New Toyota Highlander Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report

stuartbonia · January 2007

Go pick up one of those 12 volt power packs that can be used to jump the car. You can usually find them for $30 or so. Charge the power pack at home and take it with you.

These are good to have around just in case.

skip11 · January 2007

I have found a seller on ebay who sells them. They have the 12 volt and 6 volt jump starters. Shipping is pretty reasonable too. Handy thing to keep around. They also sell the trickle or float chargers. The seller was misc.marys

jdkahler · January 2007

We took delivery of our 2006 HH FWD in July 2005, and it's been a great vehicle - though it's now in the body shop with almost $7000 in front end damage thanks to a fool driver who made a left in front of my wife. Good news is the vehicle took the damage and she was uninjured - not even stiffness and pain the next day - in other words, the HH did its job. I suspect the stability control helped to keep the accident from being worse.

Here's the new experience - we just returned from a week in Jackson WY where - to my surprise - the rental agency had all Toyotas. We were booked for a compact (Corolla) but there was a HH 4WDi there that looked lonely, and I figured it was worth a shot to see if they would give a deal, and for $15 extra a day we upgraded (the rates were the best in town to start with). Nothing like driving the vehicle you know.

For those in forums asking about cold weather - it was -27 F several nights in Jackson (high about -4 to 0 F every day up to yesterday where the high was a balmy 10, all temperatures from the vehicle thermometer and consistent with the weather service). The HH started up each day, no problem, even after it sat probably 30 hours (we walked around town - quickly! - and adjusted to the air and altitude for a day before doing several days of cross-country skiing). In every way it performed as expected, including on snow packed and somewhat icy surfaces. The best (?) test was when a pack of wolves dashed into the road at dusk - stopped straight and true from 55 mph with no sense that it wouldn't perform. While not trying to push to the limit (just what we would have needed, another accident) I drove normally.

I reset the mpg about the third day and for the rest of the week we averaged about 22 mpg according to the dash (it read 25 before resetting), not bad considering we were doing mostly small hops (5 minutes some, 20 minutes most of the others) in VERY cold weather, not ideal conditions at all for an HH (we usually get 26-27 at home in Philly these days). First startup of the day was no problem, ever (and most of the vehicles at the motel, especially the bigger SUVs and and 4X4s all had block heaters plugged in over night).

A couple of notes - this was a 2007 HH non-limited but with the upgrade package (JBL speakers, sun roof, fog lights, etc.) plus 4WDi that in most respects was identical to our FWD 2006 without the package. The dash indicator has added the MPG average setting (useful but I've been keeping mileage notebooks for years so not that big a deal) and the headlights appeared (from my memory) slightly different, but little else. The JBL system sounded slightly muddier than the standard when listening to radio (we didn't bring along CDs) so other than it having a changer didn't really have anything over the standard, at least to my hearing. The strangest thing was adjusting to the extreme lag in the LCD displays on the dash and radio due to the cold.

It was a pleasant surprise to be able to rent an HH, made the driving comfortable and secure. Sorry to return home to a (not to be mentioned but domestic) rental car until our HH is fixed. - John

desertfox1 · January 2007

Just found this thread. My HH 12 volt drained on me over the Holidays while I was home on vacation. My fault, door left ajar. But, since then my mileage has decreased from mid 26 range after winter gas changeover to 21 range. It has been almost a month now and it has not seemed to "relearn". Planning on at least calling the dealer to see what they can do.

desertfox1 · February 2007

Took my HH in and had the Idle Speed Control Reset. Their service note said that it an afffect: Fuel performance, lenght on time ICE runs, and also Transmission gear clatter.

$89.95

Will watch my MPG for the next month or so and see if it goes back up.

nomorebenz · February 2007

$90, makes me want to buy a scanner & do it myself.

glewbel · May 2007

Here's just another owner's experiences to add to the info.

I travel quite a bit for work, and while I'm gone my 06 HH AWD Limited sits in the driveway of my house under a carport to keep the leaves off of it. It's exposed to fairly mild weather (mountains of northern California). There's nobody to start it when I'm gone.

I just came back after 17 days overseas, and the HH started perfectly the next morning, as it always has when I've left it. Apparently some of you have had other experiences, but I haven't had any troubles due to lack of use of the car. The battery isn't new--the car was delivered to me in March 2006 so it and the car are now 14 months and 20,000 miles down the line.

newsman2 · January 2008

Just a note to all thinking about buying a Highlander Hybrid. We are in New Brunswick Canada and ordered a new HH months ago. We ordered a base model and after investigating options, ordered the Navigation system for it's voice activation and hands free telephone capability. Vehicle arrived without a roof rack, which renders our Yakima Rocket Box useless, navigation system isn't voice activated and Bluetooth hands free phone capability non existent, because there was no microphone installed...Apparently, dealer installed NAV systems don't have the capabilities factory installed systems do...but no one at the dealership mentioned that when we ordered, apparently we were supposed to be aware of that complication. We also ordered the comfort package which is supposed to include an integrated garage door opener, that was missing as well. Toyota dealer won't do anything says it is a Toyota Canada problem. Toyota Canada won't return my calls...to make matters worse, the NAV system installed by my dealer came complete with someone's personal phone numbers already entered, so it appears they installed a used Nav system in my brand new vehicle and charged me new. In 3 days I am returning the vehicle to the dealer and demanding my money back. By the way, the vehicle is a beautiful machine to drive, above listed disappoints excepted.

