Can't comment on FM but for AM after I purchased my brand new shiny '01 Highlander Limited I noticed that when I drove into the parking garage at work the AM reception cut-off completely. But on the days I drove my previous old beat-up '83 Toyota truck I could still hear the AM station in the parking garage. My conclusion was that sometime between 1983 and 2001 Toyota let the reception ability of their radios slide. Otherwise its a nice radio.
Have 2001 awd ltd. w/18K miles. Lately gear selector seems to intermittently bind when shifting from Park to Reverse and vice versa. Any suggestions or others with same problem? Also I don't like how far I need to depress brake pedal before something happens. Dealer says all is fine, all Highlanders same brake feel. any comments, hints??
My understanding is the Gear Shift Level utilizes a cable vs. mechanical linkage to the transmission; my first guess is the cable maybe in need of some sort of lubrication.
As far as brake pedal travel on the 2001 H/L, I agree that the travel is bit more than I care for. I have had the dealership check this item as well as bleed the brakes to insure no air in the lines.
Thank you for your thoughts. The dealer did lubricate the cable with not much change in the feel of the shifter. Guess I'll wait and see if the lube takes after a few days.
#649 has pointed this noise. I have the same problem. It happens when I insert the key into the ignition after turning on the power but before starts ignition, immediately there is humming or buzzing sound coming from under the hood. Not like #649, mine last forever until eith I start ignition(of course, then engine noise will cove any humming), or I turn the key back. Just 2k miles, noticed this many weeks ago. Anyone has any suggestion, Thanks
I have experienced a snap,popping & cracking noise from the sunroof area of my 01 Limited HL The noise is heard after the A/C is turned on or off. Seems temperature changes cause this problem. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there a TSB from Toyota on fixing the noise in the sunroof? I don't believe that expansion & contraction of temperature changes should cause the problem. Thanks for your help.
Yes there is a TSB concerning the popping noise. It is caused by improperly installed liner. My dealer relunclantly put in the fix (it is quite a deal getting to the problem area), but it didn't completely fix the problem. We thought it was temp related at fist, but it isn't. You can find the TSB on the nhtsa.gov site.
I wondered who else has an issue with a 2003 Highlander that rattles like an old farm truck. Mine does and has since day 1 both sides front. After 7,000 miles and 4 trips to the dealer they finally found what it was. (what I told them it was at 1000 miles). The "floating Front pads" on the brakes rattle over bumpy roads. Toyota knows this is an issue since they have a "Fix" for it. Some industrial grease put on the back side of the front brake pads. They insist this works but in my case it did not cure the problem. It did make it quieter but it still rattles.. The service manager at the dealer said "Its alot better" Ok it was but I dont remember on the window sticker or the salesman telling me "This SUV comes with a bonus, it has a NORMAL build in rattle" I am not laying down on this one I didn't spend $36,000 for a NEW Highlander which rattles over bumps and sounds like it is 30 years old.. Toytota as of this date says nothing can be done,"Its Normal" well I am not going to accept that.. So now as I have explained my rattle who else has it??
BTW: I live in Fl. I get 19/C and 25/H MPG V-6 2wd Regular gas.
Is it possible to get leather on a base Highlander, I was told it was impossible. Is this true? They told me this a year and half ago or 2 years ago......
I have a 2003 AWD V6. Mine also has the brake rattle issue. See msg 662. I also don't like the front suspension "topping" out going over a speed bump
See my msg 7377 on the highlander board "Has anyone heard a loud clunk come from the front suspension when going over a large speed bump (at 15 mph). I was informed that as the nose of the car is pushed up and the front wheels rebound downwards - the noise is the sound of the front struts extending to their maximum travel and make a loud "clunk".
Sounds pretty horrible. "
I agree - $36,000 is a lot to pay for a rattle and a clunk. My old CRV which cost $22,000 could take the same roads without any brake rattles or suspension clunks going over speed bumps.
#7394 of 8506 My new HL update by nimrod99 Dec 14, 2002 (7:58 pm) Just to pass on my first weeks experiences.
