2018 Toyota Highlander Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2018 Toyota Highlander, 25% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 95,170 miles. The words owners use most often: “whining noise” (24% of reports).
- 68power train complaints
- 95,170median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $8,750typical repair cost reported by owners
- 48%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.
- Whining noise: mentioned in 16 of 68 complaints (24%)
- Support program: mentioned in 13 of 68 complaints (19%)
- UA80 transmission: mentioned in 6 of 68 complaints (9%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2018 Toyota Highlander at $8,750, and half of them between $8,100 and $9,650.
Based on 10 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2023–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 14 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 68 complaints report a crash, fire or 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 2018 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.
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.
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…
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]…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Toyota Highlanders have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 68 owner complaints about power train for the 2018 Toyota Highlander (25% of the 268 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 2018 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 95,170 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2018 Toyota Highlander?
Owners report a typical cost of $8,750 (half paid between $8,100 and $9,650), from 10 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2018 Toyota Highlander?
The most frequent phrase is “whining noise”, in 16 of 68 complaints, followed by “support program” (13).
Other 2018 Toyota Highlander problems
See all 2018 Toyota Highlander problems or power train problems across all Highlander years.