2017 Toyota Highlander transmission and drivetrain problems
73 of the 270 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Toyota Highlander name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 15 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA complaint database2 of the 73 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 19
Half of the 25 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 12,000 and 37,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
270 complaints in all about the 2017 Toyota Highlander, 19 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Toyota Highlander transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
On saturday april 27 at 2 PM I put my car in park and was getting out. The car started rolling backwards and as I went to react was knocked down and pinned under the front left tire of the car. My three children were in the back watching their mother lying on the ground helpless and screaming for help.
I stopped at my neighbors house to give her something,i left the engine running when I went in to her house as soon as I went into her house I heard a noise looked out and couldn't see the car,i went out side and the car had jumped in to gear and went into her garage ( the door was open) the car hit her bike,golf clubs there was a 2x4 on…
Automatic transmission failed/quit working at a stop light in cheyenne, wyoming 28 december 2018 with only 25,000 miles on the vehicle. I had it towed back to the dealership for repairs
While coming to a stop at a red light, the vehicle started jolting like it was going to shut off. Once at a full stop, the car did not shut off. Instead, once I lifted my foot off the break, the vehicle would not move. I shifted into park, back to drive, reverse, and even manual but the car would not move.
Since I leased by Highlander I have noticed that the car shifts very hard, sometimes sputtering between 5-10mph and then accelerating. Dealer reflashed the computer based on technical bulletin tsb-0194-17. They have now had the car for 3 days and have replicated the issue and I AM awaiting guidance.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications15 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Toyota Highlander names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Toyota Highlander
Source: the same files- engine problems 51 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2017 Toyota Highlander?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 73 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (27% of everything owners filed about it), and 15 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the transmission and drivetrain on the 2017 Toyota Highlander?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 3 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2017 Toyota Highlander?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 20,000 miles; half of them between 12,000 and 37,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?
The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.