Toyota Highlander

stever · October 2002

You can also check the "FAQ" posts listed at the top of the Engine Sludge/Oil Gelling--Toyota's Customer Response discussion for lots more details.

Short answer - change your oil as recommended and don't lose any sleep worrying about it :-)

Steve

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travis299 · October 2002

I am looking at the Highlander as a car for my wife with two small children, 2WDR, 6CYL. Any comments would be appreciated. Raleigh, NC area.

vinod_s3 · October 2002

Hi Travis299:
I just bought a 2WD 6cyl Highlander and I think it's fantabulous. Design, handling, smoothness - it's a real treat. Initially thought about the limited, but it's too pricey. I might go for aftermarket leather($1,200 - it's better than the factory leather). The only thing I might miss is the premium JBL sound, but that's Ok. I got a decent price of 26K.

landdriver · October 2002

In general, the Highlander is a great vehicle; go for it! Reliability is excellent, it was so popular when it first came out that it was in short supply, and I haven't heard of anyone that bought one who wasn't happy with it.

Some things to consider that have been discussed here in the past:

1. The Highlander is a car-based SUV -- its great for getting around town and the 4WD handles snow beautifully, but if you're looking to do some serious off-roading in a truck-based SUV, then consider the 4Runner instead.

2. People have commented that the ride is smooth and car-like, not typical of an SUV, and that it is one of the quietest vehicles on the market.

3. Complaints include that the tailgate window doesn't go down, making it not useful for hauling long items such as ladders or lumber. A known issue is that if you drive with the rear windows down and the front windows up, an extremely annoying wind noise is present at speeds greater than 30 mph, but for most this is a non-issue since most don't drive this way. The "premium JBL" sound system sounds ok but in my opinion falls short if you have extremely highly refined taste in audio fidelity (so vinod_s3 I don't think you're missing as much as you think; just put in some aftermarket speakers and possibly an amplifier (the Alpine V12 MRV-F340 comes highly recommended for sound quality) to jazz-up that sound system!). A few people have experienced defects that have shown up as wind noise or rattles, but in most cases the problem was isolated and corrected. Some people that have bought the non-limited models have added fog lights to enhance the appearance.

4. If you are considering a used Highlander note that 2001 Highlanders do not have an integrated center console whereas the 2002 and later models do.

Also, check previous posts in this discussion group for the past two months or so to get a sense of what people have been saying about the Highlander.

jrfiero · October 2002

My 2001 HL Owners Manual, pg 258, shows a tire rotation diagram, including the spare. The rotation is: Spare->LRr, LRr->RFr, RFr->RRr, RRr->LFr, LFr->Spare. Do some of you have different owners manuals? Mine is Pub OM48415U, Part No 01999-48415, Printed in Japan 01-0011-00.
One advantage of including the spare for a do-it-yourselfer is that you only need to have one wheel off the ground at a time.
But this idea that you should only do front to rear rather than crossing is dated. Prior to common use of radials, crossing was the recommended method. When radials came out, the recommendation for them was front to rear, no crossing - it was thought the radial construction at the time would not hold up to reverse rotation. That fell by the wayside many years ago. If a tire is constantly rotating in the same direction (as it is in a front to rear rotation) the individual tread blocks wear unevenly. If you cross them, the tread block wear, the camber wear, and the toe-in wear even out. Tires with uneven tread block wear are noisier, if nothing else (there's probably an argument that they have less traction).

landdriver · October 2002

My 2001 Highlander owner's manual is of a slightly different publication and part number, but shows tire rotation crossing between left and right as well -- can anybody confirm that their Highlander manual indicates that the tires should stay on their respective sides (maybe Toyota made a change to their recommendation for some reason)?

