2005 Toyota Highlander Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2005 Toyota Highlander, 23% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 45,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission fluid” (12% of reports).
- 51power train complaints
- 45,000median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 22%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.
- Transmission fluid: mentioned in 6 of 51 complaints (12%)
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 37 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 51 complaints, 3 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 | 205 | 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 2005 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.
Transaxle vent is leaking transmission fluid onto exhaust, potential of catastraphic transmission failure due to total sudden loss of transmission fliud. Leak is cause by a defective seal
My highlander has 120,000 miles on it and the transmission suddenly gave out while driving on the highway. It started by downshifting suddenly, making it difficult to retain control of the vehicle. Then i lost all forward power and had to coast to a stop on the side of the interstate. I am now…
Bought the car and not even a week after owning it i had transmission problems, i took it back to the dealer they replaced the trans and updated the computer. The problem still persist, there is a huge hesitation in the transmission when slowing to an almost stop and re accelerating. The rpm's rev…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 Toyota Highlanders have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 51 owner complaints about power train for the 2005 Toyota Highlander (23% of the 224 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 2005 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 45,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2005 Toyota Highlander?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission fluid”, in 6 of 51 complaints.
See all 2005 Toyota Highlander problems or power train problems across all Highlander years.