llbonner · March 2008

So let me get this straight - the HH should get more than 22 MPG and if it doesn't, the dealer needs to fix something? And I am not the only one to have the car not start when it's been sitting for a few days, unused? You can not imagine how vindicated this makes me feel. After two business trips where I arrived back to the airport late (like 10pm) only to find my car battery dead, and then to have the Toyota tech tell me that they left the car alone for a day and it started so there's nothing wrong with the car, it's all in my head. Well. You can imagine.

Two questions - 1) what do I need to ask the dealer to do to get the mileage up on the vehicle??? I am a new owner (purchased in Dec. 07) and assumed that the mileage we were told was just a lie - now I read that it should be closer to 30 MPG - I am thrilled if that is in fact the case. 2) you state that the only thing installed in the car was an after market DVD - did Toyota install this for you? B/c if so, that is the exact same thing for me. And let me tell you - after the first time of the car not starting I check everything in the car before I leave it for any period of time, so at least for this second time, I KNOW that there was nothing on in the car (no lights, not even my cell phone charger plugged in), yet it still died on me.

Any advice? Is this perhaps a manufacturers defect that should be recalled?? I am about at the end of my rope, so any advice would be extremely appreciated - thanks!!

llbonner · March 2008

After filing a report with Toyota regarding the issue of no power after leaving the car off and untouched for a few days, I was told by Toyota that all who have experienced this problem should call Toyota at 800-331-4331 to report it, as if it is indeed a widespread problem, they need as much info. as possible in order to report back to the dealers and possibly issue a recall.

Thanks!!

cdptrap · March 2008

We own the '06 HH and I can only discuss issues related to your question (1). All these may or may not be valid for your '08 HH.

In the '06 version, whenever the little 12V battery is disconnected or loses power, the idle speed controller loses parameters it needs to more efficiently run the engine. There was a tech bulletin asking shops to reset the controller if they touch the 12V. A shop will reset the controller so it can relearn the characteristics of your specific engine and adjust various parameters to run at what it believes to be maximum efficiency. During this time, your mileage will start out poor and progressively improve as it learns.

Another possibility to the low mileage is break-in. We babied our HH for a long time and the mileage kept improving over the first 2000 -> 5000 -> 7000 -> 12000 miles. It has now settled to 25-26 MPG given our normal driving style, our terrain and our traffic characteristics (lights, stop signs, traffic volume). If I am extra careful, I can get 27-28 MPG.

Hilly and mountainous terrain, lots of lights and short stop signs, lots of fast moving traffic requiring a lot of jack-rabbit start and stop or heavy acceleration are all factors that can impact efficiency.

Tire pressure can also be a possible cause if they are too low. Tire type too if they are too heavy.

Cold weather and use of Winter definitely impact mileage.

I understand the '08 version has the "EV" button that changes engine performance to favor fuel efficiency? May be try that mode?

The '06 HH is not a magic car that can instantly get stellar mileage. The '08 HH is much better, from what I have read so you should theoretically see better mileage as things break in, weather warms and so on.

Good luck.

toyotax2 · May 2008

We got a HH November 2006 so it ia 2007 HH and love the car. The only complaint is that the battery under the hood that provides the power to the accessories and the ability to start the car dies. Our first one lasted 6 months before we saw issues. We took it into the dealer 10 times and had it tested each time and they kept saying it was fine. We carried a battery to jump the car in the back and had to use it 3+ times a week to jump the car to get it started.

Finally I dropped off the car at the dealer and told them to keep it until they changed the battery or gave me a new car. It took 3 days of them calling saying what do you want us to do with the car. Finally they tested the battery after they stressed it and it died for them also. They put in a new battery and we have gone 4 months and the battery light has started again. Has not gone dead yet but every now a then we get a service battery light. I fought with the Dealer and Toyota for months dont want to do it again but, I will.

I think they undersized the battery in the HH and should have run an emergency wire from the main battery's to the mini battery under the hood. It would be nice to not be stuck and able to press a button and get temp power from the huge battery packs under the seat to get going.

TOYOTA are you listening you undersized your battery in the HH.

Anyone else had a similar experience.?

cdptrap · May 2008

In the old days, a battery that wouldn't keep a charge could mean a bad alternator; if the HH has something like an alternator. Depending on your mileage, this should be warranty work, i am surprised the dealer and Toyota would balk at fixing this. Our local dealer has been very good at responding. Try a different dealer?

We got our 06 HH around August '05 and the original 12V still works fine. The 12V has a little window that shows different colors. Blue is good and it has been blue all this time.

