTO OUR GARAGE IS NOT FUN. I SHOULD NOTE THAT THIS HIGH RPM ISSUE HAPPENS WHETHER THE START STOP IS ACTIVATED OR NOT ACTIVATED. TO MAKE MATTERS WORST, DRIVING ON SNOW COVERED ROADS IS A REAL PROBLEM WHEN BRAKING AT RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS AND SLOWING TO MAKE TURNS. MOST OF MY DRIVING IS ON CITY STREETS. I WILL BE TAKING THE SUV TO MY TOYOTA DEALER IN ENDICOTT, NY TO GET THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE RESOLVED BEFORE I GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE HIGHLANDER WAS BUILT 11/19 AND I HAVE OWNED IT FOR A FEW WEEKS. I HOPE OTHER TOYOTA HIGHLANDER OWNERS DON'T HAVE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT MAKES THE VEHICLES VERY UNSAFE AND DIFFICULT TO DRIVE.

FUEL PUMP STOPS WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS, VEHICLE RIDES ROUGH INTERMITTENTLY THEN SHUTS DOWN. VEHICLE WILL NOT START UP AGAIN.

STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND WHEN IT TURNED GREEN PUSHED ON THE GAS PEDAL. THE ENTIRE CAR JERKED AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY POWER TO GO THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THE RPM GAGE BEGAN JUMPING AS THE CAR ROLLED. I ROLLED ON THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, WAS ALMOST HIT. HAD NO STEERING ABILITY. LIGHTS AND ALARMS BEGAN GOING OFF. MESSAGE BOARD SAID TRACTION CONTROL TURNED OFF. THEN CHECK ENGINE. THEN VISIT DEALER. THEN THE CAR DIED AT THE EDGE OF THE INTERSECTION AND WE PUSHED IT OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO A COUNTY ROAD. IT WILL NOT START AT ALL. ACTS LIKE IT ISN'T GETTING ANY GAS. THIS IS THE 3 INCIDENT WITH THIS CAR DOING THIS. WE HAVE TOWED IT TWICE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED A VALVE IN THE ENGINE. THEY SAID IT WAS STUCK. APPARENTLY THAT WASN'T WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT. GLAD THIS WASN'T ON THE INTERSTATE. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.