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Comments
After about 400 miles either it has adjusted to me or vice versa (maybe we met in the middle) but the hesitation issue is much decreased. I do still notice it if I try to punch the gas from a complete stop, but I have learned to sort of smoothly 'squeeze' the gas...which seems to work much better.
It's held in place with spring clips so it will "pop" right off.
Just don't use any type of tool, ie; screw driver as you will scratch any plastic surface.
With regards to the seat belt noise you're hearing, just thought I'd let you know that I'm having the same problem. At first I thought it was coming from under the seat and had the dealer check it about 4 different times. During the 4th time, they finally replaced almost all of the parts in the seat. I didn't heard anything for about a month and now it's back. I finally figured out it was the seat belt and think I can actually make the noise when I take it to the dealer to get fixed. I'm not taking it in for a few weeks but if I get if fixed I'll post the solution.
I've also noticed the hesitation when coming from behind a slower driver, then accelerating around the slower car.
Haven't noticed it lately, but maybe I've been compensating.
CDPlank...thanks for the reply. I doubt my local dealer would be as gracious as yours.
It actually "smooths out" right around 10mph (braking effect releases) and I have to compensate for the difference by applying more brake. I'm going to take it to the service dept next week and have them check it out. I have about 500 mi on the car right now and it seems it hasn't learned not to do that yet. This, combined with the hesitation, in normal street driving conditions makes me wonder how they let this thing into the field. Maybe I'm lucky and it's just broke!
"The V-6 is teamed with a five-speed automatic with gated shifter, featuring torque-managed shifts that are lazy and loping under part throttle and abrupt when more power is needed in a hurry. Requests for acceleration are sometimes delayed as the transmission seems to be making up its mind what gear to select. On our front-drive test vehicle, this pause was followed by a torque spike that brought the nose up and upset the already light steering as the vehicle lurched ahead. Four-wheel-drive versions of the RX 330 (a $1400 option) should be less prone to this behavior (Lexus expects 4WD models to account for 70 percent of RX sales)."
http://motortrend.com/roadtests/suv/112_0309_suv/index4.html
1)A definite lag between 1st and 2nd gears. It's seems as though between 2nd and 3rd is starting to take on the previous stated habits also. We'll have to see how the rest of the shifting pattern progresses...
2)A more aggressive brake pedal. As of now, the pedal feels 'spongy' at first application.
3)A better responding accelerator pedal. "Fly by Wire" really needs to be tuned in!
4)A better lit radio display. Especially when one has sunglasses on, during a bright day the display is almost impossible to read.
5)A convenient switch that will turn on "ALL" the interior lights. I don't mean opening the doors.
6)A LED third brake light.
7)For those of us who bought/was included with, the towing package, throw in the hitch!!!!
8)A lit cup holder compartment for the drivers/passengers cup holders. I'm still "feeling" my way on those dark mornings. The glove box has a light, so does the ash tray. Hello?
9)Toyota, inform your dealers that the "auto feature" power sunroof is supposed to be programed as part of the dealer prep!
10)Seal/contain the heater hoses/tubes that run UNDER the entire length of the vehicle for the third seat heater. I can only imagine what will happen if you run over something and a hose/tube is punctured.
What have I forgotten?!
Power window and door switches should all be lit. Good gosh my 2002 Focus had this feature.
I have no hesitation problems with my 04 V6 Limited. Just lucky, I guess.
You have just about hit the nail on the head with your observations. Maybe Toyota will listen for 06.
11)Have the fan control not go into "recirculate" mode every time the vehicle is started.
12)Make it so we can "reset" the miles per gallon on the info screen!!
I agree about the instrumentation being hard to see and the lit window controls. Thanks
Toyota Oil Sludge
Faced with a consumer revolt over low mileage engine failures
caused by oil sludge buildup, Toyota has begun
to notify 3.3 million owners of 1997-2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles
with 3.0-liter IMZ V-6 engines and all 1997-2001 Toyota vehicles with
5SFE 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engines that it will cover the cost of sludge-related
repairs for eight years from date of initial sale.
