2014 Toyota Highlander Powertrain (other) Problems

SHARDS OF METAL INSIDE TRANSMISSION PAN AT 74K MILES. WHILE DRIVING AT DIFFERENT MPH, THE VEHICLES FEELS LIKE IT'S SLIPPING INTO NEUTRAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

11329475

Incident

Jun 17, 2020

WITHIN THE PAST MONTH OR SO THERE WERE A FEW SEPARATE/SPORADIC OCCASIONS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION OF MY 2014 HIGHLANDER WITH 82,344 GENTLE MILES ON IT SEEMED TO SLIP/NOT ENGAGE FOR A MOMENT WHEN FIRST STARTING TO TRAVEL AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION DID ENGAGE DURING THESE EPISODES IT WAS ABRUPT AND NOTICEABLE CREATING AN AUDIBLE NOISE AND JERKED THE VEHICLE. THIS PAST WEEKEND THE SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT THAT THIS TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE MESSAGES "TRAC OFF" AND "CHECK AWD SYSTEM" WERE DISPLAYED. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT IT FROM AND THAT HAS PERFORMED ALL THE SERVICE AND AFTER THEY INSPECTED IT AND RAN THE CODES I WAS TOLD THAT ALTHOUGH IT'S, AND I QUOTE, "EXTREMELY RARE FOR A TOYOTA WITH SUCH LOW MILES TO NEED IT, THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED." THIS FRUSTRATING NOT ONLY BECAUSE ALL RECOMMENDED SERVICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN PERFORMED, AND THE CAR HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF, BUT I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT A VIBRATION AND RATTLING NOISE WHEN FIRST ACCELERATING FROM THE UNDER CARRIAGE WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT IDENTIFY WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM OR WHAT WAS MAKING THIS OCCUR WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS IT WAS ORIGINATING FROM UNDER THE DRIVER/PASSENGER AREA AT THE FRONT OF THE TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ID

11268639

Incident

Oct 12, 2019

Mileage

83,244 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN MOTION

NHTSA ID

11265354

Incident

Sep 1, 2019

Mileage

102,000 mi

2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE WHEELS LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE. THE TRANSMISSION STOPS, PULLS, THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR. A WARNING MESSAGE APPEARS STATING 'CHECK ALL WHEEL DRIVE TRACK OFF'. THE SOLENOID FAILED. *JS

NHTSA ID

11207776

Incident

Apr 29, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER MORE THAN ONCE BECAUSE IT HESITATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS WAS A SAFETY CONCERN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR VARIOUS RATES OF SPEED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS WAITING TO DETERMINE IF THEY HAD A SERVICE CAMPAIGN OR SOLUTION TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10985684

Incident

May 1, 2017

VEHICLE SHUT OFF DURING DRIVING, CAUSING ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO FAIL INCLUDING THE ELECTRONIC STEERING, WHICH SINCE VEHICLE ALSO TURNED OFF, CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP. SINCE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AT SPEED AND INFACT WHILE MAKING A TURN, A NEAR COLLISION OCCURED. THE PROBLEM OCCURED MULTIPLE TIMES IN SUCCESSION AND WAS ALSO INTERMITTENT WITH MUCH TIME ELAPSING BETWEEN EPISODES. TWO OTHER TYPES OF RELATED OCCURRENCES DURING THIS TIMEFRAME WERE THE (1) VEHICLE ALSO CYCLING OFF AND ON AND (2) WOULD ALSO TURN ON ITSELF IF THE KEY WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE EXPERIENCED THE ISSUES WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN AND DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TO BE A LOOSE BOLTED CONNECTION OF THE NEGATIVE ELECTRICAL WIRE FROM THE BATTERY TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES SINCE TIGHTENING OF THE NEGATIVE WIRE BOLTS. ONGOING ISSUES INCLUDE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CYCLING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING INCLUDING THE NAVIGATION AND FRONT CONSOLE DISPLAY. THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER 2014 AND HAD LESS THAN 25K MILES AS OF APRIL 2016. ON TWO PRIOR INSTANCES ELECTRICAL ISSUES WERE IDENTIFIED AND DOCUMENTED TO TOYOTA OF SEATTLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS KEPT FOR TESTING. THE FIRST ELECTRICAL ISSUE OCCURED WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILING AND THEREBY REQUIRING PASSENGER INTERVENTION TO AVOID COLLISION. THIS CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE FIRST SEEMED TO OCCUR IN DECEMBER 2015. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE DID NOT FIND ANY FAULT AND SENT ME AWAY. THE SECOND PRIOR ELECTRICAL ISSUE OF THE BATTERY PREMATURELY FAILING OCCURRED IN MARCH 2016. THE READINGS INDICATED SOME ODD DRAWS. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE REPLACED THE BATTERY AND SENT ME AWAY WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE ODD DRAWS. THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY REMAINS SUSPECT WITH ONGOING ELECTRICAL CYCLING OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

10874448

Incident

May 16, 2016

Mileage

24,000 mi

THE TRANSMISSION HAS A FLUTTER WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT UP OR DOWN TO DIFFERENT GEARS. IT CAUSES A HESITANCY. IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY THE CALDWELL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN CONWAY, AR USA AND I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT IS IN OTHER HIGHLANDERS. I REQUEST A RECALL TO HAVE THIS FIXED. THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ID

10763788

Incident

Jan 15, 2015

THIS COMPLAINT RELATES TO TRANSMISSION SHIFT SEQUENCES. WHEN STARTING OUT, THE TRANSMISSION IS IN FOURTH GEAR. IF YOU ARE AT SAY A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND ARE MAKING A LEFT TURN, AND THEN NEED TO MAKE A RAPID ACCELERATION, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR, PROBABLY 1ST GEAR. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT TORQUE STEER THAT AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER WOULD FIND VERY DISTURBING. ALSO, WHEN TRAVELING 60 - 70 MILES PER HOUR AND YOU SHIFT FROM "DRIVE" TO "S" POSITION, THE TRANSMISSION GOES INTO FOURTH GEAR WITH A RESULTANT SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RPM'S. IT WOULD SEEM LOGICAL THAT WHEN YOU SHIFT FROM "DRIVE" TO "S", YOU SHOULD REFLECT THE SAME GEAR THAT "DRIVE" WAS IN. WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR A 5,000 MILE CHECK UP, MY DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO RELATED TO TRANSMISSION PROGRAMMING. SECOND ISSUE, SAME VEHICLE, REFERS TO THE INSTALLATION OF MUFFLER AND TAILPIPE, WHICH CAUSES TAILPIPE TO BE THE LOWEST ITEM UNDER VEHICLE RESULTING IN IT DRAGGING THE GROUND IN CERTAIN INSTANCES; I.E., GOING UP A STEEP DRIVEWAY. DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING TO RAISE MUFFLER/TAILPIPE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10679731

Incident

Jul 30, 2014

Mileage

100 mi