Toyota Highlander Maintenance and Repair

bobgordon

I don't want to loose this thread. There are too many of us having this problem to let it go and we are getting new members everyday that might not be aware.

So file a complaint if you are experiencing the hesitation problem with the '04 Highlander here;
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

Click on "secure submissions" and fill out the simple form. When you get towards the end of filling out the form, you'll be asked the component. Click/highlight "POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION." Some have posted under "VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL" so file where you want.

Thanks

wwest

I am 64, bought my first car in 1962, a 1956 Ford w/auto. I would estimate that I have now driven at least 2 million miles, always DIY for maintenance, have NEVER changed transmission fluid on ANY vehicle except in the process of over-hauling same at ~150k+ miles.

I always check the odor and look of my transmission fluid at each oil change and have never before experienced this.

There are 4 92 to 95 vintage LS400's in my "family", all with over 100k miles and with no fluid change at all and none needed.

Something serious is wrong with the RX transmission.

wbay

Are we getting somewhere? Is there any reason to think that if there is a fix for Lexus, there wouldn't be a fix for the Highlander? Anyone else try pinging Toyota? I'll try after I'm off here.

Almost seems as though the hesitation is worse in the rain. Maybe I'm just hypersensitive to it now. Such a bummer. It would be a nearly perfect car if not for the spastic accleration.

theflow

I have a 04 Solara V6 and experienced the same damn hesitation. I'm also thinking about arbitration.

May I ask which State are you in and who is the arbitrator?

It appears that Toyota doesn't participate in Better Business Bureau's arbitration program and the arbitrator is somebody that Toyota provides. I just wonder whether the arbitrator is independent or not.

theflow

Varg,

I'm also in CA and can you please let us know your arbitration result? Does California Dispute Settlement Program pick an independent arbitrator for you?

Thanks.

bobgordon

wbay, I called Toyota Customer Service yesterday after I saw the post about a fix for Lexus.

Toyota said at this time, they (Toyota) doesn't have a fix/repair for the transmission problem. They said for me to go back (again) to the dealer and have a regional rep (again) look at it.
I literally laughed over the phone.
I mentioned that Lexus now has a possible fix for the same problem and she couldn't verify that since they can't look between the two vehicle types. Now thats communication!!

Now, we wait..........

edh

seems the problem would be easily fixed either by a different throttle position sensor of by reprogramming the puter

wwest

Suppose the shift into "neutral" was done to improve MPG and thereby EPA ratings..

A PROPER "fix" would undoubtedly involve eliminating the shift and would thereby adversely affect the EPA ratings and might mean recalling every vehicle out there to recycle them via the scrap heap.

leonmacha1

2001 HL with 70,000 miles. Rear engine oil seal just started leaking. Havent had an engine oil seal leak on any car I have owned since a 1970's Chevy. Last problem I would expect from a Toyota especially at 70,000. Maybe I could accept it at 150,000 to 200,000 miles.
Quality improvements are going in reverse.

Disc brake wobble is a continuing problem even after having rotors turned.

landdriver

I have an '01 HL, mechanical accelerator pedal linkage (non-drive-by-wire), and have experienced hesitation issues, and if I'm not mistaken others on this board with pre '04s (before drive by wire) have also experienced hesitation. Unless if the hesitation problems on '04 and later HL's are more pronounced than those on '01-'03s, my guess is the hesitation problem is not related to the introduction of fly-by-wire on the 04s.

My impression is the hesitation is caused by the delay in the sluggish shifting of the transmission (when you jam down on the gas, the HL has to down-shift before being able to accelerate rapidly). Although I am very satisfied with my HL I never liked the way the V6 transmission shifts -- a peppier shifting response would be very welcome indeed.

Perhaps those who also peruse the RX boards (I used to do this at one time but not recently) can relate if owners of RXs receiving the fix have noticed any change in shifting response or fuel economy.

goldston

Hello "inform_me",

We have 2 Highlanders 2001 & 2002, both are V6 Limited have NOT had any acceleration problems at all. I believe it is an intermittent problem that a handful of people are experiencing and trying to make a big deal out of nothing.

Both the Sequoia & Highlander are great vehicles and you won't go wrong choosing either one.

Please post what your choice way between the two and why.

