2004 Toyota Highlander Power Train:automatic Transmission Problems
NHTSA component category: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · data through 07/12/2026
Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.
How power train:automatic transmission ranks on this vehicle
Share of the 286 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 2004 Toyota Highlander overview page.
What owners report
“2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH AWD AND 4 CYL. VEHICLE IS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID AT 67,500 MILES. DEALERSHIP SAY THAT TOYOTA WILL NOT HELP WITH THIS…”NHTSA complaint 10198279 — filed 08/02/2007
“TRANSMISSION SHIFT HESITATION ON ACCELERATION AT LOWER SPEEDS. JUST ENOUGH LAG TIME TO SCARE ME A FEW TIMES THAT I WOULDN'T MAKE IT ACROSS TRAFFIC.”NHTSA complaint 10174949 — filed 12/01/2006
“LET ME START BY SAYING I AM A DIE-HARD TOYOTA OWNER, MY CURRENT VEHICLE BEING THE 3RD TOYOTA WE OWN. I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA…”NHTSA complaint 10161055 — filed 06/29/2006
Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.
Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints by year filed
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2004 Toyota Highlander have power train:automatic transmission problems?
Power Train:automatic Transmission is the most-reported problem area on the 2004 Toyota Highlander: 46 of 286 complaints on file (16.1%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.
How many complaints does the 2004 Toyota Highlander have in total?
286 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/12/2026. Across all categories, 32 involved a crash, 3 involved a fire, 23 reported injuries, and 47 reported deaths.
What does NHTSA's power train:automatic transmission category include?
NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.
