I just got my 2018 HL LE+ AWD back from the dealership after them replacing the transmission after only 1150 miles.....

 

Could you list the build date that is posted on the sticker in the drivers door jamb?

 

Is this the first report of a failed 2018 transmission? What was the failure that necessitated a transmission replacement.... what were the symptoms? And how long did the repair take?

Paul

 

Hello,

I don't think so. I want to say there is another thread in regards to transmission but I can't remember what it is.
The symptoms were:
Over a period of a week and a half, on 2 separate days, the car would sporadically shift gears from 2nd to at least 6th or 7th gear and I would not be able to accelerate past 35mph quick enough to safely drive on the streets let alone the freeway (which i use daily for work)
The tech told me the toyota engineers and corporate approved a total tranmission replacement (NEW) because of the "torgque actuator"??????
I will make a more detailed video later today on my instagram (@black.lander) to explain what corporate has told me and what I am trying to get from them if you care to follow...i believe they are aware of this issue but arent' trying to admit its affecting a huge percentage of their AWD highlanders & siennas
oh and the thread that I was mentioning earlier had nothing but AWD owners complaining about this...

 

So now 2018's are effected by this?!!?!? Just bought a 2018 this week........

 

Do you have AWD? Based on previous threads, it may not affect FWD, but not sure.

 

Yeah totally. How long did the whole process take?

 

exactly 7 days at the dealership...and i've only owned the car since February 23, 2018 haha

 

This sucks there is no way I’m spending all that money on a Highlander and take on this risk. The only way out is to lease, that way hopefully the problem if it’s gonna happen will occur early on, and then you can make the whole thing be their problem. If the car is good for 3 years then it’s probably safe, and you can buy it. It’s kind of a pain, but if you can work the lease deal right it can come out to just about the same as buying it outright.

 

Great point. I never leased before so how doez 1 work a lease deal to come out similar as buying at year 3?

 

Thanks @Fibber2 for posting this.

The TSB indicates a "production change" to the Transaxle Assembly... apparently some time around Dec 2017. So there's 2 transaxles out there for the 2017/2018 HL models, and each requires its own specific programming.

It also seems to indicate there's a replacement ECM/PCM when the transaxle is replaced.

But there's a strange note on page 1:
"Mismatched transaxle assembly hardware and ECM (PCM) software combinations may result in a harsh shift or shift flare. If this occurs after the original repair, additional ECM (PCM) replacement and reprogramming will be required. This additional ECM (PCM) replacement and/or reprogramming is NOT covered under warranty."

Not sure why ECM is not covered under warranty...

Anyways, my 2017 HL XLE AWD was built in Feb 2017, so it has the original transxle & ECM. The table shows that the correct calibration files should "Main: 896630E43200 / Sub : 896650E09100" files -- which indeed match what I got from my TechStream health check.

However, I would like to highlight here that the Main calibration file "896630E43200" is *NEWER* than the one that was used for ECU reprogramming TSB (T-SB-0194-17) issued back in Mar 2017, which was "896630E43100".

So if you have your HL ECU repogrammed pretty early in 2017, it's probably a good idea to check with your dealer for the latest calibration file.

 

Thanks @Fibber2 for posting this.

Happy to be of service!

But there's a strange note on page 1:
"Mismatched transaxle assembly hardware and ECM (PCM) software combinations may result in a harsh shift or shift flare. If this occurs after the original repair, additional ECM (PCM) replacement and reprogramming will be required. This additional ECM (PCM) replacement and/or reprogramming is NOT covered under warranty."

Not sure why ECM is not covered under warranty...

I thought that was a rather curious statement too when I first read it. My interpretation is along the lines of: "Dummkopf! We told you up front how to match hardware and software! If you screwed this up and have to do it again, you eat it. Don't come crying to us with your hand out because you're too stupid to follow directions!"

 

My 18 was built 1/18. At least I think, On sticker in door jamb it says that. Should that mean I am safe if all this happened between 7/17(Original post about tranny replacement) and the "production change" in 12/17? Obviously no one knows if your clear of this issue but one would hope after 6 months Toyota would have fixed the issue before spitting more Highlanders out with the same potential problem??

 

The TSB shows how to determine the build date of the transaxle assembly. (Note the transmission build date may not be the same as the vehicle build date.)

Unfortunately, the TSB doesn't say anything about the root cause of the transmission failure, or what is the fix for the transmission issue for good for everyone.

It just basically says, if you replace the transaxle, make sure you select the correct calibration file depending whether you are replacing with pre-Dec'17 or post-Dec'17 transxle.