Best regards,
Philip

scsokols

It's not intermittent, its chronic, and it seems like more than a handful from the growing complaints. Its also dangerous, but obviously until you experience it you wouldn't know......

when the inevitable crash occurs from the car's hesitation, you can decide then if its a big deal out of nothing.

goldston

Mr. Scsokols,

What I'm trying to saying is that there are a small number of registered complaints vs. the number of H/L's on the road, so the problem effects a small percentage of H/L owners.

And your statement that "when the inevitable crash occurs" (in my opinion) a bit of a stretch considering that we have been driving our H/L's for over 3 years now with any hesitations.

I wish you save driving and no hesitations.

Best regards,

Philip

leighanne4

Philip,
I consider it a big deal when I buy a $33000 car
and take my life in my hands each time I drive it. I do consider it a big deal that my unsuspecting 19 yr old would be creamed when this '04 HL stalls instead of accelerates. So in my opinion making a big deal out of 'nothing' is called for since Toyota acknowledges the problem but says there is no fix. Are you also aware the '04 Camry's have the same problem so Toyota redesigned them to solve the problem? Great for you that your 3 & 4 yr old vehicles don't have the problem but don't assume the rest of us are overreacting.

leighanne4

The arbitrator is independent. I followed the instructions in my owners manual AFTER I called
Toyota and was assigned a case number. After they
received my certified letter they informed me this was a 'design characteristic' and sorry but
we can't "redesign the vehicle for a characteristic that could be objectionable to a
customer". By the way, I'm in the South. Be sure and file your complaint with the correct
government agency www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov
By the way I've learned since all of this began
Toyota has several models with this problem. Be interesting to see if they take responsibility or expect us to lose money because of their poor
engineering department. Good luck and let us know.

theflow

So did you present your case in front of an arbitrator?? I thought the arbitrator is the one that makes the decision?? So was it the arbitrator or Toyota that says it's a design characteristic??

maan

Has any one noticed on there doors under the door handle, what looks like a oil line about 1/2 inch wide by 6' to 10' long. I have that problem, I checked other HL and found that a majority have the streak. My dealership has looked at the doors and 1- they have just started to get complains.
2- they have called toyota but as of now no response . I've washed the car down with Dawn dish washing detergent,no help, any ideas?

edh

I also have the oil line on an 04.
I think it comes out the door lock.
i think wax takes it off
will check
another lack of attention to detail on Toyotas part

persnicketyme

Glad I read this thread. I test drove an '05 HL, V6, and, sure enough, hesitation is there as described. It occurs in a very specific circumstance though, and is different than "off the starting line" hesitation. Definite, reproducible 1-2 second delay for engine to re-engage when pressing gas pedal after slowing down with foot off gas. My opinion- very unlikely to be only on certain models. More likely some drivers more sensitive to it than others. Dealer said he had never heard of it. Wonderful car otherwise. I think I could probably learn to work around the hesitation, but it's too bad it apparently hasn't been addressed. I can imagine circumstances where it is unsafe, or simply dismaying. I wonder if the hybrid's electric motors will prevent the hesitation.

wwest

As you slow to a stop, at just about the time you would release the clutch for a manual transmission, slip the gear level into first.

I suspect that in this case the transmission will actually shift into first and now you will be able to accelerate away for a full stop rapidly.

Not saying the design feature is justified, just something to try for those of you so very frustrated about this.

And of course more information to take to the complaint department.

twobrowns

I have been reading with interest the various posts regarding the hesitation problem on the HL. I have an 04 HL V6 and the transmission shift is far from smooth at times. I know what you mean by the hesitation when nearly coming to a stop and then accelerating. It appears that it momentarily is in neutral and then abrutly engages. It also "clunks" when shifting into 5th gear under light load conditions. I have driven domestic cars with electronic throtle and very smooth. I have complained to the dealer and, of course, he said it was normal. I also e-mailed toyota and received no response. Not sure what I may do next. Maybe trade on a domestic.

wbay

It's amazing to me that Toyota won't respond via email. I too sent a polite email asking why, if there was a fix for the Lexus, there wasn't one for the Highlander. It's been about a week and no reply yet, nor do I expect one.

I've been wondering also about HL owners who don't experience the hesitation. I'm willing to bet that I could reproduce the effect on any Highlander.

