Toyota has an open safety recall/campaign for my 2023 Toyota Highlander, but the manufacturer/dealer has failed or is unable to remedy the recall in a timely manner. I am requesting NHTSA review the delay and lack of available remedy/repair.

When applying brake, in sporadic and unpredictable circumstances, the vehicle seems to switch from regenerative braking to brake pump braking. During this switch, braking power is lost completely. The vehicle was inspected by the Dealer, they stated no issues found / unable to reproduce. This issue, if unresolved, increases risk of vehicle collision. No warning lights, no messages, no other symptoms of the problem. This issue has been present for ~1.5 years.

The brakes on this vehicle disengage and re-engage at will during braking. There are no indications of when it will occur. Brakes will disengage during low and high-speed braking, braking while going uphill, downhill, on flat roadway or during turns. This has resulted in several near miss accidents as well as debris was struck in the roadway due to being unable to stop. This vehicle was purchased new from the dealership in NM and was reported to them starting at 18,000 miles. Vehicle has been taken to numerous dealerships and reported with them as well. Toyota's answer is this is normal. Brakes disengaging and resulting in near accidents is not normal. It is now pending formal inspection from Toyota corporate by dealerships dismiss the problem as unable to replicate. This is to the point where we only drive when absolutely needed due to fear of an accident as this is the only vehicle.

My 2023 Toyota Highlander was experiencing a high pitch whiny noise when accelerating. I looked up on line and saw that this could be a failing transmission issue. I took it into the Toyota Dealership , 6321 West Canal Drive, Kennewick, WA 99336. They confirmed my concerns. They said the transmission was toast and I could not drive it until repaired. They informed me they would have to order a replacement transmission under warranty. They further informed me that there is a backlog of requests for replacement transmissions because this is a major problem with Toyota. They have no idea how long it will be. It could be weeks or it could be months. In looking online, it appears that Toyota has been aware of this issue with the 8 speed transmission and has not been addressing the problem. My question, why isn't Toyota addressing this problem? Why does it take weeks or months to building a replacement transmission? Something needs to be done about this.

Right after vehicle passed 60k miles mark (manufacturer warranty ended) I noticed a whining noise under load. During acceleration the noise is most noticeable between 30-50 mph speed range. If a gas pedal released the noise is gone and if pressed again the noise is coming back. The pitch increases with a speed increase. I took the car to dealership (current odometer reading 61,037 miles) and they diagnosed transmission failure. Apparently it is a very common issue with the current transmission family (UA80/UA81).