jrfiero · October 2002

Seems a lot of us, me included, change oil at less than the recommended mileage. Just thought I'd point out that for the vast majority of HL owners the recommended interval is 7500 miles. Forget this Jiffy Lube 'Severe Driving' advertising hype. Toyota doesn't use 'severe driving' or 'severe service,' at least in my Service Maintenance Guide. There's the 5000 mile interval schedule, which is "if you PRIMARILY operate your vehicle under any of the following conditions: 1)Driving on unpaved roads 2) Towing a trailer or using a cartop carrier 3) Repeated trips of less than five miles IN TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING." I capitalized IN TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING because many people are now convinced that short trip, stop and go driving constitutes severe service - according to our owner's manuals ('scuse me, our Scheduled Maintenance Guide), it doesn't, unless its PRIMARILY and BELOW FREEZING. So, to satisfy Toyota in the sludge debate, 7500 miles is basically it. Should you be worried that they actually made a change to their engines to minimize the sludge issue? Darn right, you should. 8 1/2 years from your original purchase when the engine goes South, who pays? What do you think this will do to the resale value if it stays in the automotive press?
Synthetic - somebody said something like it didn't pay to use it, can't remember exactly. I use Mobil 1 engine oil and Redline driveline lubricants in all my vehicles after their break-in period. I don't use them because they're cheaper (far from it), I don't extend drain intervals, I use them because they're superior lubricants, they transfer heat better, and they don't coke up after engine shutdown (important in turbo engines). Oil changes are cheap insurance in the long run whether you're paying $0.87 at WalMart for dino juice or $3.50 elsewhere for Mobil 1 (Do-It-Yourselfer talking here). And this idea that you can't switch back to dino after using synthetic is nonsense - the currently popular blends of dino and synthetic are one piece of evidence, Mobil and other's claims that they're compatible with all mineral oils is another.

jrfiero · October 2002

While checking the tire rotation pattern in my various HL manuals, I noticed in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide that if you're following the 5000 mile maintenance schedule, the first tire rotation is at 15,000 miles (unless you have Special Operation Conditions), but if you're following the 7500 mile schedule, the first tire rotation is at 7500 miles!! The SUVs and Trucks logs start on page 40, and most of the items in each block are below the phrase "Additional Maintenance items for Special Operating Conditions." If you're following the 5000 mile schedule, the only thing you need to do before 15000 miles is change the oil and filter at 5K and 10K.
Since we may have noticed differences in manuals, my Scheduled Maintenance Guide has the following numbers on the back - (jezz, gotta go get my glasses) - 00400-02001-SMG2 and Printed in USA 11/00.

wcp · October 2002

jrfiero and landdriver, my 2002 HL Owner's Manual is indeed different from yours. On page 262 there is also a rotation diagram. Unlike yours, mine shows spare->LRr, LRs->LFr, LFr->spare, RRr->RFr, RFr->RRr. My OM is Pub# OM48429U and Part# 01999-48429. It was also printed in Japan 01-0108-00. I have no clue why Toyota changed the tire rotation pattern. My HL is Canadian model though, you know, with km instead of miles. May be that's why.

awchan13 · October 2002

For anyone who may be interested, I've had my 2001 V6 AWD Limited Highlander for a year and a half now and have put 20,890 Miles on it. I've recorded my gas intake since I purchased the car and my average for the 20k+ miles is 17.477 MPG.
Looking at city driving alone (south bay area California) I'm averaging 16.678 MPG. And highway trips, avg 19.495 MPG. I use regular unleaded (I believe 87 Octane). I change the oil and rotate tires every 7500 miles, and have had to fix the alignment once, about 2 months ago. I'll probably have to replace my Bridgestone Duelers in another 5k miles. Other than alignment and recalls, I haven't had any real problems. Just the annoying sunroof click (that the dealer won't fix until he hears it) and some rattling from the dash (I just shove some foam in various places to take care of it-you'd think toyota would take care of it....)
For those interested in installing a car seat in the back center, I tried mine for my 1 yr old, and it wasn't secure at all. After playing with it for a while, it would still move all over the place...I just place it behind the driver's side and use the top latch and it doesn't budge.

nippononly · October 2002

switch back and forth between synthetic and dino oil, the only thing to keep in mind is that the oil is only as good as its "weakest link" - if you switch to synthetic and there is some dyno left anywhere in the crankcase, you will not get the advantages of the synthetic.

