Toyota Highlander Maintenance and Repair

landdriver

I too have noticed those faint ~1/2" diameter purplish round patterned discolorations on the windows -- I remember them being on the front windows rather than on the rears, but am not 100% positive of this -- its interesting that I rarely notice it, possibly while washing the car as well, perhaps because this is the only time I'm viewing the Highlander with a critical eye. For me it was just barely within what I would deem as acceptable without taking it in to the dealer to complain about it.

geotal

Hi all, I have a 2001 V6 highlander with 21K miles. Recently I'm experiencing problems with intermitant start up problem both during cold and hot start. There are times when turning the ignition alone will not turn the engine over, I have to some times press the gas and turn the ignition on simultaneously to start the engine. Its not the battery nor the starter cause I can here it cranking. The dealer told me that unless they can duplicate the problem they will not be able to detect the main cause, again its an intermitant problem. I am frustrated, wondering if anyone experienced the same problem. Any advice will be appreciated....thanks.

bbouch57

Forget it. Most all cars with tinted windows have these spots depending on the lighting conditions. In most lighting situations they are not able to be seen.

mcmatt

The window tinting spots will be much more pronounced if wearing polarized sunglasses, just FYI.

sirfile

To Landdriver / Message #824:

The best product to use for your scratches is Original Trim Black #39143, manufactured by SEM Products. It will match the orginal paint beautifully. You can find it at most automotive paint stores, rather than auto parts stores.

Before painting, prepare the surface using grey Scotch pads, also available at the paint stores. Anything more aggressive will leave scratches that show through the new paint. Be certain to mask the surrounding trim carefully, or you will eventually experience peeling. Also, don't forget to cover the rest of the vehicle while spraying to prevent overspray. Good luck!

Sirfile

lqhuynh

Hi My wife own a brand new 2003 Highlander (standard ) for about 2 month. Recently we notice that when driving at low speed 20-30 mph the car generates a low frequencecy noise with all windows up.
This noise really irriates the ears and make us uncomfortable.

We think the noise generate by car body from the roof. When I hit the top of roof close to the rear of the car it generates similar sound that we experience during driving at low speed.

Does anyone exeperience this noise?
Can I complaint this matter to dealership?

Or Any suggestion.

If possible please email me directly at linhjob@yahoo.com

I really appreciate for any comments

1sttimevolvo1

Does your HL have cross bars on the roof rails? If so, try placing them in different positions on the roof. If this is the problem, repositioning them alters the slip stream across the roofline.

wwest

Stowed in the corner of the garage works best.

kukks_99

I've got a 2001 Highlander w/ a malfunctioning CD player on the factory stereo. The CD seemed to degrade...played for about 3 songs, then the radio kicked on. Now I can't even put in a cd. About 6 months ago, I caught my 2 1/2 year old putting a toothpick in the CD slot. It worked fine and now it seems to have died.

I took the deck out and tried to dislodge anything, which produced a diabetic test strip, and it worked when I tested it, but when mounted in dash not working again.

I've got 50,000 miles and seems like it's not worth taking in to get fixed. I'm hoping someone has some suggestion on fixing or maybe a factory stereo that they have upgraded and would like to sell.

Any Help?

Thanks,
Erik

jimmymagick

Easy. Don't let your 2-1/2 year old drive the Highlander.

sunshine60105

Hey,
    Just wanted to let you know that I finally purchased a car. I decided on a Honda Accord. I'm very happy with it!
sunshine60105

sunshine60105

I'll keep you updated about my new car, so far I adore it!

2003sev6

Just to let you know, what is on the pillars is not a paint but I would try what sirfile suggested to use.

crv139

when my 03 hl v6 is idling i hear a ticking noise from engine, dealer said it was normal for this engine it is the fuel injectors. anyone else have this problem.

reklawc

I also own a new 03 HL V6 that makes the same ticking noise when idling. It is particularly noticeable when the engine is warm as I do not hear it on cold statrup. It sounds to me like a belt or valve noise and varies with engine RPM. I thought I would ask dealer about it on first servicing if still present. I have an older V6 Camry that does not make this noise. I would also be interested in any feedback from other owners. Is this really a common problem?

junepug

My non ltd,v6, 2003 does not make that ticking noise at any rpms or temperature. Best you get this looked at by the dealer and tell them they are full of bs.

fvp

My 03 [base]HL V6 also has a tapping or clicking noise, but only at idle. I do plan to discuss it with the dealer on the first service visit. Glad to see there are people out there with the same "problem".
I'll post a report once I talk to the dealer - hope others will do the dame.