Good luck and let them know you post on-line so a bad response could easily spread like wild fire on-line. May be that will get them to at least do the warranty work.

t_mooney · May 2008

This is not to challenge the validity of anyone else's concerns and complaints, but just to say that not everyone has them. My 2007 now has 28,700 miles and I love everything about it, get great mileage (26+ even w/ a short commute that wrecks the mileage), and haven't had any battery problems leaving the car for a week or so, or any other problems at all.

dmstavis · June 2008

Agree with comments on dead battery and inability to start the Highlander Hybrid after minimal time periods of non-use.

I own a 2007 Highlander Hybrid and have now experienced a dead battery and inability to start the car 3 times now. Once after about 3 weeks of non-use and twice after approximately 11 days of non-use.

Took the car to the dealer who assured me that everything checked out just fine.

Would have lived with problem (although very inconvenient and potentially dangerous ie. if coming back to an airport after a trip) but was speaking to a group of individuals two of whom experienced the same problem with their Highlander Hybrids. Clearly this is not a random problem. One of the individuals was told by his dealer that battery is terribly undersized and should be replaced with a battery with greater capacity.

Called Toyota Central (1-800 331 4331 as recoomended in someone elses comments) and they were singularly unhelpful and uninterested. I pointed out that multiple people seem to be having this problem and was asked by them why I was not disconnecting my battry (WHY DON'T THEY PROVIDE A CUTOFF SWITCH ON THE DASHBOARD FOR THIS PURPOSE IF THIS IS NECESSARY?) Does anyone in America disconnect their battery for 2-3 weeks of non-use?

I insisted on speaking to a supervisor and was told by her that there is a warning on page 100 + something indicating that the Hybrid must be driven for 30 minutes every 2 weeks to guarantee starting. I pointed out that 2 people in my narrow circle of acquaitance seem to be having this problem and as a result this seems to be a larger problem and a Toyota not a customer problem, however, they simply didn't bite. If this is the appropriate working condition of the car I suggest they post a big red warning on the dashboard indicating that vehicle has to be used 30 min every two weeks or it won't start. I don't think this would be a major selling point if people actually knew or were aware of this inconvenience.

The Highlander Hybid is a hot product but Toyota still has a responsibility to provide a useful working product that operates according to the local norm. Every other car I know can last two weeks without having to drive it and still start. If this one can't they should fix it or post a more prominent warning.

If your experiencing this problem (and I can't believe that there aren't many since I know 2 personally) I would complain like crazy to Toyota, on line, and to the National Safety Council (as I believe this has a safety as well as inconvenince component).

In the mean time Toyota should be embarressed that those writing here about having this problem and myself and at least two other people locally are being ignored. I expected more Toyota when I bought their product.

doctorrocket9 · August 2008

The Highlander is the first hybrid I've owned, and we love it. We have learned how to coast as often as possible, and we love the nav.

Yesterday the dealer who sold us the car, Middletown Toyota of Middletown Ct, snagged us as the 15000 mile service.

We brought our Highlander Hybrid in for an oil change. The service advisor showed us an official looking chart explaining many other services "needed" at 15000 miles, including a tune up and new PCV valve. They said it was because the car is a hybrid. The charge for the service was $250 rather than the $25 the oil change cost. We thought this was Toyota's recommendation, and since we had never owned a hybrid before, we believed the dealer. When we got the car back, we read the manufacturer's recommendation, that said we didn't need any of that extra service until 60000 miles. The dealer ripped us off for $225 in service we didn't need.

I post this since the only reason I fell for it was being a new hybrid owner, so if you don't want to be a rube like me, thoroughly know your service needs before you walk into the dealer service department.

wvgasguy · November 2008

My first observation is that the HH forum is not very active. I'm used to the Camry Hybrid forums that have daily activity. I guess I'll have to focus my time on more productive activities now.

It's good too to see that the HH people (Hybrid Haters) are no longer active. I've read through some of the early posts and it seemed like a lot of people here as well as the TCH forums went out of their way to bash hybrid technology. I guess after seeing $5 diesel fuel and even seeing their beloved GM apply hybrid technology in their "gotta have one" pickup trucks, they had to shut up.

I've never had to defend my purchases in the past and I've had many impractical vehicles, but many people do honestly and sincerely question the purchase of a hybrid.

After two and a half years driving a Camry Hybrid, I have a better idea as to what I can expect with the Highlander. Yes I do wish it had the 4cy hybrid setup, but this will have to do as it is what is available for now.

I didn't expect my HH to replace my Expedition, it replaces my car. Thus having the awd, large storage, easy access, comfortable room AND having better FE than most cars certainly makes this a painless decision. Also due to its practical use, it will replace the 14mpg Expedition on many nominal duties that the car couldn't handle previously.

I know my driving habits and see no reason why I can't match or exceed the EPA ratings. But even if I don't, 24 to 25 is pretty amazing for a vehicle like this.

Over the past years it has become obvious to me many people don't know how to calculate their FE in mpg's. They typically quote their car's abilities based on a recent road trip, seldom do they know their overall average. I've tracked FE on most of my cars for 20+ years and typically I average very close to the lower city number although the large percentage of my driving miles were interstate.

