Toyota Highlander Maintenance and Repair

mattlavoie

I have a similar problem, did you fix it? How?

fvp

I have an '03 V6 AWD HL and had a squeak in the steering column. Read my message #871 for a quick rundown on what took place. Let me know if you need additional information.

jackmick656

I don't know what causes the V6 HL to vibrate at a stop light with foot on the brake. My 2003 V6 has done it from day one. All V6 HL's do it, some owners just won't admit it. The vibration is a definate defect but it is a waste of time to complain to a dealer. They will just tell you that all HL's do it. That comment will be given by 99% of Toyota dealers. I had the same problem with a 1994 Nissan Maxima and the dealership could not fix the problem. This is the clincher, I traded that Maxima in on my 03 HL, how lucky can one man be?

junepug

My 2003, V6, FWD Highlander does not, repeat does not surge or make any other strange types of movement at a stoplight. The car now has 17,000 plus miles on it.

bdyment

My 2004 V6 Limited has absolutely no vibration or power surge with my foot on the brake and the vehicle in drive. It doesn't matter if the compressor is on or not. All V6s do not, I repeat do not have this problem. If I did notice a vibration I would be the first one back to my service dept. Perhaps the 2004 3.3 V6 is smoother than the previous 3.0 V6, but I doubt it.

lamontbond

now that we have determined that some people have the problem and some don't; does anyone have any suggestions for me. the dealer is not interested in fixing it so what else can i do.

jackmick656

You just have to learn to live with the vibration, Toyota cannot fix a problem that they claim does not exist. For those owners of 01,02 and 03 HL's whose vehicles do not vibrate, I am happy for you. For owners of the new 04 HL that say their vehicles do not vibrate, Toyota must have resolved the problem that they claimed did not exist. This message was writted by the proud owner of a 03 HL with 10'600 miles on the Od. It vibrates, has mushy brakes, loud outside wind noise, glove box vibration, two cracked front mud guards and has a hard time finding the right gear at a slow speed pass. I hope it lasts another 10,000 miles.

herzogtum71

My '04 has no mid-range adjustment. The mid-range is fixed. Adjustments only for bass and treble.

apop

They say since the harness was not installed by the factory I was not charged for it. If you beloeve that, I have some waterfront property in Florida I want to sell you.

Recently you contacted Toyota. Below is a summary of your contact message and our response.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

[===> Please enter your reply below this line <===]

[===> Please enter your reply above this line <===]

 Subject
2004 Highlander trailer prewiring
  
 Discussion Thread
 Response (James) 04/27/2004 12:39 PM
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Again, please accept our apologies for any error in the Toyota brochure.

As the wiring harness was not installed at the factory, you were not charged for the wiring harness when you purchased the Highlander.

In order to add the wiring harness to your Highlander, you are responsible for the cost of the harness and the installation, because the harness is not offered free of charge.

Because this cost is your responsibility, Toyota has declined to reimburse you for the wiring harness for your 2004 Highlander.

Per your request, we have provided the name and address of our President.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
19001 S. Western Avenue
Torrance, CA 90509-2991
Attn: Yuki Funo

Toyota values you as a customer, and we appreciate this opportunity to respond to your request.

Toyota Customer Experience
 
 Customer (APop) 04/27/2004 11:15 AM
Please provide the name and address of the Toyota chief executive in the USA.

Thank you.
 Response (James) 04/27/2004 10:44 AM
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We apologize for any error in the Toyota brochure regarding the towing prep package.

According to our records, you contacted us by telephone on April 19, 2004 regarding your 2004 Highlander. At that time we confirmed that you would need to purchase the wiring harness because the tow package was installed at the factory, and we advised you that we have documented your concern regarding the brochure.

Toyota's brochures and website contain disclaimers. The website disclaimer is shown below:

No Representation or Warranty
Toyota reserves the right to modify the information contained on this site at any time without notice. While Toyota makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that all material on this site is correct, accuracy cannot be guaranteed and Toyota does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of any information contained on this site. This site and all information and materials contained herein, is provided to you "as is" without warranty of any kind.

While we regret your dissatisfaction with the expense of purchasing the harness assembly, your request for reimbursement has been declined.

Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #20040419. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Toyota Customer Experience
 
 Customer (APop) 04/27/2004 06:00 AM
Awaiting your reply. May I hear from you?
 Customer (APop) 04/21/2004 07:31 PM
The trailer prewiring on my '04 Highlander Limited factory equipped with the "towing prep package" is missing. The product brochure clearly states that trailer prewiring is part of the "towing prep package." Accordingly, I had to purchase the entire harness assembly from my local Toyota dealer.

Please advise the address for the Toyota Corporate location to which I can send the invoice for reimbursement?