tommyg12

If you enter "clicking" into the search field of this forum you will find that this topic has been discussed many times. This has been an issue with 'Landers since day one and yes, it is the fuel injectors. My ticking is only noticeable during cool to cold temperatures. Mine is an '01 model and when I took it back to the dealer it was a very cold January day. They let me start three other HL w/V6s and all had the ticking. As the temps here in SC are starting to decrease, just the other day I told my wife that it was almost time for our "seasonal" ticking. I would have hoped that this would not still be an issue so it will be interesting to see if the new '04 V6 is a non-ticker.

seanwong

Has anyone experienced vibration noise from the air bag on the passenger side? I have this vibrating noise coming from the dash, and it appears to originate from the air bag.

wwest

The A/C pollen filter is just under the passenger airbag and the A/C blower intake just under that....

Something trapped in the squirrel cage blower would make that sound.

geotal

I brought my highlander to the dealer due to engine stall/start up problem. The cause of the problem was a faulty ISC Valve which they replaced. Can someone who is knowledgable tell me if this is a part that is typically replaced due to wear. I only have 22K miles. I just want to know if this is common. The dealer did a poor job of explaining the significance of this particular part and its functions. It sounds like its major enough that they had to open the engine.

03bluestone

I used the parking brake so that when I started my HL the daytime running lights did not come come -- but now that I have taken the parking brake off -- they do not come on when I re-start the car. What's the process for getting them back. (I do not have the BRAKE light illuminated on the panel.) - Owners manual is no help. - 03bluestone

lloyd79

I just started leasing a 2002 Highlander in early September. It had about 28K miles on it at the time. When I test drove it, I noticed some squeaking in the rear while driving in the parking lot. I thought that the brakes were maybe just dirty because the car has been sitting around without being driven for about a month and a half. So I figured once I started driving it, the noise would go away. Well, a month later I still heard the noise, and so I brought it to my mechanic the other day to check out the brakes. He told me that I did need brake pads in the rear, but also that I had to replace the rear brake rotors also. Does this seem necessary? The car only has 29K miles on it, and it's only about 2 years old. I always thought the hearing a squeaking/squealing noise meant that you just had to change the brake PADS, and that rotors were something that would have to be changed when the car has much more miles on it and is much older. Anyone know? Thanks.

kbalch

It is definitely possible that you need rotors. There are squeal sensors on pads sometimes, but it does not prevent you from wearing down the pad further until you dig into, and score the rotor. You may be able to just have the rotors turned (re-machined), but if they are deeply scored, this may not be possible since the rotor would then be too thin. Hope this helps.

lloyd79

Thanks kbalch. But if I wore the pads down so far that I dug into the rotors, wouldn't I have heard grinding when pressing on the brakes? Because I never did hear any grinding. I admit though, that I did hear squealing since I had the truck (about a month), and the pads probably needed replacing long before that. Is there a way to prevent from having to replace the rotors in the future?

kbalch

I went through the same thing on our old Explorer. In that case I did hear grinding, but only with the windows down and when stopping slowly from speeds of 10 mph or less. Any faster, and I would not hear the grind, I suspect due to the brakes cutting into the rotor. The only thing you can do to prevent this in the future is to have your brakes checked regularly, like with ea. oil change. It is typical to turn the rotors when you replace the pads, even if you don't score the rotors, and replace the pads at the right time.

wwlccp

Hi!

I have a 01 V6 Limited Highlander with about 20,000 miles. I noticed that at 75 miles per hour, my car is at 3000 RPM. I was wondering if this is the same readings other people have. Thanks!

wwest

Right on...until the 04 RX, 75/2250, or thereabouts.

gwkiser

That sounds about right. Our '01 V6 (w/37K on the odo) runs at about 78-80mph at 3k.

macmac

Try Going back to 87 Octane. Remember premium 92 or 91 has more cleaning detergent in it. This makes it harder to burn maybe that causing the acceleration problems. I have been using 87 octane since I had my HL I have a 2001 4x2 V6 with 55,000 mi. My HL still feels strong.

jrt629

I have an '02 v6 HL (22,500 miles) and at 75mph the rpm is around 2750 (with just me and nothing else in the vehicle).