The mirror rattle I referred to earlier - I thought it was the magnetic housing on the mount - well it was actually the mirror. It wasn't installed properly at the port. The securing screw wasn't even tight - the mount was rattling on the dove-tail base. I mounted it securely and tightened the "torks" screw. So far - no more rattles.
The front suspension noise - which happens when the front struts extend to maximum when the front end gets light. I drove another HL from the dealership and the same noise occurred.
I found if I take the bump fast enough - the front body never lifts up - only the wheels move up and down. The noise does not occur. I have to take the speed bump at 35-40 mph and all is well. 5 mph is OK but 10-25 mph causes the loud "thunk" sound.
My first gas fill up at 250 miles averaged 17.8mpg, the second fill up (322 miles) averaged 19.4 but the display read 19.9 mpg (ref: AWD V6 Ltd, mostly commute and a stretch of highway at 85-90 mph).
All I can say - I love the HL. At 85 mph on the freeway - its one of the quietest cars I have been in. The power is good (Still breaking it in - so I am being light footed). The handling is also great - cornering - there is hardly any body roll. Tires are great (Bridgestone HT's).
The only real disappointment is the front strut noise - which should not happen on an SUV of this quality. My CRV never made any noises on the same commute route I have been driving for 8 years
I have been thinking about the floating front brake pads, and the rattle when going over bumps (mainly lane divider bumps). There should be some degree of pad float in the front brakes. What I recall on my Honda CRV - there was a "wish-bone" type spring hooked to the outer and inner pad. This spring allowed the pads to move under the force of the calipers - but didn't allow them to rattle. Next time you ore out in your highlander - and you can find a stretch of bumps in the road that make the brakes rattle - try driving the same section with light brake pressure applied - you will find the rattle goes away.
Toyota should really fix this problem. It is poor engineering to have the pads rattle like this on a $36,000 vehicle.
Just a quick question- When the "I'm about out of gas" light comes on exactly how much gas is left? 1 gallon? more? less? I cannot find the information in the manual! BTW-thanks to all out there who devote their time to these boards! People helping people...from across the world....now I'm getting all mushy.
As best as I can tell, it's about 3 1/2 gallons. I have tried to calculate it twice and both times it seemed that I had used approx. 16 1/2 of the nearly 20 gallon capacity. I do know that I can go 14 more miles (at 70mph) once the light goes on.
Keep in mind the car may still run out of gas even with gas in the tank. Some of the gas may not be reachable by the fuel pump. Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of running out of gas in a HL, if so how far did you get after the low fuel light came on before running out?
I'm assuming I have one ('03 Limited) but expected it to light with all the other warnings when first starting the engine. If that's the case, either I don't have one, or it's not working, or I'm not looking in the right place(right by the fuel gauge)?
It sure seems weird to me that we can't find out what's left in the tank when the light goes on! But for the time being I'll assume I can go the 14 miles that "590116" got! I'd also be interested in the answer to "rmui1"'s question...if anyone has run out of gas & how far they got once their light came on?
This may have already been solved by other posters, but I spent about 1 hour today, trouble shooting my glove box rattle / buzz.
Basically - it is due to the way the glove box is constructed. The outer skin (color matched to to interior) vibrates against the inner box (black tub). I couldn't see any way of separating the two parts without permanently damaging the unit.
The fix I applied - using a self adhesive beige felt pad (my interior is beige) apply it to the frame of the vehicle near the bottom of the glove box on each side of the glove box. The thickness of the pad is about 1/8". I then applied a clear rubber bumper to the black plastic surface of the glove box door (outside the tub on each side. When the door is closed - the clear bumper aligns with the beige felt pad.
