2018 Toyota Highlander Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: October 25, 2026 · Filed: October 30, 2026

My 2018 Toyota Highlander AWD (75,000 miles) was diagnosed with internal transmission failure on its UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission. The diagnosis confirmed fluid shear and internal metal wear requiring a $9,000+ replacement. The UA80 series is subject to Toyota TSB T-SB-0160-18 and Customer Support Program ZJC for factory assembly flaws involving retaining hardware and bearing wear. Toyota denied goodwill coverage because my VIN falls outside their narrow ZJC date window. Component Failed & Inspection Availability: UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission assembly (powertrain). The vehicle and transmission are intact and available for NHTSA or manufacturer inspection upon request. Safety Risk: Premature internal mechanical failure of the UA80F transaxle presents a severe highway safety risk. Gear wear, fluid shear, and bearing failure in this unit can rapidly progress to a sudden loss of forward propulsion, gear slippage, or full transaxle lockup at high speeds, creating an extreme collision hazard. Dealer/Independent Confirmation: Yes. Confirmed by a technician during a professional inspection that documented stored transmission codes (P0741,P2714 & P2757) and a $9,000+ replacement estimate at 75k miles. Manufacturer/Other Inspections: Inspected by an authorized Toyota dealer and escalated to Toyota Customer Experience (Case File Opened). Toyota acknowledged the diagnosis but denied goodwill assistance due to VIN parameters. No police or insurance inspections have occurred. Warning Lamps & Prior Symptoms: A Check Engine Light illuminated, prompting the inspection, but self-cleared before arriving at the dealer. Stored TCM codes confirmed an active failure. This self-clearing behavior masks an active mechanical defect, creating an additional safety hazard.

Incident: October 27, 2026 · Filed: October 28, 2026

UA80 transmission which has known issues failed. Dealer reports that while the transmission has exact symptoms of other UA80 transmission that are covered under recall, our serial number is not covered. Quoted $12454 to replace transmission that has known failure issues

Incident: August 4, 2025 · Filed: October 27, 2026

Within 1 mile of the Dealership, the new to us, 2018 Highlander was: -Lunging, not accelerating/Delayed shifting -Unpredictable surging -unintended acceleration -Excessive revving before upshifting I brought it back to the dealership & was given a loaner vehicle Once the transmission line was supposedly fixed, I drove it home. Then discovered it had leaked onto my driveway. They took it back & fixed something in the transmission again. After a few months, we thought it was good to go. In October 2026 it was doing all of the above lunging, lack of response from Transmission Again. I drove it to the dealership. Then told I needed a replacement Transmission. They said line rusted and was leaking. I have been asking if they have pictures from prior services. I have continually gotten under body washes & don’t believe that it started rusting while I was the owner. This transmission is obviously defective like the ones in class action lawsuits. I have called the dealer & now Toyota Customer Care to discuss them doing the right thing. Which I believe would be them taking responsibility and paying for the new transmission. It has been a month of waiting for a transmission to be located.

Incident: February 9, 2026 · Filed: October 26, 2026

While driving, my vehicle experienced a severe and sudden failure of the Aisin UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission. The transmission exhibits erratic and hard shifting, severe hesitation, and a dangerous delay in acceleration when trying to merge into traffic or accelerate from a complete stop. Frequently, the engine revs high, but the transmission fails to engage the gear promptly, resulting in a sudden, violent lurch forward when it finally catches. Furthermore, the vehicle intermittently loses motive power entirely while in motion, forcing me to coast to the side of the road. A loud, high-pitched whining noise is audible from the transmission assembly, and diagnostic checks indicate internal mechanical overheating and premature component wear.

Incident: October 14, 2026 · Filed: October 24, 2026

The UA80 transmission on my 2018 Toyota Highlander Limited AWD began the "death whine" at 110,000 miles. Brought it directly to a Toyota dealer and was told the transmission needed full replacement. Seems to be very common with these transmissions and there's a service bulletin that's advertised from Toyota (our VIN number was not covered despite the exact same issue described to a T).

Incident: September 14, 2026 · Filed: October 18, 2026

My transmission had to be replaced at 30,000 miles and a year and two weeks later it needs replaced again at 42000 miles. Toyota will only cover 1/2 the replacement the second time and nothing the first.

Incident: October 2, 2026 · Filed: October 4, 2026

I took my car in to the dealer for a noticable hum sound that was staying to occur. UA80 transmission model has been determined to be failing by the dealership that I took it to. They determined there's metal flakes showing in the fluid.

Incident: August 16, 2026 · Filed: September 30, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, there was an audible chime followed by the message "Transmission Overheating". The vehicle started jerking and hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact pulled off the highway and allowed the transmission to cool down. The vehicle was restarted, and the message disappeared; however, the vehicle continued to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact continued driving 70 MPH, and the transmission message displayed again. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, and the failure was associated with Customer Support Program: ZJC. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the program. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the CSP. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Incident: July 15, 2026 · Filed: September 27, 2026

I would like to report a transmission problem with my 2018 Toyota Highlander XLE which I purchased in XXX with 108,000 miles. Since about mid-XXX it has been making a noticeable whine under acceleration in the speed range of about 35-50 mph. I had the noise diagnosed on XXX at the Toyota of [XXX] dealership; they confirmed it and said it cannot be fixed except to replace the entire transmission at a cost of $9900 (estimate attached). I also called the national Toyota customer service center and was told there is no recall, customer support program, or warranty extension available for my vehicle. It is a UA80F (AWD) transmission which have a history of failing prematurely in a variety of Toyota vehicle models, beginning with the whining noise and progressing to grinding and mis-shifting before failing completely. Although my transmission is still functioning adequately despite the whining noise, I am concerned that it may break down well before the expected lifespan of the vehicle. In financial terms, the repair cost is quite onerous and the resale value is now substantially less than it should be. The biggest concern is that it could cause a safety hazard if a failure occurred in conditions such as extreme hot or cold weather, remote or hilly or curvy terrain, or while driving in busy highway speed traffic. As such, I believe that Toyota should bear the responsibility to address these transmission issues and a recall should be issued. Thanks for your consideration. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: September 14, 2026 · Filed: September 14, 2026

Whining noise in the transmission