As far as stop and go driving, it seems like a real good idea to follow the "severe" schedule if most of the time your engine is idling, with low oil flow, and with the miles driven not being a good indicator of how many hours of operation the engine has actually performed.

sportsterer · October 2002

wife and kids? go for the AWD: 4 driven wheels are inherently safer than 2. i've had my 2001 AWD 6 for 27K miles. with routine service and an oil change every 3K miles exactly nothing has gone wrong. in 37+ years of driving, a vast majority of them legal, from a 58 buick century ($50) through VWs, fords, chevys, a bmw, i gotta tell you, this is one fine vehicle, and the only one that maybe remotely approaches being worth what it costs.

rphillips2 · October 2002

Michelin Cross Terrain---Wow, what a difference!
I just replaced my Goodyear Integritys with the Michelin and the difference in handling is incredible. No more wallowing around in corners, when you turn the wheel it responds. I used to roll the tire all the way over on the Goodyear lettering, but the Michelins show almost no roll at all. Wet traction has improved as well, but not as much as the dry traction. 65K warranty as well.

cufishn1 · October 2002

What size Michelin Cross Terrain tire did you install and is there any rubbing on sharp cornering?

Kirstie_H · October 2002

A major weekly magazine would like to talk with recent Toyota buyers who are under the age of 35. If you fit this description and care to share your story, please respond to me at jfallon@edmunds.com with your name, daytime phone number and city/state of residence before Wednesday, October 16, 2002.
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

jrfiero · October 2002

re 6560 of 6570 Tire rotation, sirfile, wcp, et al by jrfiero Oct 08, 2002 (06:27 pm)

I should have looked last night, but my 2001 Toyota Repair Manual, vol 2 (the $100+ half-a-set) also shows the tire rotation diagram with the cross rotation, as below. Anyone have a 2002 shop manual to check? Mine is pub #RM837U2 First Printing: Nov 21, 2000 01-001121-00. Printed in USA.
original post-
"My 2001 HL Owners Manual, pg 258, shows a tire rotation diagram, including the spare. The rotation is: Spare->LRr, LRr->RFr, RFr->RRr, RRr->LFr, LFr->Spare. Do some of you have different owners manuals? Mine is Pub OM48415U, Part No 01999-48415, Printed in Japan 01-0011-00."

rphillips2 · October 2002

I went back with the stock 225/70x16 so I don't have any fit problems.

svtcobraconv · October 2002

Just an observation...

Doesn't it seem a bit odd that Toyota, with its reputation for quality, elects to put lower-end tires as the factory installs on the HL? I'm accustomed to seeing higher-end tires on other manufacturer cars I have purchased. Shouldn't compare an SUV to a car in this respect, but I would get 60K to 80K+ service from the factory tires on my other vehicles.

wmquan · October 2002

The RX300 and the base model of the MDX come with Goodyear Integrity's as well (the Touring model of the MDX comes with the Michelin Cross Terrains, though with a lower wear factor than what you can buy from, say, Costco).

wwest · October 2002

Are much like blended scotches, you get all of the (dis)advantages of the blend with the highest percentage content. If you put 5.3 qts of mobil 1 in your engine the small percentage of the "old" stuff left will have very little effect. Probably about the same as the amount of "old" mobil 1 left the next time you change.

wwest · October 2002

sportsterer:

4 driven wheels are NOT always inherently safer that 2 wheel drive. The AWD HL is predominantly a FWD (90/10) vehicle and as such can never be as "safe" as a simple RWD vehicle. A "safe" vehicle is one that allocates the front tires' roadbed adhesion to directional control/stability and the rear tires for driving forces.

If you wish to buy an HL or RX then save a bit of money (purchase price and MPG) and get the FWD with VSC/Trac, you will find those just as safe as the "pretend" AWD drive versions of these vehicles.

If you want a "safe" AWD vehicle then look to something like the sequoia with "native" RWD drive bias.

nimrod99 · October 2002

Somehow I still don't buy your claim of 90/10 torque split. I know you did a 1x2 wooden plank test on your RX. But I think that doesn't apply to the HL. Toyota claims a 50/50 split.
I understand that the VC requires some slippage in order to transmit the residual torque.

I can't believe its 90/10. I would think at worst - it would be 60/40

I have yet to see an in depth analysis of the HL drive train - I have even requested something from Toyota - but they only sent me a marketing blurb.

fortek · October 2002

wee willy winky

As Colonel Potter used to say "mule fritters"

sfkillers · October 2002

I was told that there will be nothing new when I purchased my 2002 Limited 2wd HL.
Are there any changes?
Let me know
Thanks

jacser · October 2002

The air pressure on my week old HL is about 37-39 lbs. The label on the vehicle's door jam recommends 30 lbs. front & rear. Should I remove some air. Thanks for any input.

wwest · October 2002

50/50 torque split is exactly correct, 25% to each wheel actually, provided all four wheels have roughly equal traction. But in those conditions any RWD or FWD will be more than sufficient.

