Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2001 Toyota Highlander submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I WAS BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED. I KEPT HITTING THE BRAKE AND IT FINALLY STOPPED. I PUT THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE AND IT ACCELERATED AGAIN. I TRIED HITTING THE BRAKE AND IT WOULDN'T STOP UNTIL IT HIT THE GARAGE DOOR. I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST IT WAS GOING, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING AT AN EXCESSIVE SPEED. *KB
WHEN SHIFTED TO REVERSE GEAR FROM PARKED CONDITION CAR ACCELERATED AND CAUSED CRASH TO THE REAR OF THE CAR TO WALL. *CN
I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, 85000 MILES. 3 WEEKS AGO THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. I HAD A TRANSMISSION SHOP REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION AND WHEN TAKING IT APART, THEY FOUND 4 PLANETARY GEARS THAT HAD SUSTAINED RANDOM BREAKING AND CHIPPING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A QUALITY ISSUE. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA AT CORPORATE AND DEALERSHIP LEVELS AND REQUESTED I BE INFORMED OF ANY SECRET WARRANTIES THAT EXIST TO COVER THIS EXPENSE. I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED A RESPONSE.
2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, V6 ENGINE, AUTO TRANSMISSION. THERE IS A DEFINITE HESITATION/LAG/DELAY IN SHIFTING AND ACCELERATION. THIS CONDITION HAPPENS ALMOST ALL OF THE TIME AND CREATES A REAL SAFETY CONCERN. MODERATE ACCELERATION WILL PRODUCE THIS CONDITION. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS CONDITION BUT IS DOING NOTHING TO CORRECT IT. *JB
I BOUGHT MY 2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER IN AUGUST 2001..........AT 15 MONTHS/50,000 MILES MY TRANSMISSION STARTED LEAKING AND WHEN IT STARTED SLIPPING TOYOTA RAPIDLY REPLACED MY TRANSMISSION. A LEAK WAS DETERMINED WITHIN WEEKS OF THE REPLACEMENT AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER SEAL (TCS) HAD TO BE REPLACED. UPON REPLACING THE TCS THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS FOUND TO BE DAMAGED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. HAS THE HIGHLANDER REQUIRED TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS?*JB
HARMONIC NOISE FROM BENEATH CAR AT 30 MPH WITH POWER APPLIED, SIMILAR NOISE, OF LESSENED MAGITUDE AT 60 MPH. DEALER REPLACED REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND THEN TRANSMISSION. NOISE REMAINS. DEALER SAYS LEXUS RX300, WITH SAME TRANSMISSION, HAS HAD SAME PROBLEM. UNKNOWN CAUSE AS YET. *AK
THE DESIGN OF THE AUTOMATIC SHIFTER PLACES IT ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER THE CUP HOLDERS OF THE CENTER CONSOLE. USING THE CUPHOLDERS MAKES ACCIDENTIAL CONTACT WITH THE SHIFT LEVER VERY LIKELY, AND WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE SHIFTER CAN BE EASILY KNOCKED OUT OF DRIVE AND INTO NEUTRAL. THERE IS NO DETENT OR OTHER RESTRICTION TO KEEP A SLIGHT BRUSH WITH THE SHIFTER FROM ALLOWING THE LEVER TO MOVE FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL. THIS HAS HAPPEND TO ME THREE TIMES, EVEN THOUGH I AM TRYING TO AVOID THIS ACCIDENTAL CONTACT.*AK
HARD GEAR CHANGE, DRAG WHEN COASTING (LIKE GEAR DOWN), POOR ACCELERATION. TOYOTA IGNORES THE PROBLEM; THEY SAY IT IS ACCEPTABLE. *AK
DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION FROM DATE OF PURCHASE. IT TOOK TOYOTA 2 MONTHS TO FINALLY FIX IT. I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE SERVICE FROM TOYOTA. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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