Out of the blue one day I noticed a sizable puddle under my Highlander. Upon checking it out, I knew it was tranny fluid. Since the vehicle was out of warranty, I took it to my regular independent mechanic to investigate. Later in the day he called and explained what it was and, that he suggested taking it to the dealer as there were tools needed he did not have. He said it would be Ok to drive on a limited basis and to watch the fluid level closely. I made arrangements with the dealer who verified what my other mechanic said. As it turned out, this leak has been a known issue since around 2007 and there has been a TSB since.

They gave me an estimate of $2077.00 for the repair. Seeing as I need the vehicle and cannot afford to buy a new one, I said fix it. The final total came in about $20.00 less. Whoopee! Now, this could have been repaired under warranty years ago if they would have issued a recall. Now I am on limited income and this repair hit me hard. It would be nice if Toyota would accept some responsibility and at least reimburse half the cost. I would be happy with that.