You could also just use a thicker felt pad, but using a small bumper on a felt pad provides just enough force to stop the buzz, and not deform the frame too much.
phrosut, - the gas warning light is not lighting up when starting the engine BY DESIGN. You can check if it's working only by trying to go very low on gas, but I would not recommend that. In general, the warning should come up when there're a couple of gallons left in the tank, so the person can get another about 50 miles to reach the gas station.
hi,everyone i may be in the wrong discussion group,but here goes i really want to buy a highlander,but after looking at some of the problems that owners are having posted at the nhtsa discussion site, ie too small of brake system on vehicle,causing near accidents and the unbearable wind noises when rear windows are down gives me pause. please help me in determing if these are the exception rather than the rule. in the posts the owners response from toyota was they were design flaws and they could do nothing to remedy the problems. p.s. there were several injuries due to the brake problem from posters. these were all on the 2003 model. the highlander is on the national lemon list. i really like the vehicle and the reviews, please help,any input would be appreciated.
First - The noise with the back windows down is very common in many vehicles, not just the Highlander. There is an unbearable vibration when you just open the back windows and if that is a problem for you then I would reconsider buying the Highlander, but you better test drive whatever vehicle you want to buy because it is not an isolated condition - it is very common in other vehicles, too.
Secondly - You need to check the stopping distance from 60 to 0 for the Highlander compared to other vehicles. I have never heard that the stopping distance is too great or that it is unsafe. The brake pedal has more travel distance than some drivers are used to, but I am not aware that it is a problem. I have an 02 Highlander and am very happy with the way the brakes work.
thanks cmuniz for the quick response to my post, your information makes me feel a lot better about the highlander,i guess everyone has different responses to the same problems, i have noticed in reviewing other suvs that the wind noise is a problem due to design. evidently its bearable,I just felt confused by the consumer rating of a best buy on the highlander and the problems some owners were having,once again thanks for your input and information.
Nimrod, thanks for the suggestion on the glove box "buzz". We've had our HL for over two years now and the sound finally started up about a month ago.
flowerman, the wind "noise" is actually buffetting and, yes, with only one or both of the back windows down, you will experience an extremely uncomfortable buffetting. Though I personally haven't confirmed it myself, many have stated that this is a common occurance due to the body style, and that a similar effect exists in other SUVs today as well.
Regarding the brake issue, I also have noticed that the system is different than other vehicles I have driven, including our '97 Avalon. Is it dangerous? IMO, not any more so that one having to adjust to a new vehicle. IIRC, and I wish I could recall where I read this, I think I read somewhere that the power assisted braking system on the HL is a "progressive" one, meaning that it applies varying brake pressure dependending upon other factors such as speed, etc. Either way, the only brake issue that was involved in a recall was on the '01 models (such as ours) which required replacing the seal on the master cylinder cap. Now, I highly doubt that Toyota would respond with " they were disign flaws and they could do nothing to remedy the problems". I'm not saying that that's not what was posted, but honesty, do you really believe that ANY manufacturer would make such an admission and not expect to be sued?
"p.s. there were several injuries due to the brake problem from posters. these were all on the 2003 model. "
Really? I didn't read about any injuries on the '03 posts at all. Then again, I only read the summaries.
"the highlander is on the national lemon list."
Please share that site with us. I'm curious.
On a final note, I went thru the NHTSA TSB (2), Recall (1), and Consumer Complaint (25) sections for the '03 Highlander and notice that several in the final group were duplicative, using the exact words for the same complaint. I don't know if this is an issue with the NHTSA data system, or if the complaintant simply made multiple posts, but clearly this would leave one with the impression that there are more complaints than truly exist.
Would I buy another Highlander? Probably not, but only because I want a different type of vehicle the next time around.
I own a 03 Highlander and I also had a concern about the brakes. The brakes work fine, the problem is that it takes more foot pressure to stop the vehicle than most cars. After 4000 miles I have become used to having to apply more pressure to the pedal. I am not happy about the problem, but I can live with it because there is no fix coming from Toyota.
Over all the HL is a great car. I suggest you read the discussions on Honda, Nissan etc. and you will see if the HL is for you.
gwkiser,thanks for the response to my post, your input helps,in regard to the national lemon list,use dog pile or another good search engine,it will bring up the list, www.national lemon list.com it should pull it up for you,in regard to the nhtsa sight,if you check mark the box in the drop down section it will give a complete list of all filings and there is a section in the right hand corner of each filing whether there were injuries involved.hope this helps.