 

I'll probably bring in the TSB when I go for my first oil change (have about 4400 miles now). My car was built in mid 2017 and supposedly the codes are correct, but I've never been happy with the shifting. Let's say your making a turn to get onto a entrance to the highway and you let off on the gas during the turn and then accelerate out of the turn to pick up speed - when I start to accelerate it will first rev up really high (almost as if it's in the wrong gear) before correcting itself. I also find the downshifting in stop and go traffic to be jerky.

-zup

 

Didnt get response to my following post in the other thread, maybe some love here:


I am in market for an SUV and HL XLE AWD fits the bill almost perfectly - until... I saw the transmission issues. Even people with 2018 have had issues - however, that almost sounds like those were produced in 2017.

Then I read, Toyota claimed it was a software issue/programming settings, but that did not appear to be the case.

My Question: Has the issue in current production 2018 highlanders AWD versions been rectified ?

Thanks

 

Then I read, Toyota claimed it was a software issue/programming settings, but that did not appear to be the case.

My Question: Has the issue in current production 2018 highlanders AWD versions been rectified ?

Thanks

Those are two different issues. The software issue related to hard shifting at low speeds. It is not (as far as I know) related to the transmission failure issue.

As someone who owns a 2017 AWD Highlander SE that seems to be in the middle of the (unofficially) reported affected range of VINs, I am trying to hold onto the fact that the transmission failure issue seems to have a very low rate of occurrence. So far. I test drove several other competing vehicles before trading my 2011 HL for my 2017 HL and frankly, there isn't another vehicle out there that is as capable, comfortable and affordable.

The Grand Cherokee came close but from a reported and/or perceived reliability standpoint that would likely be jumping from the frying pan into the fire

The Nissan Pathfinder also came close but DEFINITELY a step backwards given its issues with its CVT transmission.

Since I don't think Toyota has officially recognized the transmission failure as an "issue" they also have not made any statement about what the problem is and whether it has been fixed.... and I suspect they may never make any sort of official statement to that effect.

So I'm sticking with my Highlander for now. Not sure if I will keep it beyond the powertrain warranty though. That depends on whether I can be convinced that any failures would have been early on and a transmission that has survived to (say) 60K miles is no more likely to fail than one that never had the issue in the first place. It is just unfortunate that a failed transmission has serious logisitical consequences (even in warranty) if it fails on a trip pulling my trailer.

Paul

 

I surely wouldn’t let a “potential problem” that very few people have reported, keep me from buying what traditionally has been a very sound vehicle.

I pulled numbers from the highest volume sales of SUV according to JD Powers and did a keyword search for “transmission” on the NHTSA site and came up with the listed complaints submitted on those 2017-2018 models.


They show these numbers on submitted complaints in descending order based on model sales:


Explorer. 5
Grand Cherokee. 4
Highlander. 5
Outback. 4
Edge. 0
Pilot. 4
Santa Fe. 20
Sorrento. 2


Based on these numbers I don’t see any glaring worries here except for Hyundai buyers!


Have there been reported problems? Yes? Are the numbers out of line compared to volume of sales? Not that I can see.


Last but not least is that every message board or forum out there gets more than its fair share of people complaining or looking for answers.


Take it all with a grain of salt. I feel very comfortable with my purchase and would do it again tomorrow. Could my transmission drop? Absolutely but I’m not going to obsess over what might happen tomorrow.

 

I surely wouldn’t let a “potential problem” that very few people have reported, keep me from buying what traditionally has been a very sound vehicle.

I pulled numbers from the highest volume sales of SUV according to JD Powers and did a keyword search on the NHTSA and came up with the listed complaints submitted on those 2017-2018 models.

Completely flawed analysis. A noisy transmission is not a safety issue and would not be reported to the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration).

Even a transmission failure is unlikely to be a safety issue, and most of the HL and Sienna transmission problems were detected before complete failure, even if failure would have eventually occurred.

Toyota and/or Aisin have set up a transmission rebuild operation for the reported transmissions, and based on feedback from owners who their transmission replaced with rebuilt ones, there is already of backlog of several weeks. The number of affected units is not trivial.

 

Thanks alot guys.

So from all my research, I agree that there is no other vehicle that comes close to HL in value for the features it offers, comfort and reliability (this one is now in the air somewhat). I was under impression that its an engineering flaw, so basically all 8 speed trannys within affected VIN range will sooner or later crap out.