Even still many don't realize that going from a vehicle that gets 17 mpg to 25 mpg is almost a 50% gain in FE. I hear them say, well 25 mpg is not all that great. Hey, that can cut your gasoline bill in half! Anyway, I don't have to justify myself and educating people is not in my job description so ....

I don't have a lot of miles on the HH yet, just picked it up this week. Will take it on our first road trip this weekend and have a trip to NYC planned in early Dec. The main use of the HH will be for my wife to comfortably and safely commute to our son's house to babysit our granddaughter. My wife has a bum knee and the HH is a lot more comfortable and has easier entry / exit than the car. Getting into the rear with the power liftgate is going to be a real plus when carrying a baby carrier. We can actually use the liftgate for the other grandchild to stand under if the weather is bad while loading the baby.

The interior is heads and shoulders more handsome than the Camry and most cars that I have seen. Yes, I wish the Japanese would copy the Germans on interiors, but I'll take Japanese technology and electronics anyday over German Engineering.

The HH gives you all of the advantages of high seating / view, carry capacity, comfort and the room of an SUV without the guilt of knowing you're driving a gas hog just to drive the kids around. That did not use to bother me but more and more I find that wasting natural resources, especially when you fund terrorist activities by doing so just doesn't make sense.

I'm still waiting on the hybrid sports car. I'm ready for another sports car but am willing to wait until the technology gets applied across the car lines. I'd really like a Vette that gets 30 mpg (average, not just highway).

I do wish it was cheaper since that would make it available to many who really could benefit from the operational savings.

For now the HH just makes a lot of sense for me. It's a good fit with our lifestyle and needs.

wvgasguy · November 2008

... I continue to be impressed with the quality of this vehicle as I become more familiar with it. The safety features are amazing. I'm having fun working on maximizing the FE.

scippy · December 2008

WVGasGuy,

Nice post. Our 2008 HH is now a little over 2 weeks old. We took it on a road trip this past weekend which was almost 600 miles round total. We averaged 26 to 27 mpg the whole trip.

I'm not sure what you mean about people not knowing how to calculate their FE: Don't you simply trip your odometer at every fill up and divide the total miles by number of gallons at a complete fill up? Maybe I'm one of those doing it wrong?

Anyhow, my calculation pretty much matches up with the number showing up on the onboard computing system. I was so curious if it was accurate that when I saw the system reporting 29 mpg only 90 miles after a fill up that I filled it up and sure enough, less than 3 gallons were needed!

So we are at about 800 miles now and getting about 26 to 27 mpg. I hope this continues.

wvgasguy · December 2008

I'm not sure what you mean about people not knowing how to calculate their FE

True, it is simple, however my experience is most people only figure out their FE when they go on vacation or a trip or by using the computer reading on a trip.

You don't know how many times I bit my lip when friend were totally unimpressed that I averaged 37.5 mpg over 63,000 miles in a Camry Hybrid. I'd get comments like, my Lexus ES just showed 35 last weekend, or I get 33 all the time. One neighbor even claims her Escalade with the big engine gets 20+ MPG! I've seen the numbers and yes on a highway trip only perhaps. But just like in my Expedition, I can go along and be getting 17.5 on the interstate and when I get off an exit to eat and drive a mile or two, byt the time I get back on I'm back down to about 14.5. Big vehicles just can't get 20+ currently .

Anyway, most of them are not impressed that I'm getting about 25 while I'm breaking in my HH. I've given up on trying to educate them.

On another note, on my first trip I've noticed that (at least compared to mile markers) my HH is reading about 2% low on the odometer. That's a little better than the TCH which was about 3%. I didn't check this with a GPS but was surprised no one had checked this on the HH threads. When the TCH came out we were pretty fanatical about all that. In the TCH the speedometer was off fairly significantly, but that didn't affect the FE calculation.

wvgasguy · December 2008

Has anyone ran their tank "dry" or at least significantly past the "E" light? This past week I only took 14.7 to fill up after the light came on. In the Camry Hybrid I know there was consistantly 3 gallons left in the tank after the light comes on. That's pretty nice to know since I hate stopping to fill up. If I know I have another 50+ miles when the light comes on then I won't be worried about filling up at the 1/4 mark.

My 4Runner seems to be accurately measuring an empty tank, but apparently the Hybrids have a bigger safety factor built in. I was just wondering if this is everyones experience with the HH or if I might see something different next time.

cat46 · December 2008

I had a highlander even before the commercials were out for it (Jan.01) and loved it til the day it was replaced by an 08 hybrid limitedin Oct. I live in the Pocono region of Pa. How silly of me to assume that the hybrid would be just as good, if not better, at winter driving than the original model. First I find out that it is almost impossible to get winter tires for this vehicle.Second, I find out that the car drives mainly in front wheel mode and is not all time all wheel drive like my other highlander. I love the HH and the ride, but am terrified of driving it in the snow. I had to turn around and take out my husbands Infiti M35x,which by the way, has a snow feature and drove like a tank. Had I been aware of the fact that this is a vehicle for Florida, I would have kept my original until they made a hybrid that can be driven in all climates. I am so disappointed with Toyota in this area. Guess I'll have to sit out the next snow storm. Anybody out there know of a snow tire that will fit my HH? 245/55R19..Please help. The manual suggests chains for the front tires only. That's a red flag.

monte8 · December 2008

"Anybody out there know of a snow tire that will fit my HH? 245/55R19.."