The site you're referencing is that of a legal firm specializing in consumer auto cases in PA, NJ, and DE, who has created their own version of a LEMON LIST.
and flowerman, I checked the injuries you were referring to and found the following:
Of all complaints filed to date on the Highlander, for all models years, I found a total of 3 injuries out of a total of 110 complaints for '01 (49), '02 (36), and '03 (25) model years. One ('02 MY) was for an alleged stuck accellerator, causing the driver to go up a driveway and run into a brick area. A second ('01 MY) was for a airbag deployment failure when they were struck from behind. The third ('01 MY) was for the [wind buffetting] issue we've already discussed.
I guess I'm missing the reference you're citing, because I saw nothing about injuries from failed braking systems, and found NO injuries having to do with '03 models at all.
In addition to the responses posted above: When the warning light comes on and there is approx. 2 - 3 gallons of gas in the tank, you should still fuel up at the next available stop. Many cars have different levels at which the light comes on (our Volvo is approx. 1.8 gallons). There is a minimum amount of fuel required to remain in the tank in order to keep the fuel pump (located in the tank) from overheating. The gas keeps the pump cool when running. Not enough gas in the bottom of the tank and it overheats..... and replacing a gas tank fuel pump can be costly (compared to stretching a few more miles out of the last gallon or two).
gwkiser,thanks for the information, i thought the lemon list was an independent source,evidently its just created to drum up business,thanks, as far as the injuries from the highlander,it appears things are improving with the 03. I just felt there was a disconnect from the reviews rated as best buy, and the complaints from some owners, kind of like the ford explorers and the deaths related to rollovers, the reviews always rated and still do as a best buy. this bothers me that there is no correlation sometimes. whos paying who in these situations. I will be spending a lot of money for a highlander and i feel like i need to look at all information and i am on this site for some balance of information and your helping. thanks again.
Thanks, gklatv. I guess I have the low gas warning system and I'll just have to assume it works. I spent enough time in the auto repair business that I know to never let my fuel tanks get that low because of the fuel pump cooling mentioned by 1sttimevolvo1 above. Having taken in-tank fuel pumps apart (just out of curiousity) I found it amazing that the fuel actually flows in and around the armature and brushes of the motor. No air, therefore no combustion, but having gasoline flow around brushes in an electric motor was a surprise.
On the brakes, I don't find that I have to push especially hard, only that there is more of a "mushy" feeling. In reading posts here from long ago, I accepted the explanation that it's because the brakes are controlled by the computer for anti-skid and anti-lock both, therefore accumulators and other plumbing make this system "feel" different than traditional braking systems.
On Sunday evening returning from a small get together the Gas Warning Light came on. At this point we were about 25 miles from home and continued without stopping for gas. When we got home I went straight to the corner gas station (a few blocks from our home) and filled up the tank.
I was able to put in 16.54 gallons into the tank. Doing some simple math here: 19.8 gal tank size, minus the 16.54 gal put in, equals 3.26 gal left in tank at time of fill up, and I figure we use about 1 gal getting home when the warning light came on, so... I figure that I had approx 4.25 +/- when the warning light came on. Now logic tells me that some of that gas will stay in the tank, and if I assume that is 1 gal +/- and we get 25mpg highway in our H/L, I would have approx 80 miles to find a gas station.
I'm getting tired of reading about brake issues/concerns. I've driven a countless number of cars from European, Japanese and American manufacturers (everything from subcompacts to full size trucks/vans). The Highlander requires NO MORE brake pedal pressure and it has NO MORE travel than other cars/trucks. The only exception would be a sports cars. To those that have complained about increased travel and a "mushy" feel, have you thoroughly bled the brake system and have you had the recall work completed? Even a slight amount of air in the system will lead to the "mushy" feeling some have complained about. Don't count on the dealer always doing this right the 1st time. Bleeding has to be done more than once sometimes. Yes the Highlander has ABS and VSC, but these systems don't activate unless called upon so I highly doubt posters should be contributing the overall brake feel to these systems. The Highlander does have Electronic Brake-force Distribution, which I understood is a system to apply equal amounts of pressure to the 4 corners of the vehicle (I may be wrong on this so someone can correct me). This is getting too lengthy but like I said at the beginning, I'm tired of reading complaints about a non-existent problem. Try driving a Ford Taurus before complaining about the Highlander brakes...