Trade on a domestic or trade on a new Pathfinder, sounds like a good idea.

thoon

I took my 2003 Highlander in for a 30,000 mile service last month and I was told that the transmission fluid and power steering fluid were both dirty and needed to be flushed out. These two are not listed on the service schedule and it seems like it's way too early to get these two fluids replaced. Is there something wrong with my tranny? Are they covered under warranty? The dealer I went to told me it's $100-120 per fluid to get them flushed out.

hmurphy

I tried to replicate the situation in which people seem to experience the hesitation, but everything was smooth.

Given that people report life-threatening situations caused by the hesitation, I think I would notice if it happened to me.

desertguy

wbay: Are you in the Phoenix area? You are welcome to try it on my '04 Ltd AWD V6. Your insinuation that if we don't have it we just don't know how to make it happen is ridiculous. Face it, most DON'T have the hesitation. And believe me, I'm very grateful I don't have it.

poto1x

Has anyone filed the hesitation complaint under the Tx lemon law, or any other state lemon law? If so, we'd be interested in your results.

wbay

No, I'm a couple of thousand miles away to the northwest, but if I visit friends in Arizona I'll look you up. Humor me though: If you make a sharp left hand turn where you are required to let off the gas significantly, then punch the accelerator once you've straightened out, you experience no hesitation whatsoever? If you truly don't have the problem, then forgive my belittlement of your sleuthing skills. And thank the vagaries of chance that you DIDN'T end up with this problem--It's very annoying.

theflow

"...If you make a sharp left hand turn where you are required to let off the gas significantly, then punch the accelerator once you've straightened out, you experience no hesitation whatsoever?..."

I'm glad that you experience the same hesitation and also think it's dangerous.

theflow

Is there anywhere that talks about Toyota is sharing this 3.3V6 among its car lineup and with Lexus?

Although some people do complain about this hesitation in the Solara, the number of complain is not as much as the HL or the Lexus ES330 due to the number of Solaras out there are not that many. I just thought it might be better if I can use the complain in the Lexus ES330 and HL board as a support if I indeed go to arbitration. So anywhere that talks about the sharing of 3.3V6 is helpful.

dominor5

Noticed my headlights and interior lights flickering ever so slightly three days ago, then yesterday the car was stumbling going to 2nd when I accelerated. Turns out the battery had to be replaced. What's surprising is the battery indicator light was still blue (Panasonic OEM) and it only turned 3 last August. Well I now have an Optima RedTop and it's amazing what a new battery can do. I also experience the infamous hesitation problem mentioned here from time to time, but now can't even replicate it anymore.

typesix

Those built-in battery condition indicators only state the condition for one of the battery cells, not all of them.

dominor5

That's exactly what the mechanic told me, adding that one of the unmonitored cells probably went bad. I didn't realize until the replacement the effect a fresh battery has on acceleration and gear shifting--significantly smoother. It really is all these cpu/sensor-dependent stuff. He also said he never relied on the indicator light, a check every 2 years or so is what he recommended. I swear the hesitation issue hasn't happened since: I speed up, slow down, gun the pedal--nothing, the car just downshifts and accelerates smoothly.

eddiee

This sounds more like that when the battery got changed the on-board computer got reset to the defaults.
It may 'learn' the problem behavior again.

hmurphy

Well, maybe those with hesitation problems should try disconnecting and reconnecting their batteries, if that worked in this case.

dominor5

. . . or have your current ones tested. In this case, the blue indicator light was proven useless when the analyzer results came out. Who really knows the actual condition these factory batteries are in? I remember the dealer had to jumpstart one of the Highlanders I test drove before I purchased.

audionut1

The highlander had the trans/engine hesitation issue...slowing down to a near stop and then after applying the gas, 1-2 sec hesitation, then the trans shifted abruptly. I was able to replicate this behavior time and time again. However, the Rx trans/engine was always smooth. We have a 2002 Highlander and it's been great...very quiet, very comfortable seats, smooth engine and trans. My brother in law is a master tech for Lexus...the 05 Rx has new software which fixs this hesitation problem. Interesting that Toyota has not applied this patch to the highlander.