bigdad

It is very possible that the rotors are worn and they cannot be resurfaced. In the old days, manufacturers used soft organic pads with asbestos, which were nice and quiet when you braked and gave good feel when cold or damp. The rotors on these cars were harder than the pads and seldom warped or wore out. Now the manufacturers use semi-metallic pads which have much better heat fade resistance and don't wear as fast. However they can be noisy and squeaky when stopping, so manufacturers use rotors that aren't hardened as much. The pads have metal in them and can be harder than the rotor. This improves the noise but they do wear out much more frequently than older rotors. They have also thinned the rotors to save weight, so resurfacing is not an option on many models...they also use composite rotors (Lincoln and Ford) that cannot be resurfaced. Not sure of the Rockwell hardness of the Toyota rotors but doesn't surprise me that rotors need replacement with the pads....Just had to do the same for my wifes BMW 328 Conv. at 50K..but she is a very conservative driver and doesn't use brakes like a lot of women who tend to tailgate (here come the emails!).

nbui

My is at about 2000rpm. Does anyone knows what causes the problem. Please post your findings!

tulegit

Just bought a 2004 V6 H/L. Everything is great except sometimes the shifting is a little harsh from 2nd to 3rd. I had a Honda prelude and it did that just before it took a crap and cost me $2,200. Does anyone else have this problem for a long time or is it a hint of was is to come? Just spent 30k on it and would like a smooth ride. Please help.

rugby65

My 2003 H/L v6 is the same way, stumbleing through second to third. It doesn't do it every time. If I move from a stop sign fast, I don't notice it, but if I just move out slow with the traffic It does it most of the time. The fact that some owner's on this board say their's don't do it and the fact that it's intermitten tells me that the dealers should be able to find a fix. I'v noticed an other annoniance in the shifting. when Im in traffic if I have to slow down to about 10 miles per hour to let a car in front of me turn, and if I have taken my foot off the accelerter pedal and then step back on it seems to have to search for the right gear.

tulegit

rugby65, you have described exactly what my H/L is doing. I have read that some people talked to the dealer about this problem and the dealer said you have to drive it a while for it to "learn"...whatever that means. How long have you owned your SUV? I will call the dealer tomorrow and see what they have to say about it. I will keep you updated

hung2

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anybody else has this problem, I have a 2001 highlander with 60K. when I drive on a slightly bumpy road, I hear a rattling somewhere in the engine. any ideas?

shl72953

Had the same problem with my '01. Had a long talk with the pistons about properly disposing of their beer cans by throwing them along side the highway like everybody else. Solve the problem and am now rattle free.

rugby65

tulegit, I have 3400 miles on my 03 HL. I recently took a 450 mile trip and before I left I disconected the ground cable to the battery for about 20 minutes. I did this hoping that I could eraise the memory in the computer that handles the shifting and let it relearn. I don't know for a fact that the transmission is controled this way. But I think it might have helped I haven't done much town driving since I'v been back. Time will tell.

rubyruiz

I have a highlander with just under 5000, bought midsummer.

I experience harsh shifting...the car seems to jump...around 10 to 20 miles per hour.

I also stalled out once when I was stopped at a light. Stop and go traffic makes it worse...of course I live in NYC so stop and go is a way of life!

I am overal happy....but this problem is not comfortable or acceptable in this car that I thought was so perfect....going to the dealer for 5000 mile maintenance and will hopefully get some fine tuning.

Will be disappointed if they tell me I have to "learn" the car as was said earlier.

Let me know of any solutions you have had to this problem.

gwkiser

I've perceived that the shifting is directly related to how aggressively I've driven the HL ('01 V6 Ltd, 37K odo). If I drive it in a moderate way, shifts are clean and smooth. OTOH, if I drive aggresively, it seems that the HL "learns" or adjusts to that style, later and stiffer shifts. It takes a while for it to go back to a smooth shift after driving aggressively. Can't say for sure whether or not the HL is learning our driving style or we're learning its, or if it's a combination of both......

fvp

Very pleased with our '03 HL V6 AWD - it currently has about 3,500 miles on the clock. The only complaint we had was an irritating squeak behind the drivers side dashboard that started a week or so after delivery.
I dropped it off at the dealer on Monday and it took them until Tuesday afternoon to pinpoint the problem to a faulty steering column. After waiting two days for parts, I picked it up yesterday. The mechanic replaced the entire "free floating" steering assembly and all assorted hardware.
It drives as good as new, but I understand that the mechanic [who was one of the dealers senior certified technicians] was pulling his hair out trying to find the source of the squeak. Calls to Toyota's HQ in California were no help as no one had heard of this before. Their suggestion was to check the frame for "bad welds". Finally, after driving around with the dash and the gages hanging out, he bumped into the steering shaft and heard the noise.
Can't say enough about Toyota and our dealers handling of the situation. Customers are provided a rental car for any service that takes over 2 hours to perform. Don't see that at many domestic service departments.