I have posted a request on brake travel and feel because after the dealer did the recall and bled the brakes, they felt much worse than before the work was done. several requests to the dealer to check have resulted in "all is o.k", go away nutcase. I have driven cars for over 40 years and have an Accord with brake force distribution. I know the HL has a mushy feel and long pedal travel. Even though I am in Warranty I am taking the HL to a trusted mechanic to check out.
Raggedy1, I could not agree with you more! I owned a 96 Mercury Sable (Taurus twin) for 7+ years. The brakes on that car were very soft. It was my wife's vehicle, so I didn't drive it very often. After driving my car during the week and then driving hers on the weekend, it took some getting used to sometimes - I would guess the pedal was 3/4 depressed in order to come to a smooth stop. Even after having replaced the brakes (did myself - bled them, yadayada....) they were the same. My in-laws have a 2002 Highlander and the brakes are WAY better in it than the Sable was - NO comparison.
Somebody has their heads burried in the sand. The brakes on the HL DEFINATELY require more foot pressure to stop than ANY car I have ever driven, and I have driven a load of vehicles in my 65 years. No doubt the HL brakes are good from the standpoint of stopping distance, but the pedal requires TOO MUCH foot pressure. I have read all of the HL messages covering the 01,02,03 models and there are a lot of complaints concerning this issue. I am not complaining, I am just stating a fact.
I am in my early 60,s and have driven cars for over 40 years. These cars included sports cars, sedans, and suvs. The manufacturers were Volvo, Volks, Ford, Chevy and Jeep. The Highlander requires no more foot pressure than any of the others. Maybe you all are getting tired legs in your declining years.
The brake issue begs the question: Why did you buy if the brakes feel 'mushy' AND there is too much pedal travel AND it takes too much pressure to stop the vehicle??? My wife and I both test drove the HL on 3 separate occasions before buying....
Hey there SnakeHair. Have you tried contacting Toyota USA customer relations? If you are convinced the dealer you are working with has not met your expectations, you should contact Customer Relations and they will set up a meeting with another dealer. I had to do this to get my front mudguards replaced as the 1st dealer treated me like a piece of dirt (SF Toyota). The next dealer (City Toyota in Daly City) checked a used HL in their lot and found the same problem with the mudguards and then went ahead and replaced mine under warranty.
My Highlander does not require a lot of "foot pressure" at all. In fact it requires less than other vehicles I have driven. They do feel a little "mushy" compared to others, but that is not a problem for me. It stops just fine and both my wife and I drive it.
I strongly agree with cmuniz. I push on the pedal; the HL stops.
I pay attention to LOTS more important things when I drive (cars in front, cars behind, road conditions, lighting, etc.) than pedal-travel. I just hope some of you aren't behind ME when you're gathering "data" on this issue!
The HL did not have "mushy" brakes until after the dealer did the recall and bled the system. I am sure the brakes are adequate if properly bled, but it is like pulling teeth to get work done after the dealer has collected for the work once. Thanks for the tip to contact Customer Relations. Probably will do so. Have no fear of driving in fron tof me. No accidents in over 40 years of driving in placed like Boston, Chicago, and Wsh., D.C. Us'ns with tired legs and bad eyes still manage partly by knowing the equipment we are operating.