Yes, Bridgestone makes Blizzak tires in this size. So far that is the only ones I have found.

I live in NE North Dakota and we have had a very snowy fall, and had lots of snow last winter (I bought my 2008 HH in Nov. 2007). It does great in the snow. I haven't been able to get it stuck even when trying to test to limits. The stock tires, after 7000 miles, do not have great grip on ice. But they are more than adequate. Just slow down.

The VDIM does a great job of keeping you in control, but it does have limits. If you try to make a turn on ice too fast, it will prevent you from spinning out of control, but you may not be able to make the turn you intended.

monte8 · December 2008

". . . took 14.7 to fill up after the light came on."

My experience is that mine will take 14.2 (thus leaving 3) just a few miles after the low gas light comes on.

cat46 · December 2008

I won't be able to get the Blizzaks until the summer accoding to the dealers in my area. Apparently all the snow tires were shipped to Canada since they passed a law requiring all 4 tires have snows on them. You would think Toyota would give buyers a "winter package" option such as a snow traction button or something similar. Or better yet, put a common wheel size on. I would much rather the ability to drive in the snow over heated seats and mirrors anyday. Any other tire available that someone might know about that is available in N.E.P.A.?

monte8 · December 2008

"I won't be able to get the Blizzaks until the summer . . ."

You can order them from smartbuytires.com, they are $232 each.

I agree that Toyota has done its customers a disservice by selling the HH with only the 19" wheels. The 17" standard tires would have been better, Toyota does not actually ship any HH's with those tires.

wvgasguy · December 2008

with the choice of large wheels and tires on the HH. It has to hurt FE and should be considered a sport option, not a combo on a vehicle people purchase for the FE. Toyota marketing messed up on this.

As for snow, I researched this a lot before buying. Yes, the HH has a unique set up with the motor driving the rear wheels but for other than really deep snow and with proper tires this should be more than adequate.

Also, It might be cheaper in the long run to pick up a set of Hylander 17" wheels to put "cheaper" and smaller snow tires on if you plan to keep the vehicle long term.

rodonnell · January 2009

Don't know if your 08 is different than the 07. My 07 HH has an advertised 17 gal tank. The light routinely comes on with 2.8 gals. left in the tank. One time I consumed 16.2 gals. on a tank, the needle was below the E line by at least a needle width.

After 84,000 miles, I am fairly comfortable driving another 50 miles after the light comes on.

wvgasguy · January 2009

I have an 09 but was curious about the tank. In my Camry Hybrid I never took more than 15 gallons to fill and when it said "E" it had 2.5+ gallons left. That was good for an easy 75 miles, which one time I drove it well past E. Several of the more fanatic TCH'ers drove theirs toempty just to prove the point. I couldn't find on this board where anyone had done that for the HH. I'm guessing it's Toyota's design to do it that way but I would prefer a gage that accurately told me when I was empty. Mentally I can't bring myself to consistantly drive it to "E" before I fill. In the TCH I could always drive 550+ miles on a tank and I really miss that. The HH does well but the range is not any more than most SUV's. 4 more gallons would probably only added 50 pounds, counting the gas and extra tank materials. That would have been nice.

It's been in the 20's here a lot and I'm getting around 23 so I see no reason I shouldn't average 25 when it warms up. I am finding that the computer is almost 2mpg over reading the FE. I don't see why that is so hard of thing to get right

Overall I am real happy with the HH. I am considering the 2010 Prius to share duty with the HH, or perhaps the new TCH when it gets the Gen3 hybrid system.

brandoshido · February 2009

I love everything about this vehicle (2008 model) except the wood grain trim. I wish there was some way I can change it to be solid black. I am averaging about 32MPG. Mostly city driving. I got every extra other than NAV and DVD screen system (i dont have many back seat passengers, my main reason for SUV is my big dog and when I move every 4 years i can take more stuff with me). I do plan to do an aftermarket NAV, because I heard toyotas isnt that great.