Thank you.

mikefm58

Amazing. With that kind of disclaimer, they could get away with anything. I could just see it now, an ad selling a brand new vehicle with pictures of it, but when you go to pick it up, it's a junker. Then they say, oh, you didn't read the disclaimer, so sorry.

lamontbond

this morning i started my car and put it in reverse. after rolling a few inches i put it into drive and started taking my foot off the brake in order to inch forward. as i was doing this the car lurched forward as if i had slammed on the gas. i have experienced this with my old 1993 volvo with 175,000 miles but i did not expect to experience this on a brand new car with 1200 miles on it. also the engine vibration and brake vibration were much more pronounced at startup than i have ever experienced before. any advice would greatly be appreciated

herzogtum71

There was a similar experience with the 2003 Matrix. The brochure said the electric windows would still continue to work for a specified time after the engine was shut off, but none of the forum participants seemed to have that feature. One guy contacted Toyota and got a response similar to what apop has reported. Months later, the feature still was listed for the Matrix on the official Toyota web site.

This use of disclaimers really could lend itself to abuse, especially since some of these features aren't listed on the window sticker. If it's on the sticker, they'd have a hard time disclaiming it.

jbollt

I noticed the same thing, (road/wind noise less with window down 1/8 inch) thanks to you! Dealer says normal, as 2004's have same thing....I will persue further when i pick up the car tomorrow, and post back.

thoon

I took my car to my dealer today and it turns out the seal on the bottom of my driver's side window isn't touching the glass when the window is fully up. If I lowered the glass 1/8" the seal came in contact with the glass. The noise was coming through the gap that was created.
   It turns out the seal and the door panel where the seal attaches is warped. I would have gotten it fixed today, but the tech broke off the part door handle part of the panel so I have to go back tomorrow and get a new door panel unit installed.
  Go to your dealer and have them check if the seal or the door panel railling is warped at the weatherstrip.

apop

I plan to give Toyota another opportunity to reimburse me for the wiring harness. Their excuses and disclaimers are absurd. If they don't cooperate, I will take the matter to my state's Attorney General and the FTC.

BTW, for those who might ask, I do NOT have anything better to do with my time.

thoon

How can you tell if your 2003 HL has the harness? I bought my HL in May 2003 and it was the towing prep pack, and I tried to look for the wiring harness, but I couldn't find it. There's a big black box underneath my car next to the exhaust pipe. Is that where it's located? It seems like all Highlanders I've seen have the big black box.

apop

Up until the 2004 HL, the Highlanders were prewired up to the box under the car. All it took was an inexpensive (~$15 from etrailer.com) pigtail that went from the box to the hitch.

jbollt

According to the owners manual, my 2003 HL keyless remote's function can be changed so that one push of the open button can unlock all the doors rather than taking 2 pushes. The dealer wants a whopping $80 to do this. My previous car, a PT Cruiser, had the instructions in manual. It took all of about a minute to follow the sequence of steps. Does anyone out there have those instructions for the Highlander so I can change this myself? Thanks!

hrguy

Bought 04 w/3rd row seats,"tow-prep.pkg, and "drop hitch receiver". The hitch is kind of ugly, but it DOES have a plug for trailer lights. HOWEVER, there is a sticker on the hitch stating "Max towing capacity WITH factory tow prep pkg is 2000#". Where is the 3500# that this is supposed to allow??? Do I have the wrong hitch? All the aftermarket sites say the hitch for the 04 HL should be a class III/IV rated at 3500#. Mine was installed by the dealer as an "official Toyota hitch". HELP!

desertguy

Sounds like a the continuing saga of the Toyota towing misinformation. I have an '04 Limited third seat and my hitch is included on the Federal Monroney sticker. Do you still have your window sticker? Mine says the towing prep package with a 3500# towing capacity right on the sticker(same as the manual) HOWEVER, my hitch says the same thing as yours....2000#. Guess we should bug Toyota about this!!

desertguy

Talked to Toyota Corporate this PM. They will get back to me within 24 hrs. I'll let you know what they say.

apop

The brochure clearly states that the towing capacity for the V6 is 3500 lbs. Does the hitch have a mfr's name on it? It might be worth asking the dealer to explain the disparity. What are the measurements of the drop hitch receiver? A class III is bigger than a class II.

hrguy

I also talked w/Toyota Corp. The dealer said they put on part# PT22869025, which they said is the "Factory Hitch". The guy at TOYOTA said that is the right part # for the Highlander hitch and that it is rated at 3500#. He had no explanation for the sticker saying 2000# max. He said it is the only hitch they show for the Highlander, and he thinks the sticker may simply be wrong! Lets see what YOUR investigation uncovers. Thanks for the help.