Yeah maybe my old legs are getting tired. So to recheck them I jumped into my Ford 2000 F250 long bed diesel, which weighs in at 7500 lbs., and took off for a brake test. Ran her up to 70mph and hit the brakes, stopped real nice with very little foot pressure. Next I called a friend who also owns a 03 HL. Asked if we could test his car. We went out and we both did the test, his car acted just like mine, needed lots of foot pressure. My friend thought his HL stopped just fine. We then jumped into my truck and I asked him to take her up to 70 mph and hit the brakes. First thing he said was "what a difference". Now HE thinks his brakes are bad. So I guess my right leg is not so tired after all. I think you guys are in denial or are just used to the wimpy HL brakes. Please, any one out there who agrees with me, your input will be appreciated. Still love my HL.
how they feel. The power assist is moderate on the HL. I test drove a Nissan Maxima for my son and they are way over-assisted. Just touching them nearly locked them. I have owned some high performance cars, like Acura NSX, and actually prefer less assist. However mushy brakes may indicate a real problem with air or glazed linings...even environmental conditions (moisture in the air or in the brake fluid) can affect feel and performance. Brake fluid should be changed every couple of years to get the water out of the fluid (it is hydroscopic and absorbs moisture from the air....which turns to vapor when heated during hard braking and gives a mushy feeling since vapor can be compressed). My 2002 Highlander brakes don't feel abnormal to me...pretty satisfied with them.
I have had my 02 Highlander for 15 months now and the brakes have just started to feel mushy about a month ago. I notice I have to push harder on the pedal to stop and the braking distance is longer. It looks like the pads are still OK. Did someone mention a brake recall? I would appreciate any info. Thank you
I remember reading messages from back in 2001 and 2002 that there was a recall on the brake fluid reservoir cap for the 2001 Highlander. That was supposed to address the mushy feel on the brake pedal, but it didn't seem to help. I dont think the 2002 model has a recell on the cap.
Is anyone out there experiencing a dirty dishrag smell on hot days when the car has been sitting for a while? It is not an A/C problem nor is there any water in the car. Can it be the fabric? The smell isn't consistent either, it can occur a few days in a row, and then dissapear for a while. We have emptied the car, cleaned the car, everything. Thanks.
My problem with the brakes seems to have something to do with how the pedel is positioned. I agree that the brake pressure needed is no more then most other cars, but it's how I have to place my leg to push it. I always thought that it was the seat that was too hard or something, but after a long road trip I found I wasn't uncomfortable as long as I didn't have to do a lot of braking. I do notice the pedel is further back or more even with the gas pedel then my last car. I noticed this when I bought the HL and thought that would be a good thing, now I'm wondering if that's part of the problem. Also, maybe the brake pedel is too far to the left of the gas pedel making it harder to switch back and forth. That's my two cents anyway.
You may be on to something about the distance between the gas and brake pedal. I started using my left foot when applying the brakes. It takes a little getting used to, but seems to work much better.
if it is not fully extended already when you try to brake...maybe changing seating position would help generate more force with less effort,,,,using knee as a fulcrum and force multiplier rather than straight on push from the hip....worth experimenting if you have a problem.
Comments
As far as brake pedal travel on the 2001 H/L, I agree that the travel is bit more than I care for. I have had the dealership check this item as well as bleed the brakes to insure no air in the lines.
Best regards, Philip
Just 2k miles, noticed this many weeks ago.
Anyone has any suggestion, Thanks
Mine does and has since day 1 both sides front. After 7,000 miles and 4 trips to the dealer they finally found what it was. (what I told them it was at 1000 miles).
The "floating Front pads" on the brakes rattle over bumpy roads. Toyota knows this is an issue since they have a "Fix" for it. Some industrial grease put on the back side of the front brake pads.
They insist this works but in my case it did not cure the problem. It did make it quieter but it still rattles..
The service manager at the dealer said "Its alot better" Ok it was but I dont remember on the window sticker or the salesman telling me "This SUV comes with a bonus, it has a NORMAL build in rattle"
I am not laying down on this one I didn't spend $36,000 for a NEW Highlander which rattles over bumps and sounds like it is 30 years old..
Toytota as of this date says nothing can be done,"Its Normal" well I am not going to accept that..
So now as I have explained my rattle who else has it??
BTW: I live in Fl. I get 19/C and 25/H MPG V-6 2wd
Regular gas.
I also don't like the front suspension "topping" out going over a speed bump
See my msg 7377 on the highlander board
"Has anyone heard a loud clunk come from the front suspension when going over a large speed bump (at 15 mph). I was informed that as the nose of the car is pushed up and the front wheels rebound downwards - the noise is the sound of the front struts extending to their maximum travel and make a loud "clunk".
