2021 Toyota Highlander Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 227 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2021 Toyota Highlander, 43% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 59,674 miles. The words owners use most often: “whining noise” (26% of reports).
- 227power train complaints
- 59,674median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $9,300typical repair cost reported by owners
- 15%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 60 of 227 complaints (26%)
- Service bulletin: mentioned in 34 of 227 complaints (15%)
- High pitched: mentioned in 18 of 227 complaints (8%)
- Front carrier: mentioned in 12 of 227 complaints (5%)
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 2021 Toyota Highlander at $9,300, and half of them between $8,350 and $10,000.
Based on 37 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2024–2026), 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 12 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 227 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 | 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 2021 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.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud high-pitched whining sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and the transmission was shifting rough. The contact stated…
Noticed a whine noise slowly progressing over a couple of weeks. Researched the sound and took it for diagnostic eval. with Holman Toyota in Mt. Laurel, NJ on 10/3/2026. As suspected, the transmission is failing. Mechanic documented via video the fluid sample containing suspended metallic particles…
65K miles on the vehicle and have started to get a whining noise from the transmission during acceleration. UA80F transmission installed with multiple class action lawsuits against Toyota for this issue as it leads to catastrophic failure with high replacement cost. Stopped driving the vehicle and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2021 Toyota Highlanders have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 227 owner complaints about power train for the 2021 Toyota Highlander (43% of the 531 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 2021 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 59,674 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2021 Toyota Highlander?
Owners report a typical cost of $9,300 (half paid between $8,350 and $10,000), from 37 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2021 Toyota Highlander?
The most frequent phrase is “whining noise”, in 60 of 227 complaints, followed by “service bulletin” (34).
Other 2021 Toyota Highlander problems
See all 2021 Toyota Highlander problems or power train problems across all Highlander years.