The measure of any AWD system is how quickly, and at what level, the torque is "redistributed" once any wheel or wheels lose traction.

The description of the HL's AWD system is exactly the same as the RX. If it had an improved VC it would need an over-running clutch (to uncouple front braking HP from the rear) like the one in the Chrysler T&C.

pasqual · October 2002

I just checked my 2002 H/L OM, publication # OM48429U.It states to replace the R/R with the spare then R/R>R/F,R/F becomes the spare, L/R>L/F.Did I add to the confusion?

nippononly · October 2002

you check your tire air pressure when the tires are cold, and if they are at 37-39 then, yeah, lower them down a bit. The dealer probably left them overinflated from the delivery truck.

Looks like the concensus here is: 2001 OM says to do cross-car tire rotation, and 2002 OM says to do front-to-rear, same-side rotation.

landdriver · October 2002

You were told right -- there are no changes for 2003.

landdriver · October 2002

First make sure you are measuring tire pressure when the tires are "cold" (i.e., after the vehicle has not been driven for several hours). Also, I believe I read somewhere in this discussion group that cars are shipped with their tire pressure set to a high value; the dealer is supposed to adjust the tire pressure to the correct value, but probably failed to do so in your case. In any case definitely lower your pressure to 30psi.

pdalpsher · October 2002

In the TH discussion that Toyota participated in I posted the results of an oil analysis. This was done at 2800 miles of mixed city/highway driving and it showed that my 10/30 oil was down to 20 weight and it was at the end of its useful life. This was the oil my Toyota dealer uses which is bought and stored in bulk.

As a result of this analysis, I switched to Chevron Supreme oil 10/30 and it is a synthetic blend with an SL rating. I mailed in a sample for analysis last week following my recent oil change at 3800 miles. I'll post the results here and in one of the oil topics in the maintenance TH.

There is a lot of information in various sources about the design of the V6 engine and how this contributes to shearing or breaking down the oils faster than some other engine designs. That being the case, I'm arming myself with the facts by finding a quality oil that will have a useful live of over 3750 miles. I feel my investment in my HL is a large enough one that I'd rather not guess on what the right time interval is for an oil change.

With that interval, I can cut the recommended interval of 7500 in half. I'd recommend knowing exactly what your driving conditions are doing to your oil by doing an analysis. There is a lab that will provide a collection kit for you. Their website is http://www.blackstone-labs.com

wcp · October 2002

pdalpsher, that is a good scientific approach.
Please let us know your results.

swimin · October 2002

I have a noticeable air rushing noise from this area. I can hear it when I reach 50 mph and above. When I press the upper rear corner of the window (the small,stationary one) the noise goes away. Could this be improper installation of the glass or the seal around the glass? The dealer replaced the weatherstripping around the door but this has made no difference. The technician last said that he thought the door may need bending! This concerns me. Any experience with something similar?

gwkiser · October 2002

I've never done a cross rotation ever since the advent of steel-belted tires. I've always believed (mind you...no scientific explanation here) that once the steel belts "settled" in one direction, they would resist being forced to settle in the opposite direction, leading to internal damage/blowouts, etc. Front to rear only for me (w/o the spare...keeping it for the most dire need).

hl4wife · October 2002

My wife was looking for a SUV this fall and at first we avoided the highlander because of it's looks. We would prefer to have the exterior styling of the 2002 4-runner. But the car-like ride and interior eventually won us over and we purchased a super-white limited. But let's face it the highlander is a plain jane station wagon.

So, I started to look at the styling of other SUV's on the market, primarily the lexus & subaru outback. I decided to go with a 2-tone paint scheme on our highlander, gold plate the emblems, and put a muted gold stripe down the middle of the side panels. What do you think?

landdriver · October 2002

As the owner of a two-toned Highlander myself (gold with lower half painted metallic black), I definitely think your car looks awesome! We should think about forming a separate discussion group for owners of two-toned Highlanders!!

gwkiser · October 2002

That's a nice look. BTW, you can get fender flares and then paint them the lower color and you'll be even closer to the 4-Runner's exterior.