Sounds pretty horrible. "
I agree - $36,000 is a lot to pay for a rattle and a clunk. My old CRV which cost $22,000 could take the same roads without any brake rattles or suspension clunks going over speed bumps.
Just to pass on my first weeks experiences.
The mirror rattle I referred to earlier - I thought it was the magnetic housing on the mount - well it was actually the mirror. It wasn't installed properly at the port. The securing screw wasn't even tight - the mount was rattling on the dove-tail base. I mounted it securely and tightened the "torks" screw. So far - no more rattles.
The front suspension noise - which happens when the front struts extend to maximum when the front end gets light. I drove another HL from the dealership and the same noise occurred.
I found if I take the bump fast enough - the front body never lifts up - only the wheels move up and down. The noise does not occur. I have to take the speed bump at 35-40 mph and all is well. 5 mph is OK but 10-25 mph causes the loud "thunk" sound.
My first gas fill up at 250 miles averaged 17.8mpg, the second fill up (322 miles) averaged 19.4 but the display read 19.9 mpg (ref: AWD V6 Ltd, mostly commute and a stretch of highway at 85-90 mph).
All I can say - I love the HL. At 85 mph on the freeway - its one of the quietest cars I have been in. The power is good (Still breaking it in - so I am being light footed). The handling is also great - cornering - there is hardly any body roll. Tires are great (Bridgestone HT's).
The only real disappointment is the front strut noise - which should not happen on an SUV of this quality. My CRV never made any noises on the same commute route I have been driving for 8 years
There should be some degree of pad float in the front brakes. What I recall on my Honda CRV - there was a "wish-bone" type spring hooked to the outer and inner pad. This spring allowed the pads to move under the force of the calipers - but didn't allow them to rattle.
Next time you ore out in your highlander - and you can find a stretch of bumps in the road that make the brakes rattle - try driving the same section with light brake pressure applied - you will find the rattle goes away.
Toyota should really fix this problem. It is poor engineering to have the pads rattle like this on a $36,000 vehicle.
When the "I'm about out of gas" light comes on exactly how much gas is left? 1 gallon? more? less? I cannot find the information in the manual!
BTW-thanks to all out there who devote their time to these boards! People helping people...from across the world....now I'm getting all mushy.
Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of running out of gas in a HL, if so how far did you get after the low fuel light came on before running out?
Basically - it is due to the way the glove box is constructed. The outer skin (color matched to to interior) vibrates against the inner box (black tub). I couldn't see any way of separating the two parts without permanently damaging the unit.
The fix I applied - using a self adhesive beige felt pad (my interior is beige) apply it to the frame of the vehicle near the bottom of the glove box on each side of the glove box. The thickness of the pad is about 1/8". I then applied a clear rubber bumper to the black plastic surface of the glove box door (outside the tub on each side. When the door is closed - the clear bumper aligns with the beige felt pad.
You could also just use a thicker felt pad, but using a small bumper on a felt pad provides just enough force to stop the buzz, and not deform the frame too much.
Secondly - You need to check the stopping distance from 60 to 0 for the Highlander compared to other vehicles. I have never heard that the stopping distance is too great or that it is unsafe. The brake pedal has more travel distance than some drivers are used to, but I am not aware that it is a problem. I have an 02 Highlander and am very happy with the way the brakes work.
flowerman, the wind "noise" is actually buffetting and, yes, with only one or both of the back windows down, you will experience an extremely uncomfortable buffetting. Though I personally haven't confirmed it myself, many have stated that this is a common occurance due to the body style, and that a similar effect exists in other SUVs today as well.