Whether this will satisfy the thousands of Toyota and Lexus owners who
have already suffered engine failure remains to be seen because Toyota's
Special Policy falls short of an express warranty. Toyota modified V-6
engines made after July 2001 but has not recalled the earlier engines.
The 2.2L 4-cylinder has been dropped.
CAS urges Toyota and Lexus owners with engine problems to file
a complaint. CAS believes Toyota should provide an express warranty
of at least 10 years/120,000 miles, whichever comes later, on the engines
in the affected models.
If so, the MAS or mass air flow sensor is located between the air filter housing and the rubber flex pipe before the intake. It's not even attached to the intake at least on the V6 models.
Even if it was attached to the intake, that new of a vehicle shouldn't have ANYTHING seized!
Something doesn't sound right here............
12) Previous year Highlanders were able to reset avg. mpg. 2004's can't. I would like to know why Toyota changed this feature.
Regardless of all your noted items which I agree with, I still think the Highlander Limited is a great vehicle.
My whole reason of this subject matter was to see what people would change/correct if they could, thats all.
Any vehicle will have bugs, quirks that people will have to live with.
I plan on keeping my Limited for a very long time.
Thanks.
right on.The shifts of tranny and feel of brakes constantly changes! Not being able to program the nav in motion is the dumbest. In spite of these problems? I still like the HL. 24.5 MPG highway,600mile trip. Probably will look elsewhere for a replacement, but thats a few years away.
A sun visor that when covering the side window actually blocks the morning or afternoon sun. The supplied extender leaves a 2 inch gap at the top that allows the sun to stream in anyway. I ended up making a temporary sleeve that slides over the visor. Does anyone know of a commercial product that would work?
Just bought 04 V6 Highlander in July. Unfortunatly my windshield got a crack on it and looks like I have to replace it. I am not sure wheathe the insurance will cover the cost. If not how much wil I end up spending from my pocket ??
Thanks for all your help. This my first car. So I have no idea how much repair is required. I havnt ask the delear yet about the price.
Please advice earliest. Thanks to you all in advance.
Battery saver would be nice. A few weeks ago one of the rear doors was not closed all the way. I checked the Highlander before going to bed and the inside courtesy lights were on. This had been about four hours latter. It still started and I took it for a little run to charge the battery.
If Toyota had included a battery saver, the lights would have turned off in 20 to 30 minutes.
I agree about the first and second gears. They really aren't as smooth as the rest. And sometimes when the transmission downshifts at lower speeds, the car kicks forward. None of this is that bothersome to me, but I've noticed it.
As for the hesitation when putting the pedal to the metal, as it were, I haven't been in that situation yet. I tried to "induce" the situation on a rare low traffic day on Lake Shore Drive, but the HL immediately downshifted and moved forward with no hesitation.
I'm ok with the brakes. I had one emergency stop situation when I slammed on the brakes, and it felt like the brake system took over for me to provide more power than I did. Is that the brake assist feature? If so, it really worked.
I love the wide-open feel of the interior and have impressed many a passenger with the relatively luxurious appointments. Thanks to this board, I knew how to initialize the sunroof for automatic open/shut operation (the salesperson didn't know about that).
It's also quite practical: We refloored our basement this weekend, and were able to fit about 12 boxes of vinyl tile, two humans, and all of the new baseboard wood, without pieces sticking out of windows, etc.
The cargo room is giving me fantasies about becoming a furniture restorer or crafter of large...crafts.
Clearly I'm still a bit vague on what my new hobby might entail
The stereo is much better than in my previous car, and I like being able to turn it up very loud (yes, I'm one of those people) without any distortion or speaker buzzing.
One annoying thing is that, when in CD mode, you can't just press the specific 1-6 buttons for the CDs, you have to scroll up and down using the arrow buttons. Am I missing something?
