2004 Toyota Highlander Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 58 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2004 Toyota Highlander, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 10,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “automatic transmission” (12% of reports).
- 58power train complaints
- 10,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 9%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Automatic transmission: mentioned in 7 of 58 complaints (12%)
- Upon acceleration: mentioned in 5 of 58 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 43 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 58 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Toyota Highlander power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Highlander | 1 | 25% | — |
| 2024 Highlander | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Highlander | 20 | 11% | — |
| 2022 Highlander | 54 | 21% | 98,000 |
| 2021 Highlander | 227 | 43% | 59,674 |
| 2020 Highlander | 126 | 39% | 73,000 |
| 2019 Highlander | 204 | 41% | 64,000 |
| 2018 Highlander | 68 | 25% | 95,170 |
| 2017 Highlander | 76 | 28% | 20,000 |
| 2016 Highlander | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2015 Highlander | 7 | 4% | 80,000 |
| 2014 Highlander | 9 | 7% | 53,622 |
| 2013 Highlander | 11 | 5% | 16,000 |
| 2012 Highlander | 7 | 4% | 12,500 |
| 2011 Highlander | 16 | 9% | 17,000 |
| 2010 Highlander | 6 | 3% | 66,000 |
| 2009 Highlander | 7 | 5% | 7,824 |
| 2008 Highlander | 18 | 4% | 12,000 |
| 2007 Highlander | 8 | 6% | 14,045 |
| 2006 Highlander | 22 | 8% | 42,195 |
| 2005 Highlander | 51 | 23% | 45,000 |
| 2004 Highlander | 58 | 20% | 10,000 |
| 2003 Highlander | 13 | 5% | 65,725 |
| 2002 Highlander | 14 | 5% | 107,000 |
| 2001 Highlander | 13 | 9% | 70,750 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2004 Toyota Highlander. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Transmission jumps at different speeds. *tr
Vehicle was driven normally and parked. While parked, owner noticed small leak under front axle, investigated and leak appeared to be transmission fluid or antifreeze. Owner drove vehicle next day, parked and noticed leak was larger. Owner took vehicle to dealer next morning and was told the head…
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. The contact stated that the smell of burning oil was emitted from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the transmission oil bearing seal needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Toyota Highlanders have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 58 owner complaints about power train for the 2004 Toyota Highlander (20% of the 286 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Toyota Highlander power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 10,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2004 Toyota Highlander?
The most frequent phrase is “automatic transmission”, in 7 of 58 complaints, followed by “upon acceleration” (5).
See all 2004 Toyota Highlander problems or power train problems across all Highlander years.