I am paying alot more than Im used to, but Ive never had the feeling of every time i sit in my car, I absolutely love it. Totally worth every red cent.

condor2007 · July 2009

This is a 2007 model, Limited with all the electronic junk. Car failed to start three time in last 7 months. For some reason, the car does not start. You are stranded with no other recourse but to call a towing service. God forbids that you don't have your whole family in the car in the middle of nowhere. Dealers are not sharing anything about this problem other than give curdory explanations like: maybe the battery was a little bit low, maybe one of the interior lights were left ON, maybe you opened a door other than the driver's door first, etc. In my opinion this is a problem waiting to happen. I am disssappointed by Toyota.

condor2007 · July 2009

I share your pain. I also have a 2007 Highlander Hybrid and it has failed to start three times now in the last 7 months. The dealers keep saying that the battery was a little low. I don't trust this car anymore. I have never had a car this new that just plain will not start and there is nothing you can do except have it towed to the dealer. I think Toyota is sweeping this problem under the rug.

llbonner · July 2009

Do you have one of the DVD players? Is it an after-market one (either that Toyota put in or one that someone like Best Buy put in?) b/c if so, it could be the DVD player. I had an after-market DVD player (installed by Toyota at the time of sale so it came with it but it wasn't installed in the factory in Japan) and couldn't leave the care for more than 2 days without the 12V battery dying. I was told I had left the lights on (I hadn't), left the door open (I didn't), etc. I finally searched the net and discovered that for people with after-market DVD's (and you might not even know you have one, depending on your Toyota salesperson) this happens with the hybrid. I got the dealer to replace my 12V battery and install a kill switch for the DVD player and problem solved. A few months later my DVD model was recalled b/c it was draining the battery power for regular (non-hybrid) cars. So if you have a DVD player see if you can find out if it's after market and if it is, try to get the kill switch installed. Good luck!!!

condor2007 · July 2009

All the equipment is standard Toyota and came with the car. They just told me again today that all they did was to recharge the battery and now the car starts again. For how long?

wvgasguy · July 2009

Well, your battery is almost 3 years old. You may need a new one.

rtdunham · November 2009

@ cat46

"I find out that the car drives mainly in front wheel mode and is not all time all wheel drive like my other highlander. I ... am terrified of driving it in the snow....Had I been aware of the fact that this is a vehicle for Florida, I would have kept my original until they made a hybrid that can be driven in all climates"

According to the reviews at Edmunds, the first-gen Highlander Hybrid AWD wasn't true AWD, but rather included a third electric motor, on the "AWD" model, that kicked in on the rear wheels when additional traction was needed. The gas engine, according to those reviews, never distributed power to the rear wheels. Still, I've seen drivers from high-altitutude, heavy-snow areas say the HH "AWD" performed great for them in snow. Your fears may be unfounded: I'm guessing maybe a salesperson or literature just made you aware for the first time of how the HH "AWD" works, and you didn't realize that's how it worked in the previous gen HH, too.

mikeg333 · February 2010

I do not like the following things about it:

1. Brake slippage or gap at low speeds to a stop. I am sure that some of you know what I am talking about.(The braking we are told that we have to get used to by most dealers).
2. FE Highway city ratings are actually reversed for me. Worse in the city than highway. I bought this car mostly for city driving. I live in a slightly hilly area, Essex county, Northern NJ so we are not talking mountains and am lucky to get about 18-20 MPG with city only driving. Worse in winter with running the heat and engine taking longer to warm up. Highway best was 28MPG but usually around 25.
3. Hasn't happened for me yet but a friend and others have reported that the stock tires go bad quickly. At 15K my friends tires were almost bald. In fact their HiHy slid down a hill unoccupied, while it was parked one icy day. Lucky that it didn't hit anything. Keep an eye on those tires.
4. Rear visibility was decreased in the 2009 Ltd.

That's about it, but the brake thing bothers me the most right now. I am wondering what is the difference with this problem and the Prius braking problem.

Other wise it is the best car I have ever owned. Smooth ride, fast, good pick up, comfortable, pretty good on gas mileage but not as good as the rating suggests. Definitely not enough to recoup the extra dollars spent on a Hybrid as far as I can see.

mikeg333 · February 2010

When the heavy snow high altitude drivers said, "Great," did they also mean the MPGs they got or just driving performance?

89fj62 · February 2010

I purchased my new 09 Hybrid last July in the cash for clunkers deal.I love the way ift rides on the highway. Driving like an old man I manage to get 26 mpg in town driving. and 26 mpg in highway driving. I bought this vehicle to replace my Land Cruiser. I plan to use my HH to tow a small tent trailer. I like that I can fit in this vehicle and that is the main reason that I bought it. As I don't trust the HH with summer tires in high snow I have it garaged for the duration of winter. I now have 3,200 miles on my HH.

synch22 · April 2010

We have had our new limited for the past week now and are so far pleased with everything. Averaging 25.5 mpg right now with city and highway driving with some hills here in driving although it seems you make up for hills on the other end (downhill coast). I would like to try and increase the mpg but we will see. I have not once noticed any kind of braking issue that was mentioned but have kept my eye out for it. The car is pricey but i think the premium paid so far is worth it in our eyes, not expecting the payback in savings but rather enjoy the technology of the ride with slightly better mpg.
One other thing is the Nav is not my favorite so far, we have not had GPS in any car up until now so maybe it will be handy when needed. I do like the other features the screen provides (consumption #1, radio touch screen etc.)

tompkinstom · April 2010

Buyers Beware?