The last I heard, the factory flares are available from some of the west coast and southeast area dealers.

zm101 · October 2002

I just came back from an oil change and had my Highlander's wheels rotated for the first time. My dealer didn't ask me for the key to the wheel locks, which makes me a little suspicious. Is this normal?
I have the wheel locks that came standard with the car.

gwkiser · October 2002

It's possible that the dealer has a key to fit your locks (assuming that you have the factory locks). Ours doesn't need our key to rotate tires....they use their own.

scanner · October 2002

Now, I'm no fan of James Healey, but an interesting article he wrote when the HL was first released still seems to hit home on several issues that continue to be a cause for discussion (AWD, styling, ergonomics, handling, brakes, etc).

Any comments or opinions?

BTW, I'm one who actually liked the lack of a center console. :-)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/columns/healey/2001-01-12-healey-highlander.htm

.

pdalpsher · October 2002

This weekend I spotted a HL with fender flares. It looked good but I did notice that the base 'mudflaps' protected the sides better than the flairs. Due to the design of the flairs I don't think you can't have both.

The two-tone paint looks nice but I'm still in love with the silver I've got. I may get the black badging though. Someone else posted they'd done that to a silver HL and I bet it looks great.

gwkiser · October 2002

"Due to the design of the flairs I don't think you can't have both."

Very true, which is why I chose NOT to have flares on ours.

bikerjohn · October 2002

I installed the fender flares, then went to the local auto parts store (Pep Boys) and bought some black mud flaps. The mud flaps are pretty much the same foot print as the original mud guards that came with the Highlander. They were easy to install & look great with the flares.

fortek · October 2002

Did James Healy and Edmunds review the same vehicle?
Example:
James Healy- "Brakes: They felt numb and weak"
Edmunds- "Pedal feel was excellent, with one editor call them practically perfect"
Perhaps James Healy drove a pre-production/journalist HL with the tires inflated to 40psi. IMHO I would agree with the Edmunds review after owning my HL for over 9 months.
Edmunds review: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/70543/page005.html

wwest · October 2002

healey stepped out of a test drive in a 911 and into the HL.

fortek · October 2002

image what James Healey would have wrote if he stepped out of your 911 and into the Buick Rendezvous or Subaru Outback. The clear winner to many in the "crossover category" is the HL, but it would have been interesting to test the 911 at the same time... I love watching drop throttle oversteer put to such good effect.

wwest · October 2002

Not likely, mine is a C4 and the oversteer problem has been solved, mostly, even on the C2.

jusme · October 2002

Hi everyone. Its been since 99 since i've been here. Thats the time we were looking at the 4-Runner. Its funny how you look at all the car reviews and for the most part they are favorable. But this seems to be the place for the real deal, no b. s. responses we all crave. Anyway...we're expecting the arival of our new baby (03 Highlander) next week. Is anybody experiencing any trouble with these yet? We're getting the 6 cyl awd model. Thanks for any info and I hope you wont be hearing me complain about the new rig.

jrfiero · October 2002

My 2001 brakes feel numb and weak, and the pedal feel is terrible. The one dealer I've been to can't fix them, says "they're all like that." I'll have a different dealer check them when I get around to having the breather clamp recall done.

#6599 of 6603 HL review by fortek Oct 16, 2002 (10:06 am)

Did James Healy and Edmunds review the same vehicle?

Example:

James Healy- "Brakes: They felt numb and weak"

Edmunds- "Pedal feel was excellent, with one editor call them practically perfect"

Perhaps James Healy drove a pre-production/journalist HL with the tires inflated to 40psi. IMHO I would agree with the Edmunds review after owning my HL for over 9 months.

Edmunds review: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/70543/page005.html

pdalpsher · October 2002

There was a recall of some 2001's for a leaking seal in the cap of the master cylinder. The info is probably available through the recall info here on Edmunds as well as other sites on the internet.

As I remember, the fix was fairly straight-forward but involved in either replacing the brake fluid or thoroughly bleeding the brakes. Sorry I don't remember all the details.

Perhaps your 2001 needs this fix?

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