desertguy

Okay. Toyota Corporate called me back this PM and said that after investigation, the hitch we have is the factory approved hitch which has a max tow rating of 3500# and was designed specifically for this vehicle. They have no idea why the 2000# sticker was placed on it but I was told to ignore it and I'm going to do just that.

lmacmil

Our 2004 V6 has almost 3000 miles on it. I just noticed the vibration at a stop light for the first time yesterday and yet at the next light, it was vibration free. Haven't had enough time to look for what might have been different from one light to the next but it definitely did not do it until recently.

apop

I noticed today that the load limit on a 1 7/8" ball is 2000 lbs. The 2" ball load limit is 3500 lbs. Could this be the difference?

rugby65

I know where the cabin air filter is, can any one tell me how to replace it?

thoon

The instructions are in your manual. You have to remove a screw on the bottom of your glove box that attaches a small rope on the the box. Then you have to squeeze on the sides of the box while pulling it towards you. That will pop the glove box bin from the dash panel. Let it hang down and it should give you enough room to access the filter. You have to remove a plastic cover panel by just pulling on it and then pull out the cartridge that holds the filter. It's pretty simple.
  The filter should also say which side goes up and towards the front of the car. The plastice cover panel also tells you which side goes on top when you replace it.
  I'm not about this, but I think you can get by by washing the filter instead of buying a new one. $12 is way too much for a tiny piece of fiber glass fibers.

jackmick656

I have been complaining about this problem for a year now and most HL owners claim it does not exist. The vibration occurs when the vehicle is stopped, in gear, foot on brake and the A/C is either off or on. It is an intermittent problem and that is why it is hard to have it repaired. I had the same problem with a 1994 Nissan Maxima. The vibration was there for 60,000 miles, never got worse but was aggravating. I traded the Maxima in on a 2003 Highlander. Bottom line is, if your HL has this problem learn to live with it. Toyota will claim the vibration is normal but we know it is not.

desertguy

I have no ball. (no smart remarks :-) It didn't come with or I was shorted. The box says "ball mount assembly" as opposed to ball AND mount assembly. I will definitely get a 2" ball though. Thanks.

finepics

Hi biffy2.

I have had the same thing with my 2001 highlander since 18,000 km. I had the tires balanced 5 times, alignments done replaced the tires all to no available. Finally I asked the dealer to try someone elses wheels and tires on my vehicle. They did. Guess what they found it to be either front tires or wheels. They ended up replacing the two front rims, at a cost of approx. $316. I have hassled Toyota Canada and am still awaiting satisfaction. I am considering getting rid of the highlander, as I also am experiencing rotor issues (third set on the front in 63000 KM).

I am willing to give you the contact names at toyota Canada to pursue it further.

Doug

reklawc

I appreciate the above feedback on this problem. I am convinced that it is much more prevalent than Toyota would like us to believe and that most, if not all, Highlanders have the problem, although not all to the same degree. Even the window seal on my car that was fixed? and the one that had no gap are still improved (less noise) by "lowering" the windows 1/8 inch. By the way, it looks as if you are lowering the window, but mostly what you are doing is preventing the caming out of the window during the last nanosecond of operation. I do not believe that the problem is caused by a warped seal or door panel. In my opinion, the problem is caused by the excessive movement of the window away from the inside seal during the last moment of operation compounded by the curvature of the window. The window is slightly curved front to back and the seal is essentially straight. Toyota cannot adjust this movement, so they attempt to reinstall the inside door panel/seal closer to the window. Let me know if you hear of a TSB; I was told there will be one. The proper fix would be to reduce the outward movement of the window and I doubt they will go to the trouble or expense to do that. In the mean time, I am driving with both windows "lowered" about 1/8 inch and it is very, very quiet.

rugby65

I have this same problem in my 2003 limited. Even after I let them close all the way to the top and them just barley bump the switch I still hear car's coming up along side me.

I recall now when I took the demo drive the salesman set in the back seat and he kept saying "see how quite it is in here" he would do this every time a car came along side.
They do know how to work their magic.............

ernie1

2003 Highlander Limited. When I set the climate control system to manual, ( Auto is off ) turn the fan on and set the digital temperature control to say 74 degrees - what should happen ?
I believe it should continually blow "warm" air.
Believe it ot not, Toyota's Customer Assistance Center has given me different answers to this question.

Thanks

phrosut

I've got an '03 and when I turn the "auto" to off, it blows whatever temp is selected, out whatever location was LAST selected, at the blower speed that was LAST selected. I haven't put a digital thermometer on the outlet but I've not noticed any difference in the temp when not on "auto", it just doesn't select the speed or outlet location.

ernie1

Phil - can you or some try this for me ?
1. Start with the temp control system Off.
2. Turn the Fan on to any setting
3. Set the digital temp control to 72 degrees.