Although we can get by with lease, however, we often end up going over, and this will be wife's car, she wants to own it and not worry about miles. I dont want to drop more money for RX350, esp when its new 350L has worse 3rd row seat space than HL, and then the bigger cousins GX/4Runner , well they are diff league. We dont have use for 4Runner power/offroad'ing - and frankly that 5 speed transmission and extremely dated interior even in Limited trip was deal-breaker.

I guess now ill look around for the best 18 XLE trim OTD pricing ! I saw someone did $35K plus TTL - and I have not been offered close to that. I am in northeast, and best I am getting is $ around $38K plus TTL.

 

I just went through the other tranny thread and counted no more than 15 different members reporting tranny failure in that 20 page thread. Just throwing that out there...

 

15 reported failures is a pretty large number on a forum like this.

 

215,775

 

can somone tell me so far the range for the VIN numvers so far that is effected?

 

Rebuild operation for the 8speed failures? Do share facts/links/more detailed information on this statement

 

There's certainly more people talking about it than experiencing it. And this is pretty typical forum behaviour. I'm on a cycling forum, and an espresso forum too. They have exactly the same discussions and arguments about particular failures and defects in equipment I own, with some extrapolating this proves there is a huge design failure affecting many. So far it's never proven to be true.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

There's certainly more people talking about it than experiencing it. And this is pretty typical forum behaviour. I'm on a cycling forum, and an espresso forum too. They have exactly the same discussions and arguments about particular failures and defects in equipment I own, with some extrapolating this proves there is a huge design failure affecting many. So far it's never proven to be true.

I think the fact that they have set up a centralized transmission rebuild facility, instead of just putting new transmissions on the vehicles that experienced transmission failure, shows that the problem is significant, at least for some build dates (which I assume Toyota knows, but has not published).

As to your claim that more people are talking about it than experiencing it, you are making two mistakes.

1. Only a small percentage of HL owners frequent this forum.
2. Some members of this forum and have experienced the transmission failure may not see any need to post about it.

Obviously number 1 is the biggest flaw in your statement. You are correct that there is no absolute proof of anything, but in the absence of a statement from Toyota, a prospective buyer has to make an educated guess as to what is going on.

Hopefully we will not see this on the 2018 models, and based on that we may be able to conclude at some point that the problem was fixed on the manufacturing line. But one wonders about the long term reliability of these transmissions when so many are failure shortly after purchase.

 

We have 2 issues here......transmissions failing, and others just shifting poorly. 20-30-40 maybe more pages of people discussing the shifting problems with their 2017's, means it is a real issue. I had the TSB done a year ago, and while that helped, the trans is still not up normal Toyota `shifting' quality, and that I believe is the real problem. Yes, I also move the shift lever to the sport mode manual shifting, and it does help, BUT it still isn't what it should be, ....and I define that by every other automatic trans I have ever had or driven in my life over 40 years of driving. (most being Toyotas). I had my Highlander in for its 15,000 mile maintenance last night, and asked the guy if there were any software updates for the trans. He asked me why, and I told him, it just doesn't shift `right', and he replied, you mean that it tends to bog a little, maybe hunt for a gear, etc, and I said yeah..he said yeah they're all that way......huh.....they do know, well this guy knows anyway,......they just aren't doing anything about it. People can tell me all day long that this is some ECO thing, but the reality is, the car shifts better in manual mode and gets the same mileage....Ive been watching it a couple of months now. IF this is a software issue, why aren't they fixing it? I love the Toyota brand, I tell people they are fantastic, and I think they make the most reliable cars out there, but every time I drive this thing, I'm reminded that they missed big time on this trans, and should be doing MORE about it. Fact is... this definitely is an issue that is not being addressed by Toyota.

 

My '18 seems to shift fine as far as I can tell so obviously they improved something.. you wonder why they can't apply that to your '17 if its that bad? I will have to try this manual mode thing to see if it makes a difference in my '18...

 

My 2017 shifts fine too.....

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

I just registered today after reading posts for a few months. I have a 2018 Highlander Limited AWD. I was interested when the TSB was posted as many of the transmission issues were for 2017, not 2018. My 2018 doesn't have any transmission noises however the low speed shifting was not very good. For the past few months I would put the vehicle into PWR mode and that made the shifting somewhat better. It was a minor pain to do that on every start. Sometimes I would forget until it shifted at around 20 mph and just the strange feel of the shifting made me aware I had not put it in PWR mode.