Regarding the brake issue, I also have noticed that the system is different than other vehicles I have driven, including our '97 Avalon. Is it dangerous? IMO, not any more so that one having to adjust to a new vehicle. IIRC, and I wish I could recall where I read this, I think I read somewhere that the power assisted braking system on the HL is a "progressive" one, meaning that it applies varying brake pressure dependending upon other factors such as speed, etc. Either way, the only brake issue that was involved in a recall was on the '01 models (such as ours) which required replacing the seal on the master cylinder cap. Now, I highly doubt that Toyota would respond with " they were disign flaws and they could do nothing to remedy the problems". I'm not saying that that's not what was posted, but honesty, do you really believe that ANY manufacturer would make such an admission and not expect to be sued?
"p.s. there were several injuries due to the brake problem from posters. these were all on the 2003 model. "
Really? I didn't read about any injuries on the '03 posts at all. Then again, I only read the summaries.
"the highlander is on the national lemon list."
Please share that site with us. I'm curious.
On a final note, I went thru the NHTSA TSB (2), Recall (1), and Consumer Complaint (25) sections for the '03 Highlander and notice that several in the final group were duplicative, using the exact words for the same complaint. I don't know if this is an issue with the NHTSA data system, or if the complaintant simply made multiple posts, but clearly this would leave one with the impression that there are more complaints than truly exist.
Would I buy another Highlander? Probably not, but only because I want a different type of vehicle the next time around.
Over all the HL is a great car. I suggest you read the discussions on Honda, Nissan etc. and you will see if the HL is for you.
Of all complaints filed to date on the Highlander, for all models years, I found a total of 3 injuries out of a total of 110 complaints for '01 (49), '02 (36), and '03 (25) model years.
One ('02 MY) was for an alleged stuck accellerator, causing the driver to go up a driveway and run into a brick area. A second ('01 MY) was for a airbag deployment failure when they were struck from behind. The third ('01 MY) was for the [wind buffetting] issue we've already discussed.
I guess I'm missing the reference you're citing, because I saw nothing about injuries from failed braking systems, and found NO injuries having to do with '03 models at all.
On the brakes, I don't find that I have to push especially hard, only that there is more of a "mushy" feeling. In reading posts here from long ago, I accepted the explanation that it's because the brakes are controlled by the computer for anti-skid and anti-lock both, therefore accumulators and other plumbing make this system "feel" different than traditional braking systems.
I was able to put in 16.54 gallons into the tank. Doing some simple math here: 19.8 gal tank size, minus the 16.54 gal put in, equals 3.26 gal left in tank at time of fill up, and I figure we use about 1 gal getting home when the warning light came on, so... I figure that I had approx 4.25 +/- when the warning light came on. Now logic tells me that some of that gas will stay in the tank, and if I assume that is 1 gal +/- and we get 25mpg highway in our H/L, I would have approx 80 miles to find a gas station.
Just my 2 cents worth and trying to be helpful.
Best regards,
Philip
To those that have complained about increased travel and a "mushy" feel, have you thoroughly bled the brake system and have you had the recall work completed? Even a slight amount of air in the system will lead to the "mushy" feeling some have complained about. Don't count on the dealer always doing this right the 1st time. Bleeding has to be done more than once sometimes.
Yes the Highlander has ABS and VSC, but these systems don't activate unless called upon so I highly doubt posters should be contributing the overall brake feel to these systems. The Highlander does have Electronic Brake-force Distribution, which I understood is a system to apply equal amounts of pressure to the 4 corners of the vehicle (I may be wrong on this so someone can correct me).
This is getting too lengthy but like I said at the beginning, I'm tired of reading complaints about a non-existent problem. Try driving a Ford Taurus before complaining about the Highlander brakes...
Just my two cents worth.
Why did you buy if the brakes feel 'mushy' AND there is too much pedal travel AND it takes too much pressure to stop the vehicle???
My wife and I both test drove the HL on 3 separate occasions before buying....
I had to do this to get my front mudguards replaced as the 1st dealer treated me like a piece of dirt (SF Toyota). The next dealer (City Toyota in Daly City) checked a used HL in their lot and found the same problem with the mudguards and then went ahead and replaced mine under warranty.
I pay attention to LOTS more important things when I drive (cars in front, cars behind, road conditions, lighting, etc.) than pedal-travel. I just hope some of you aren't behind ME when you're gathering "data" on this issue!