rugby65

fvp, did your HL steer to your satisfaction before they replaced the steering colum? Was the steering improved after the work? I have driven my daughter's 2000 lexus RX300 and I can steer through a parking lot with my index finger with ease, not that I make a habit of doing this, but the HL ltd should be the same. Mine has been in for front end alignment and the TECH told me the steering colum was not alined properly.

fvp

Steering was never a problem with ours. It was [and still is] rock solid.
The only difference I see after the work is that the steering wheel is cocked a tiny bit to the left. In other words, when going straight, the wheel is turned just to the left. I stopped in the dealer this morning and discussed it with the service manager and he said give it a day or two for the "free floating" thingy to settle in. If the problem does not correct itself they will align it manually.
I do remember the tech saying that he marked the shaft so the new column would be installed properly.
Hope this helps. If our tech told me the steering column was not aligned properly, it would stay there until it was fixed.
Frank

rugby65

fvp,they did fix mine it steer's much better than it did. My steering wheel is perfectly straight as far as looking at it. Does your's have the auto dimming inside review mirror? my does and the image in the mirror dance's a little. Except for that,I really like all the review mirrors inside and out. On the highway at night there is no glare from cars approaching you from behind and you can almost see the cars as well as you would in the day time.
Another thing I like about mine is the power it has, you can enter the high way from an entrance ramp with no problem.

fvp

No inside auto dimming mirror, although it does have heated outside mirrors. That's a real handy option for winter driving.
As you, I am glad that I went with the V6. Some entrance ramps around here [Western PA] are short with limited sight distance, and when it's clear you need to move out NOW. Plus, it's hilly and the 4 struggles with the A/C on.
There is [or was] a discussion taking place on another topic about the differences of the 4 vs. the 6. I guess it just depends on your situation. Personally, I think they should stuff the V-8 from the Tundra into the Highlander.

arizgeorge1

Beware of driving your Highlander off road or in tight parking places. I have had to fill in and repaint both trim pieces on the front doors due to "heavy dings" from other people's doors being opened (the trim pieces are hollow not solid). Also, I backed into to another car at less than 2 mph and it crumbled by rear bumper at the corner (no support under it). The other car had hardly a scratch on its bumper. The rocker panels also have a few paint knicks, but having added extended rubber mud flaps has corrected that problem. I have never had a car with such flimsey trim and bumpers. Even my 2000 Olds Intrigue has a lot less knicks and dings then the Highlander. I am very disappointed now with Toyota's paint, trim and bumpers.

stevesr1

Has anyone else experienced this? It took a while for me to find this since it doesn't do it all the time. There seems to be a rattle in the left side rear passenger door. I can duplicate the sound in the open door by banging the inside of the door near the latch mechanism with my fist. Has anyone else heard this or know of the fix? I find it much easier to provide the dealer with both the problem *and* the solution! :-)
 
Steve

stevesr1

I had just received a cabin air filter assembly and was going to install it. At the same time I was going to look at the glovebox again because it still rattled after the dealer attempted to "fix" it once.

I determined the cause of the rattle to be loose hinges on the glovebox door. Try this to confirm. Open the glovebox and try moving the door side-to-side and back and forth. You should find noticeable play in all directions. This is your rattle as the car bounces down the road the glovebox/door asembly bounces in its own hinges.

The solution is to tighten up the hinges. I chose some small plastic washers that I found in my junk box. You can probably buy them at any hardware store. I ended up using about 5 washers. On the inboard hinge I used one washer on each side of the hinge center.

The outboard hinge had a lot more slop in it especially on the inboard side. I don't know why they did this unless it was to leave room for thermal expansion. On the outboard hinge I think I used 3 more washers on the outboard side. I left the inboard side with a pretty big gap.

You're done when you can no longer feel any play in the hinges when moving the door.

Removing the glovebox was very easy. You don't even need to empty it. There are 2 plastic hinge pins and the counter balance spring cord retainer. Remove this retainer first with a single philips screw.

Why couldn't Toyota figure out how to do this? Instead they try shimming the front of the glovebox door. Oh yea, these are the same folks who gave us the folding plastic cup holders on the 2001s!

BTW, it is very tight behind the glovebox but I didn't see anything that was touching the back of the glovebox and causing a different rattle. There are some cables in there just make sure that they are tied up out of the way.

Regards,

Steve

sprintrps

My '01 Highlander has been trouble free, except for an annoying "gurgling" noise coming from behind the fan/AC control panel. Starts after about 5 minutes in the morning. It does not matter if the fan or A/C is on/off. My mechanic suggested a sticky Thermostat so we replaced that, but it was not the solution. Any suggestions or solution would be greatly appreciated.