2017 Toyota Highlander Problems

2017 Toyota Highlander problems owners report most

2017 Toyota Highlander problems are documented in public: owners have filed 274 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2017 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the powertrain clearly first, at 77 of the 274 complaints, about a quarter of everything filed.

A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 28 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.

Against the 2016 car, this model year has drawn 134 per cent more complaints (274 against 117). The 2016 car was led by its something the filer did not categorise instead, so the pattern shifted between the two years. A rise is worth more attention than a fall here, because a newer car has had fewer years on the road to accumulate reports.

Of those complaints, 18 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. Filers reported 26 injuries.

Recalls on the 2017 Toyota Highlander

A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 4 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.

In owners own words

These are complaints filed about the powertrain, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.

The transmission on my Highlander is making a whining noise. I took it to Blackstone Toyota Service for inspection, in Fresno, CA, after my own mechanic inspected it and told me that it was a transmission problem. Toyota told me that the transmission is going out and the car can quit on me at any time and is no longer safe to drive. But since it is out of warranty now they will not do anything to help me with this problem. There has been no warning lamp, message or other symptoms yet. After my service in Nov. 2023 i noticed a slight whine when i accelerated. I had a friend mechanic look at i

-- What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? This report is regarding a premature transmission failure in our 2017 Toyota Highlander equipped with the UA80F 8-speed automatic transmission. Our highlander is currently stuck at High Tech Automotive in Wenatchee, WA 150+ miles from home after experiencing a transmission failure on the highway. -- How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? During the transmission failure while driving on the highway the Check Engine Light came on as well as ABS light and vehicle went into a

When the vehicle was ~1.5 years old following its 10,000 mile maintenance, substantial thumping generated from the rear of the vehicle. Each time, the dealership attempted to resolve the problem finding issues with struts; however, it only went away in late March after having the vehicle in the shop for weeks at a time on 5 different occasions Nov 2018 - Mar 2019. I engaged Toyota HQ (800-331-4331) - filing report #1901092572 - requesting an exchange of the vehicle. This was denied and I was offered a 8 year warranty. *Due to COVID, I rarely drove this vehicle through 2020 and most of 2021, wh

Purchased a brand new 2017 Toyota Highlander XLE 9 years ago. I followed all recommended maintenance and service schedules from the manufacturer. There has always been a faint whine noise present during acceleration. In December of 2023 and about 112,000 miles the transmission began to slip in gears 3 and 4. I brought the vehicle into Balise Toyota in West Springfield, MA for diagnostic services. It was determined that my automatic transmission was failing and needed replacement. Luckily I had purchased an extended warranty through All State and the repairs were covered under warranty. The cos

Every component, by complaint count

The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.

How other model years compare

The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2021 Toyota Highlander has drawn the most complaints and the 2016 Toyota Highlander the fewest.

What to check on the transmission and driveline

Powertrain reports usually describe a shift that arrives late, lands hard, or hunts between gears, often worse when the car is cold or towing. Some describe a shudder at a steady cruise rather than a bang between gears.

Buying a used 2017 Highlander

Drive it from cold. A transmission fault that hides once warm is the most common thing a short test drive misses. Take it to highway speed, let it settle into top gear, then slow and accelerate again to make it downshift under load.

If you already own one

Get the fluid condition checked before anything else, and ask for the transmission control software level at the same time. Several of these complaints were answered by the manufacturer with a reflash rather than a rebuild, which costs a fraction as much.

• Test drive from cold, not after the seller has warmed it up.
• Ask whether a transmission software update exists for the VIN.
• Check the fluid condition and when it was last changed.
• Get any rebuild quote itemised into parts, fluid and labour.