Yesterday I had my first scheduled appointment. I know my Highlander was built around Nov 1, 2017 so it had the 'before' transmission components according to the TSB. The TSB showed newer calibration programming part numbers that what would have been in my vehicle so when I dropped it off for service I asked them to check the Transmission ECU to ensure it was the latest available. Well, I should have told them that I was going to ask them to do that because the guys doing the 6-month service were not trained to update an ECU. The service dept got what I asked done. I was out of there 75 minutes later and they told me my ECU was at the latest version for the transmission. I've driven it only a few times since then but I am happy to say it is noticeably better in low speed shifting that I'm not tempted to put it in PWR mode and it was normal enough that I would not even think to complain about it.

 

Still not seeing anything credible to validate this "repair facility" claim, just more forum facts

It's great to note problems/issues/strengths but everyone should take forum data for what it's worth. If you are risk averse and unproven data presented in forums is enough to steer you away from the HL, then so be it. However, to date, there is no factual data of design flaws or "massive failure rates".

 

Agreed

 

A cure for poor shifting other than software?

I have been combing through the threads hoping to find a cure for the poor shifting on my brand new 2018 Highlander. The dealership acknowledges that it sometimes takes two seconds to decide to shift into a usable gear. That may seem inconsequential, but if it is two seconds of no throttle response in the middle of a left turn across heavy traffic, it is very alarming. It tends to scare not only the driver but everyone in the vehicle. This kind of close call solicits angry comments from your passengers and one finger salutes from passing drivers. I travel extensively and am often in rental vehicles. I am comfortable adapting to the different characteristics of an unfamiliar vehicle. Typically, they all react when you step on the gas. This intermittently failing to respond is a new one for me. I have new drivers in my family and everyone has had a number of scares driving this car. No one wants to drive it anymore....including me. This is my second Highlander and about the twentieth Toyota in the family. I love Toyota and consider myself a huge promoter. I never would have anticipated hearing us all say we HATE driving this car.
I am very disappointed with the response from the dealership. They say that the latest code is installed. They keep asking me to drive it for a just a few weeks more to see if the problem disappears on its own. They tell me that the transmission will learn to respond. I have been trying this for the last two months and the problem has not improved to an acceptable level. Turning off Eco and using power mode makes a minimal difference. I have asked to return the car under the Toyota satisfaction guarantee, but that has been met with silence.
I would really love to find a solution to the shifting that would make my family love this car. I do not want to begin the process of evaluating another brand. Has anyone experienced the low speed transmission shifting problems improving over time, or is this just a stalling tactic from the dealership hoping that I will accept the problem?

 

I have been combing through the threads hoping to find a cure for the poor shifting on my brand new 2018 Highlander. The dealership acknowledges that it sometimes takes two seconds to decide to shift into a usable gear. That may seem inconsequential, but if it is two seconds of no throttle response in the middle of a left turn across heavy traffic, it is very alarming. It tends to scare not only the driver but everyone in the vehicle. This kind of close call solicits angry comments from your passengers and one finger salutes from passing drivers. I travel extensively and am often in rental vehicles. I am comfortable adapting to the different characteristics of an unfamiliar vehicle. Typically, they all react when you step on the gas. This intermittently failing to respond is a new one for me. I have new drivers in my family and everyone has had a number of scares driving this car. No one wants to drive it anymore....including me. This is my second Highlander and about the twentieth Toyota in the family. I love Toyota and consider myself a huge promoter. I never would have anticipated hearing us all say we HATE driving this car.
I am very disappointed with the response from the dealership. They say that the latest code is installed. They keep asking me to drive it for a just a few weeks more to see if the problem disappears on its own. They tell me that the transmission will learn to respond. I have been trying this for the last two months and the problem has not improved to an acceptable level. Turning off Eco and using power mode makes a minimal difference. I have asked to return the car under the Toyota satisfaction guarantee, but that has been met with silence.
I would really love to find a solution to the shifting that would make my family love this car. I do not want to begin the process of evaluating another brand. Has anyone experienced the low speed transmission shifting problems improving over time, or is this just a stalling tactic from the dealership hoping that I will accept the problem?

test drive a couple highlanders from another dealership and see if its the same. if there al like that, well...

 

You need to escalate this past the dealership. Call the number in your owners manual and ask to speak with the area zone manager. Mention that it is dangerous to drive. If no satisfaction, escalate again within the corporate hierarchy.

 

I too do not like the transmission on the Highlander I am waiting for the new Subaru Accent to come out and do a test drive.......................

 

I don't know why Toyota and Acura can't get their 8 speed transmissions to shift correctly. My wife's last 3 Audi's 8 speed transmissions are smooth as butter. My HL is the 6 speed and never has had an issue with shifting, I'm sticking with it for another year or so and hopefully Toyota will have figured this out when I'm ready for a new ride.