The gauges are a bit underlit in the daytime, and the inner sunroof cover rattles a bit when it's slid back.
That's about all I can think of at this point. I love it! Even my few SUV-hating friends have been reluctant to disembark once they've settled into the spacious backseat.
Supposedly this is a 'design characteristic'. I
find it hard to believe anyone would design
a safety flaw into a car intentionally. I hope
Toyota finds a solution..$32000 car shouldn't have this problem and I now have to get rid of
it before it gets me killed. Anyone considering this vehicle be
careful. The 2004 HL hesitates on acceleration.
My agent explained to me that State Farm would not usually raise the premium on an auto policy if:
- you have not had any other claims recently (few years)
and
- amount of claim is not more than about $800.
This rule is not universal, however. It depends on the year and model of a car, specifics of the policy, and some other circumstances. Therefore, the agent suggested, you should call and talk to your insurance agent - it doesn't cost anything.
just as FYI to bay area resident , I went to stevens creek toyota sevice center. I bought the vehicle from them so that was the first choice but at the same time I inquired at 3 differnet toyota dealerships/service centers and 2 glass companies. $530 (Inluding labour and related parts) was the best amongst all and service was excellent.
Thank you again to all. This issue is over for now.
Hesitation and sudden jump while shifting the gears is definitley a huge hazard in a stop and go situation as I have already been through that situation once.So now I try to keep maximum distance white driving.
I travel across USA for my job and has driven almost all cars. This is the first model where I observed this and YES it is dangerous. Hope toyota is listning and fix the issue ASAP. I am not sure if the same issue exist for the previous models
I think the ride at 35 psi is fine. I like feeling the road a little bit more anyway. And I assume that the mileage will benefit. But is it dangerous to run the tires that full? I am looking for advice on this. Plus- I am curious about the discrepancy between the 30 psi and 35 psi recommendations....
Never go by what it says on the sidewall due to the fact that the tire is made for many applications.
Is it dangerous? No. If anything, the center tread will wear faster due to the higher psi but for that difference, I doubt you'll notice anymore wear than normal.
The discrepancy is in handling and comfort, thats all. You like feeling the road more so keep them at 35 psi COLD. Remember, after driving a long period of time, especially city driving, the psi of the tires will increase 2-3 psi depending on the size of the tire due to heat.
Hope this helped.
I am really frustrated by the service dept telling me that it's normal and it just has a unique shift pattern. That translates to "it has a problem with its shift pattern" to me.
It was suggested that I speak to the sales manager about trading it in on another vehicle. THAT'S the solution????
This is a huge disappointment to me and I'm not going to let this go until I am satisfied. Perhaps they'll get sick of me and finally do something to make me happy. Guess I should have gone with the Hyundai Santa Fe.
to make them understand I didn't buy a 4 runner
because I didn't WANT a 4Runner and I don't see this as a solution to my problem either. Be sure and file a complaint with the NTSB because at some point Toyota has to be liable for this problem. It will be interesting to see how
much this little problem is going to cost me.
But then I suppose being run over when the HL
hesitates would be more expensive.
I really like the HL as do most of you or you wouldn't be voicing your concerns.
So...what we need to do is contact NTSB, Consumer Reports, your local dealer and Toyota Customer Service and make them aware of this dangerous condition.
So do yourself and others a favor and report this.
We'll eventually have a fix...
The suggested solution of downshifting to second gear doesn't work in my case. The hesitation is still noticable.
What irks me is that if this really is a software problem, it ought to be a simple fix. Write better code, swap out the balky computer chip and viola! A car that does the expected: Moves when one applies pressure to the accelerator.
Trading up to a 4Runner to get around the situation? Only a salesman would suggest this with a straight face. I suppose my reply might be, "maybe I'll just trade up to a Pilot, or a Suburban."
To prevent inadvertant loss of control on FWD vehicles.
More likely to cause injury than to prevent injury.