I have reached 100,000 (all highway miles as I have homes in Fl and NY)miles and recently had dealer replace the timing belt, spark plugs, front brakes and rotors, gas motor starter battery, and while there they told me tha transaxle is making a sound indication replacement is necessary: Cost $6,100.00. In addition I am told that the main battery pack ($3,500.0) will most likely need replacing soon. All my oil changes have been on time and all factory service work done at the dealers.
My vehicle has the factory tow package and I have towed my 16 foot boat a total of approx 1200 miles (total weight boat & trailor is less than 1500 lbs)
I was never told this vehicle has a practical life expectancy of 100,000 miles and I drove 2 Honda Hybrids in excess of 150,00 miles with none of these expensive repairs.
Looks like this will be my last Toyota vehicle.

89fj62 · April 2010

I appreciate your input and feel the same way you do. My situation is different. I expect to take 20 years to get to the 100,000 mile mark. My previous vehicle was a Land Cruiser almost 21 years old. It ran great but was rusted out terribly. If my 2009 Highlander doesn't hold up or is expensive to maintain I will follow Consumer's Report ratings for cheaper cars and plan on a 10 year replacement period. Consumer's Report rated the Highlander very good.
Dennis

monte8 · April 2010

"In addition I am told that the main battery pack ($3,500.0) will most likely need replacing soon."

They are alluding to the 100k warranty on the hybrid components, that does not mean it needs replacement. They are trying to sell you repairs. Tests by Toyota on Prius battery packs show they are fine at 180k.

I think the same may be true in regard to the rear transaxle, but it is too late for you to get a second opinion (did they offer you the old parts back?)

If all of your driving was on the highway, there should have been no reason to replace the front rotors. Since this car uses regenerative braking, there is far less wear on the brakes. The pads may have needed to be changed, but the rotors should have been fine.

Try another dealer for future repairs.

myraf · January 2011

i have the same transaxle problem ,i think the cooling pump system is the problem,doesn't cool the transaxle which inturn over-heats it and burns out the other hybrid components

dande2 · February 2011

We have had our new limited HH for a couple of weeks now. The ride seems solid. It does OK in the snow but I was expecting it to be better. The car has a tendency to slide in the snow. Getting in to the car is great as the doors open very wide to allow entry. There have been a couple of times that the driver's door did not unlock when I approached the car with the key in my coat pocket. We live in the Midwest so we are experiencing cold weather right now. The car takes a long time to warm up. The rear window defrost does not seem to work very well. I don't like the back window wash coming out onto one side of the window instead of in the middle. The average mpg has been 22.4. Not what I was expecting for the HH. Right now I am extremely frustrated with the fact that we spent more money to buy this car over buying the regular Highlander. We were told that people were getting 28 if not 30 or more mpg with the HH. I imagine that the only time you get that kind of mileage is when you have no radio on, no heat or air on, you are driving on a flat road, and the temperature is moderate. And I don't feel that we should wait until the car has 15,000 miles on it before we experience the higher mpg. Not happy...

stevegold · February 2011

You are pretty much correct. We have a 2007 HH and get mediocre mpg. The car is not worth the extra cost over a non hybrid version or any other similar non hybrid car. We also have a 2004 Prius which normally gets 40-45 mpg and 45-50 mpg if we slow down on the freeways. That is a smaller car, with less road clearance. With snow tires, handles almost as well in the snow as the HH.
The two problems I have with the Prius are 1. on LONG, STEEP, STRAIGHT high altitude climbs, the battery boost is gone in 3-5 minutes and you have to get over the rest of the pass much slower than normal. 2. There is a problem with the gas tank bladder so that when it's cold and you fill the tank, there are not really 12 gallons in the tank even though the gauge show full. Otherwise, the Prius is really worthwhile.

89fj62 · February 2011

You may have better control on snow if you put 4 snow tires on. I consistently get 26 mpg around town since new on my 2009 HH.

minivan123 · March 2011

Picked up a 2011 HH at a local Toyota dealership in the western suburbs of Chicago. Silver with all black interior. For the 2011 the not-so-elegant looking orange plastic wood trim made way for a better and more realistic looking darker brown trim. After driving a friends' 2010 HH for a week in northwestern Canada last year I was hooked and ordered myself a new 2011. I was also considering a BMW Diesel X5, the Audi Q5 Diesel, and a MB R-series Diesel, but none of them did as good in terms of mpg as the HH, plus, with the extra desirable bells and whistles the competition was $13-22k more. Never considered a Lexus Hybrid. If I wanted a luxe vehicle, I'd stick with the European imports, vs. an overpriced Toyota with a Lexus badge. But that's personal preference.

