Toyota Highlander

hlron · May 2003

lj225, do you mean the noise resulting from the pressure of having only the rear windows down while driving? If so, in answer to your question of would I still buy the Highlander, absolutely yes. I just turned 34,000 miles on my 2001, and if something happened to my Highlander, I would not hesitate to by another one in an instant. To me there are so many positives with my HL that the rear windows only down pressure issue is no big deal at all. In fact, I don't know of another vehicle I would even consider - my HL has been great and meets my needs very well.

personna1 · May 2003

I too have warped rotors, but because I'm at 51K miles I'm probably out of luck on getting these taken care of under a warranty?

I see an alarming trend of warped rotors in this discussion group. Is it abnormal for rotors to warp at only 30k miles? Almost seems like a defect of some sort.

wwest · May 2003

Un-noticed or un-noticeable VSC activity?

brupop · May 2003

I knew about the rear window buffeting BEFORE I bought our 02 V6 LTD. A year and a half later and I'd buy the Highlander again. The rear window thing is such a minor issue, it amazes me that it gets so much ink(so many bits?)on these boards. Just crack a front window and the "problem" is solved.
GregB

fx35driver · May 2003

Just refuse to pay for them. You should be making an offer based upon invoice price anyway, which probably doesn't include these items. When the dealer says "But we've added $500 worth of fabric protector" (or whatever), simply say "I don't want it and i'm not willing to pay for it." They know its all profit and typically they don't hold firm on it.

cliffy1 · May 2003

Just remember that they can just refuse to sell it as well. Don't get me wrong, I really hate added "features" when the only goal is to fool people. I used to work at a dealership that had a $395 appearance package that consisted of $30 worth of pin strips and door edge guards. I hated that. I never brought it up when negotiating a deal because I was embarrassed of it. There were several times however when a customer would negotiate a deal and then expect me to take off another $395 and find him a car with out it. That was usually at the point when I didn't have the room to move that much any more and it blew the deal. I lost more than one customer who thought they could just "refuse to pay" and walked out on a great deal over it.

nimrod99 · May 2003

Thanks - but it seems like there is more to it than that.
http://www.tacomaterritory.com/%7Efaqsection/content/dsabldrl.htm

http://www.motorists.org/issues/drl/
http://www.lightsout.org/story.html

Seems like DRL's are a waste of fuel, annoy people and are unsafe.

wwest · May 2003

I am, according to one of the above links.

As I said, I can't speak for the HL, but the DRL's on an 01 RX can be disabled by disconnecting the voltage dropping resister under the battery support/mounting plate.

Being a very firm believer of the safety aspects of DRLs I only disconnected mine once I discovered that halogen bulbs have a dramatically shortened life when operated as DRLs below their design voltage.

Back when, I always tried to remember to turn on my low beams when traveling on two lane roads.

In my 01 RX I wired a SPST relay 12 volt coil into the DRL ciruit in place of the resister and now the DRL circuit is used to turn on the RX fog lamps.

So, I still have "DRLs" and I can use my fog lamps without the interference of the low beams.

My 99 911 C2 was/is of canadian origin so it came with HIDs as DRLs (a little TOO much) but Porsche also included the parking/street lamps in the DRL circuit.

When I picked up my 01 C4 at the factory I was told that the DRLs would be activated at the US POE. They weren't.

So I wired the left and right street/parking lamps to the seat heat circuit and discovered that the europeans have a special 5W bulb in the HID headlamp housing for DRL capability.

Seems to work perfectly all around.

goldston · May 2003

Willaim,

My insurance company (USAA) reduced my rates with DRL.

So, it apprears at least to USAA that DRL are not unsafe.

Just my .02 cents worth

Best regards, Philip

lj225 · May 2003

Thanks. That is good to hear. I am kinda concerned with it since I have a 2 year old. But I am torn between a Mini or Med size SUV. I test drove the HL and boy were my ears hurting, but then again I dont drive with just the rear windows open. If I may... How is it when you have just the front windows open? do you get the same affect? I do drive with the front/and or fronts open every now and then. Is the Buffeting the same?

I just cant get to a dealer right now to try this out

Your replies would be helpful here, with the above questions. Also again Glad to hear that even knowing about it you bought the HL and happy. I am new to toyo and here the HL is very reliable, thats what I need, and it seems comfortable enough to drive down to FLA from NYC with the family. :-)

590116 · May 2003

I have owned my 02 HL for 13 months/16000 miles. I have never had a problem with just the front windows open. I would buy a HL again (and again and again). I could not be happier. Have enjoyed it on numerous 5 - 8 hour drives as well as around town daily. Hope this helps.

cmcardle · May 2003

For the life of me, I can't think of a circumstance where I would want just a rear window open... at least not one where I couldn't crack a front window as well. I'm no physicist, but can understand that moving air needs somewhere to come in and somewhere to go out. If you try and push air into a sealed area (one rear window open), there is going to be resistance.

I have noticed no problem with the front windows open, singly or together. I wouldn't give it another thought.

wwest · May 2003

cmcardle · May 2003

would eliminate it. (No i didn't take my car out of the structure and on to the highway to test this hypothesis, so it may be 1.2", but you know what I mean)

wwest · May 2003

Text taken from MY2002 Toyota Sequoia owner's manual, page 230, 2nd sentence of 2nd paragraph, left column. Yellow CAUTION high-lighted text.