Does it blow warm air only until the cabin is warm, then switch to
cooler air ? Or does it blow warm air until you change a setting,
regardless of how warm the cabin is ?

I am trying to determine if the temp control always senses inside
cabin temp and tries to regulate to that temp, even when not in the auto mode.
Thanks

wwest

senses and responds to interior, sun's radiant effects, and to somewhat a lesser level, exterior temperatures.

The only over-ride I know of is to turn off the A/C (provided you want "heat" only mode) set the outflow mode to footwell, set the temperature at least 2 degrees/target above the desired cabin temperature and then manually control the blower speed for the desired "warm" airflow rate.

IN the summertime when A/C is being predominantly used you can substantially reduce the cycling of the A/C compressor (and thereby increase MPG) by setting the temperature to max cool and then using the blower speed to regulate cooling air flow.

phrosut

I've copied and pasted and printed. Things are pretty busy right now, however I'll do that procedure as soon as I can and post the results.

cw1

Have a 2004 Highlander an it certainly DOES vibrate and not at the same rate/speed/intensity(what ever you want to call it) all the time. This has been going on since the second week I got it. Some days it's worse than others but it is always there. The dealer says it's 'normal'. One speed may be normal but when it gets worse that doesn't seem normal. Took it to arbitration, the arbitrator said it felt similar to other such vehicles. But a 10 minute ride isn't the same as daily use. The only way to get Toyota do anything is for a LARGE number of owners to get together -- I was told there aren't enough complaints to warrant a change. Seems only Toyota knows how many complaints there really are and it seems they are minimizing it.

shawkang

Yes, I'm interested. Could you please let me know where you posted? Thanks.

shawkang

The noise is still serious with the 2004 model. With both rear seat windows down, the noise level is unbearable. However, I also experienced this similar problem when driving other cars such as Chevy Cavalier. I'm a bit surprised to hear that the problem first existed 3 or 4 years ago. But hey, maybe I shouldn't, since HL is only 4 years old.

shawkang

Just got a 04 HL v6 that comes with a moonroof.
Q1. A single swith to control sliding and tilting. But it doesn't have one touch auto shut like the driver side window's. So you'd have to hold the switch until its shut. My problem is to find the right moment to release the switch to make sure its tightly shut. For example, if I'm slidingly closing it, I have to hold the switch until it closes, but have to release it at the right moment; otherwise, the moonroof would continue on to tilt opening.

Q2. Does the universal garage opener switch thats mounted right next to the above switch really work?

Q3. The Manual says regular unleaded fuel (octane 89) is fine, but premium unleaded (93) is recommended. Which of these do you fellow owners pump to your HL? I think premium unlead for every tank would be a waste. So my plan is to pump premium once every 10 fill-ups.

Thanks for the help.

bdyment

The moonroof will have to be normalized. This subject came up a few months ago. Type in moonroof in search. It is an easy procedure and explained in the manual. The selling dealer should have done this, but most of them don't seem to take the time. The Homelink garage opener does work and will have to be programmed as explained in the owners manual.

I use regular 87 octane gasoline and my Highlander runs great. One tank of premium every 10 fill ups would accomplish nothing, except empty your wallet.

racerx1

To initialize the sunroof, push the button forward (for tilt) and hold while the sunroof tilts, closes, and then fully slides open and closes. After that, it should be one touch control.

Don't know about the Homelink and regular gas is fine.

lamontbond

i'm going to start a new thread on the vibration and noise issue and i think we should make a complaint to NHTSA

dominor5

I have a 2001 with two radiator fans. Are these suppose to turn on and off at the same time? I just noticed yesterday, while in the driveway returning from work, that the one towards the driver side was on but the other off. Hmmm . . . I wonder if this is normal? Thanks guys.

wwest

Problem has existed since the beginning of time. It enables young boys to amuse themselves for hours upon in by creating cane whistles.

Lowering a rear window at speed creates the whistle effect, airflow over the open window, and the huge cabin volume dictates the frequency, helicopter blade LOW.

wwest

second fan doesn't engage unless engine temperature rises above "setpoint".

and if both fans can't do the job the A/C is automatically shut down.

dominor5

Thanks, as always.

jackmick656

Try this: next time you get a vibration while at a stop light, shift the tranny into neutral, if the vibration stops there is a problem. Either motor mounts or a transmission problem. My 03 HL V6 stops vibrating when I slip tranny into neutral. Please give me lots of feedback on this. Maybe we can rattle some cages. Thanks.