The highlander is a great value, but we are going with the Rx....active hids, nav with voice command, bluetooth, rear view cam, mark levinson stereo, memory for seats, mirrors, steering wheel for tilt and reach, 10 way driver& 8 way passenger power seats, power remote rear hatch, cool 18 rims, lexus glove soft leather, high grade wood trim,... are these worth the extra 10K when compared to a loaded highlander limited? probably not...but it is to us.

shaweet

Can someone please provide an email address to complain or how I can look it up if email address is not allowed to post on this board.

cirineo

Took off the dealer installed toyota bugshield and noticed it has been rubbing the paint on the hood and grill. Dealer is playing dumb. Anyone else notice this? 2004 limited model with 5K miles.

edh

why does the 04 batter which is matn free have the "caps" moulded in the top of the battery so it looks like a non mtn free battery?
whats that about?

Karen_S

I couldn't find an email address, but there is an 800 number you can call. Go to this page and click on "Contacting Toyota".

http://www.toyota.com/html/owners/

wwest

Both AWD? FWD? mix?

stephen_l

Hello,

I am hoping that someone might have a recommendation or solution to this problem. For some reason, I've had problems with the fuel gauge not accurately reading the amount of gas in the tank. After filling up the tank last week, the needle slowly dropped down to half. Then yesterday after I started the car, the needle went up to full and did not drop with driving. This is probably the third time this has occurred over the past 6 months, and I have contacted the dealer who has done nothing as "they can not recreate the symptom." It has gotten quite annoying and I would like to resolve this before the warranty expires. I hope you guys can help me out with suggestions. Thanks.

wbay

I had the battery checked today. No problems, lots of current and life left. Guess I may try disconnecting the battery to see if that helps.

leighanne4

Yes it was presented with an arbitrator present. He will be the one who makes the decision. Toyota is the one who said it was a 'design
characteristic' which is a bunch of bunk I might add. No reasonable person would think an auto maker would intentionally design a safety flaw into a vehicle. If anyone here decides to go to
arbitration please be advised you need to be extremely thorough and summarize in great detail the problems you're experiencing. Don't assume because the arbitrator has all of the 'paperwork' he will know what the problem is or that he will understand without explicit, spoken and written information. I wish I had been better prepared for the arbitration but everything is presented in such a low key manner one would forget this is the ONLY chance you have to make your case. You need to have paperwork to back up your complaint..copies for you and the arbitrator.

leighanne4

I have not filed under the lemon law of my state but will if the arbitration doesn't work. In some states you're required to do arbitration before you can file with your state lemon law. Be sure and check all of the rules including Toyota's rule that you must send a certified letter to them prior to using any of these methods. All of this is in your owner's manual and contacting Toyota will get you an arrogant representative who will inform you the only thing you can do is fill out an arbitration request. I suspect they feel they are untouchable because they are "TOYOTA" and as I've said before this is the David and Goliath syndrome. About the best thing any of us can do is make sure we make others aware of these issues with Toyota. I just read yesterday their
sales were down 2% for the first time ever. I hope the trend continues until they get the message.

leighanne4

FYI my mpg is 14 in the city and 18 on the hwy. Not very good considering the gas prices. You should also know as the hesitation becomes less sporadic the gas mileage decreases. This is with 6500 miles on the vehicle. The mileage on the first road trip was 21 and has steadily declined. I agree with your recycling suggestion by the way. Maybe we should suggest it to Toyota.

lgjava

Some gas stations (about six months ago) were selling gas that had higher levels of sulphur which in turn led to fuel sensor failures. The fuel sensor is metal which reacted with the sulphur. Anyway, the problem caused faulty readings in the fuel gauge. But this problem only occurred with 87 and 89 octane and NOT with 93 (they say.)I don't know if this is the same problem with your Highlander, but it's worth a check. If it is so, then they have to replace the sensor and (I think)the tank.
Hope it helps.

stephen_l

Thank your for the info. I am not sure whether California (where I live) was affected as I believe the problem was limited to Lousiana and Florida.

suvtime

If there is another dealer within a reasonable distance from you I would try going there and ask them for their ideas about this problem.

You didn't say what year your Highlander is, but if your warranty is running out soon I would try this. Write down on paper exactly what problem your having and take it down to the dealer and have the service manager sign and date the paper. This way if your warranty runs out,they would have at least acknowledged the problem existed before your warranty was up.

wwest

Went to the Seattle auto show today and dropped by the Toyota desk. Asked about the hesitation problem I've been reading about on the internet and another individual was pointed that would know the answer. He got on his cell phone and contacted someone he said would for sure know the answer.

Came back and told me that "it's to provide smoother, less noticeable shifting".

I'm not kidding, that's what the man said.