Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Toyota Highlander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Car hesitates and suddenly surges forward. The is the 2nd time this has occurred in the past 3 months. The first time was near my garage and fortunately the car only traveled several feet forward before hitting the corner of the garage and coming to a stop. Last Sunday, I was leaving a parking lot. I was turning left when the car hesitated and suddenly surged forward at a rapid speed. Before I was able to regain control, the car had traveled approximately 20-25 feet forward, ran up on a median and crashed into a tree. I called the police about filing a report but as it occurred on private property, they declined.
We purchased a 2004 v6/5 speed auto 2wd Toyota Highlander in June, 04. It has a hesitation problem which creates a safety hazard. It loses power for several seconds after decelerating and re- accelerating to change lanes or make left turns, thereby exposing a powerless, decelerating car to oncoming traffic. Have taken the car to the dealer twice. They claim it is a design problem, they cannot fix. They say it occurs as a result of the adaptive learning algorithm in the engine/transmission package. Check the edmonds town hall by searching for "hesitation" and you'll find it reported since 12/03 by Highlander, camry, solara, Lexus rx330 and Lexus camry equivalent owners all having gotten no commitment by Toyota to fix it. This is a safety hazard as described by the classical definitions. …
2004 Toyota Highlander with approx. 11,000 miles. 6cyl. 2w/d I have noticed a slight but consistent hesitation between pressing the accelerator and actually accelerating. I recently experienced that when accellerating heavily, as to pass another car, the Highlander actually seems to pause, and to even momentarily slow down instead of acellerating. And then it suddenly accelerates. This delay is greater than 1-2 seconds and is significantly noticable. This is not a situation where the vehicle is droping smoothly into a lower gear to accellerate. The first time it occured to me I thought for a moment that the transmission had fully disingaged or otherwise failed. I had time to briefly consider how I was going to get safely out of traffic & onto the shoulder before it suddenly accellerated. …
I have a 2004 Toyota Highlander with a 3.3l v6 automatic transmission. Within the first week of driving the vehicle that was purchased new from the manufacturer, I noticed that the transmission seemed to hesitate when accelerating at low speeds. The problem persisted and I took the vehicle in for service. The dealer said they could not reproduce the problem or find anything wrong. Now the car has almost 20,000 miles on it, I've taken the car back to the dealer a few times as the hesitation has gotten worse and they continue to tell me there is nothing wrong with the car. I rarely drive the car now since I have come very close to having a major accidents numerous times. In each case, I will try and merge onto a freeway. Going up the ramp (or down) and accelerating to get up to speed, the transmission will delay for 2-3 seconds. …
2004 Toyota Highlander v6 - auto (2wd) since we've purchased the t-Highlander, the car will occasionally suddenly jerk forward uncontrollably when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear and when the shift takes place between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM when in 2nd gear. We have brought this in to the Toyota dealership on numerous occasions only to be told this is a "programming" issue and the car is trying to figure out how to shift based on different drivers. I've looked online and on forums and other owners have the same problems. I think it's Toyota trying to save $$. My concern since we've brought the car in to the Toyota dealerships is the same concern that I want the NHTSA to be aware of now and that is, there is a problem with the car and there is a potential for an accident here due to something that is clearly defective with the transmission and/or the "programming" of how the computer shifts. …
I purchased a Toyota Highlander in March 2004, largely on the merits of Toyota's safety record and user reviews of driveability. Within the first few weeks of driving, I started to notice that there was a hesitation in the throttle upon acceleration at low speeds...as if the car had to "think about it" before deciding to respond. Took it in to dealer who found "nothing wrong"...needed break-in period, he said. Problem continued and resulted in at least two occurrences that caused concern: one making left hand turn in oncoming traffic and one attempting to merge onto highway. Hesitation was pronounced enough to cause moment of panic...kids in car etc. Took to another dealer who had explanation of use of drive-by-wire throttle technology used in fighter planes, said that Toyota knew of issue but there was no way for them to calibrate. …
Power steering and brakes failed while driving the 2004 Toyota Highlander. I have previously filed a complaint here and with Toyota about the car cutting out between 20 and 30 MPH which is dangerous in traffic. The hesitation is more prevalent now with 10,000 miles on the vehicle even though at 700 miles it was infuriating not knowing if you were safe trying to merge into traffic or make a left turn. I don't understand how this company can sell unsafe cars and be allowed to cheat the people who paid for them. When the power steering and brakes failed the car had to be towed of course. How long before someone holds Toyota responsible for these problems? How do individuals fight large foreign companies? Isn't it this agency's job to make sure American consumers are safe and treated fairly?
Dt*: the contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission momentarily hesitates before properly selecting the correct gear to engage. The vehicle was taken to the dealership several times for inspection. The dealership mechanic reset the software three times, but this did not correct the problem. Diagnostic testing were performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and sent a representative to inspect the vehicle. The representative drove the vehicle and experienced the hesitation and explained, this is a flaw in the design and the vehicle is free-wheeling. The representative would contact the engineers and try to solve the problem. Updated 03/17/06.
Since I purchased my 2004 Toyota Highlander v6 it has very rough shifts. The transmissions seems to hesitate and lag when I try to accelerate during normal driving speeds, (I feel like I am on a carnival ride). I have had it to 3 different dealership in florida & they all say the same thing ("that this model drives like that" & it's the way you drive") funny though when the mechanic drove it, with me in the car he said that it was the transmission. The underwriters in service think because I'm a women, it's the way I drive. I love my car but, this problem needs to be addressed by Toyota & fixed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I purchased a 2004 Toyota Highlander in March. After a few weeks of driving I noticed that while braking at a light, sometimes the brake and the steering wheel would vibrate. When the dealer looked at my car he acknowledged the problem and said it was a "power surge" I don't understand what that means and why they didn't fix it, but the car still does it 3 months later. Also I noticed that the transmission hesitates as if it is about to stall when I try to accelerate to merge into traffic onto a highway. I haven't brought the car in for service re: the last issue but I expect the same writeoff answer that they gave me for the first problem.
Transmission complaints in other Highlander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2004 Toyota Highlander?
NHTSA has 58 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2004 Toyota Highlander, 20% of the model year's 286 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (46 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Toyota Highlander transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2004 Toyota Highlander, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Highlander transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 10,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.