I followed Edmunds.com and other car website's buying tips, got 3 competing bids from nearby dealers via email, ranging from $500 below MSRP (haha!) to close-at-invoice. Finding an actual 2011 HH at any dealership for sale was more tricky --- I guess they sell fast, plus the dealers wanted to get rid of their 2010 models. A day later, I walked into one dealership with an email from a different dealership, which was offering to me a 2011 HH at a few hundred $$$ above invoice, but didn't actually have it. So, after about 90 min of negotiations, I purchased a fully loaded Limited for essentially invoice price. My HH has the nav, DVD, JBL, bluetooth wireless and Ipod/mp3 player wired hookup, sunroof, upgraded JBL sound (which is very good). The folks at the dealership were friendly and helpful. The initial walk-around and intro to the features of the car by their hybrid expert was very helpful. I did spend about 12 hours on research before buying, and this forum is the best when it comes to information from real-world owners, sharing their good & bad experiences.
What I didn't know: A cargo lid/trunk cover is NOT included, even in the Limited trim, and if I'd buy one, it would have been $480+tax. No thank you. Also got my floor liner from Weathertec, pricey but very good in the winter here.
The keyless entry/ignition is fun, you don't need to ever take out your key to open, start, or lock the car.
Now, with a little over 2200 miles on the odo, I am reporting high satisfaction. I love the quiet ride. The 4-wheel drive was performing perfectly in our often bad weather, even allowing me to drive to work during the Chicago Blizzard (yes, the one where the pic of Lakeshore Dr backed up went all around the world), on the actual day. Fantastic power and pickup. Integration of the bluetooth to my iPhone is great, I'm streaming music and other audio files without ever having to take the phone out of my pocket. When the 3 month Sirius satellite free subscription is over, I'll just stream from iTunes or Pandora, also YouTube works.
(Sirius has way too many commercials on for me to pay them a subscription fee, and traffic info updates via Sirius to the Navigation system is often delayed, so I personally don't see the point of paying for that)

Back to the car: 85% suburban driving, anywhere from 25 -50 mph. FE here is 26-29, depending on how easy I take it on the gas pedal. The other 25% on highways, on those I go 60-65 mph and get about 33 mpg. I'm not doing the pulse&glide, find it too annoying for fellow drivers, but gently cruising towards a red light/stop sign nets EV mode after initial warmup of the engine/cat. converter (4-6 min in our cold winter weather, and I'm there). The EV mode is very much dependent on conditions like road inclines, speed, head or tailwind. I find that, at 35 mph on even surface the car spends about 85% in EV mode, really bringing up the bars on the economy meter to 60 mpg. Fun to watch. All screens and functions are well layed out and informative. The nav seems old fashioned in its design (colors, no 3-D map, can't customize your marker), but works well.
Seating position is excellent. I'm 6'2" and this is like driving in a comfy recliner. 9-way seating adjustments are plenty. Heated seats are great in our cold winters.
Plastic on dash is a bit on the hard and cheap side, but how many times is it being touched? I'm OK with it.
The fact that all rear seats can be layed flat on one side and still being able to seat 4 is fantastic. Seats are comfy in all rows. The DVD player hasn't been used much, but you can put the audio on either the wireless head sets that came with the car (2), or output it to the speakers in the car, which makes for awesome sound. Also it's possible to hook up a game system or even VCR if necessary. There is a 110V outlet in the left side of the trunk for these things, or for a plug in cooler etc. Great feature.

I'd definitely recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for something that gets fantastic gas mileage, seats 7, is very flexible in terms of seating/cargo, and looks great. I've been driving a Honda Odyssey before but wanted a more fuel efficient car. With gas here in Chicagoland being just shy of $4 (if you read this later this year, I think we all look back and feel that that price was a bargain!), I know I made the right choice.
O yes, and lastly, the HH engine and it's graphic info systems changed my driving habits - I'm swimming with traffic, but have learned to go easy on that accelerator for higher mpg. After spending the first 400-500 miles at 25-26 mpg, I now get 27-30 mpg in mixed driving.

xcphumphreys · March 2011

Just bought a new Highlander Hybrid. Got 28 mpg on 160 mile drive home in 15 degree temperatures through the Cascade Mountains. Get nearly 30 mph on 50 mile shopping trip to nearest big town. Nice to have a 4WD SUV with that kind of performance as gas prices move toward $4. Everything seems to work great -- I especially like the back up camera (but I need to calibrate it so I can interpret how far I am from objects) and the large knobs on the radio and climate control. My son (who is a strapping wrestler) says there is great room for someone in the second seat. I expected the gasoline motor to come on silently and smoothly when needed -- at very low speeds, the start-up is noticeable but not at highway speeds. Dealer offered an 8 yr, 75k mile manufacturer's extended warranty for $1500. Am trying to decide if this is wise insurance or not. Would appreciate any advice from others on expected repair costs after the original warranty (3 yr or 36k miles) expires.

89fj62 · March 2011

Extended warranties are a personal decision. If you buy a vehicle with good reliability you shouldn't need an extended warranty. If I was buying one I would only buy one backed by Toyota. These can be found by googling Toyota extended warranty. There are a few internet dealers that offer good prices. Your new Highlander Hybrid componets are warranted for 8 years/100,000 miles so it is a pretty good bet that you won't encounter problems before 75,000 miles. These warranties tend to be high profit for the dealers. My 2009 hybrid has been problem free so far. If you do get the warranty make sure you keep all receipts for service should you encounter a problem.
Dennis

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