"Be careful when accelerating, up-shifting, downshifting, or braking on a slippery surface. Sudden acceleration or engine braking, could cause the vehicle to skid or spin."

NOTE: "ENGINE BRAKING"

(DO NOT LIFT YOUR FOOT FROM THE THROTTLE QUICKLY!)

Or else quickly shift into neutral.

The Sequoia is predominantly a RWD biased vehicle, what did you suppose will happen with a FWD or AWD with front torque biasing?

Same manual, Page 143, center column yellow high-lighted CAUTION note.

"Under certain slippery road conditions, full traction of the vehicle and power against 4 wheels (4WD mode) or rear wheels (2WD mode) cannot be maintained, even though the active traction control system is in operation"

I read this statement as verification of a firmware time-out to prevent the ABS pump/motor from being over-taxed and over-heating due to continuous pump activity requirement.

This statement would likely also apply to ANY Toyota or Lexus vehicle with ACTIVE Trac and/or AWD using braking to apportion torque, HL, 4runner, GX470, RX300, RX330, Sienna, and obviously the Sequoia.

You likely have only about 45 seconds of continuous Trac or AWD "duty", then you're left with a vehicle that has 3 open diff'ls.

And obviously the ABS and VSC would now also be non-functional until the time-out expires (unless you need to do a restart cycle??) and the pump can again be activated.

nimrod99 · May 2003

Sorry for not being up to speed on this topic - but I just sense there is a lot of postings on this.

What is the cause of warped rotors?
I don't see how this can happen in normal driving.
Am I missing something?

thanks

ch1133 · May 2003

Finally tired of the super noisy Goodear Integrity after 12000 miles. Live in Seattle area where roads are like gravel roads. Tire store will sell me Bridgestone Duellers for 260 or 475 for Michelin LTX all included.(exchange)

Leaning toward Duelers due to price. Has anyone anyting good to say about this tire?

wwest · May 2003

Has caused manufacturers to "lighten" everything, apparently brake rotors included.

lmacmil · May 2003

Warped rotors are often caused by unevenly or overtorqued lug nuts. Anytime you get your tires rotated or get new tires, make sure the mechanic uses a torque wrench on the lug nuts.

Rotor thickness variation can be caused by a number of caliper or rotor issues and results in the same complaint, pedal pulsation during braking.

nimrod99 · May 2003

Thanks for the explanation.

Call me anal, but I rotate my own tires and torque the lug nuts myself (star pattern 80 ft-lbs). I even take this extreme measure when having new tires put on. I drive to the tire shop and park just outside their work area. I jack up one wheel and put the spare on. I jack up another wheel and then take the 2 loose rims inside. I wait until they are done and repeat the process for the last two rims.

This all came about after an incident in 1988 when I had my brand new Supra's lug nuts cross threaded by a tire shop using a air wrench. I had 8 out of 20 studs snapped trying to remove the cross threaded lug nuts. Things only have to happen once to me - I learn and never let it happen again.

zealot · May 2003

This past Saturday we purchased, much to my surprise, a new HL (super white/ ivory leather) . We chose the Limited, no sunroof, with the DVD entertainment system. Paid $100 over dealer invoice of 30,736.35 + 500.00 to have heaters installed in both front seats. MSRP was 34,437.00 w/o heated seats. {and living in gulf states region we got stuck with the "unwanteds", but it wasn't as bad as I've seen it elsewhere.}

I have about 400 miles on it so far and I'm extremely pleased with it. I traded a '01 Suburban for it, so I went through a period of mourning for the lost room, but I'm o.k. now.

My question to all you experienced owners, Is there NO automatic door locks of any kind on the HL? I am finding it hard to believe that the locks can't be programed to lock automatically, either by moving into gear or starting the ignition, or by obtaining some preset speed (15mph ?). Wow! Every car we have purchased in the past 10 years; Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, and GM of various makes have all had that feature. My In-laws 02 Avalon even has it. Am I missing something in the owners manual? Conversely, is there a way to have it set-up now?

Thanks for any feedback on this...

JE

nippononly · May 2003

the duelers are a fairly noisy, low-wet-traction tire too. You may not notice much of an improvement over the Goodyears.

The LTX is a much better tire, but if you are going to go the extra $$ for the Michelins, go $50 more and get their new Cross Terrain tires. I have these on my truck, and they are really really good. Smooth and quiet on the highway, and great traction in the snow.

If you want to stay in the lower price range, you might want to look at Yokohama Geolandars - they have been rated better than both the Bridgestones and the Goodyears.

highlander8 · May 2003

Be wary of some dealers in ATL, there best price was 2500 over the dealer I bought from..
Dealer said he could sell me a used 4runner for the price I paid.

goldston · May 2003

Good morning,

I've have researched the question you asked for myself a couple of times and have not found that there's an auto lock feature for the Highlanders available. At least not on my 2001 & 2002 Highlanders.

If you have any success in locating any such feature or add-on I would greatly appreciate you posting your results here.

Best Regards, Philip

hlron · May 2003

lj225, regarding your May 14 follow up question on the windows, as with others the front windows down are no problem at all for me, as for buffeting noise. Regarding the back window down only issue, I agree with burpop's May 14 post on this subject: I too am amazed the back window "issue" gets so much attention. However, I imagine it could be an issue for some. To me, my HL has been so great (although I did, too have a brake rotor issue, at about 25,000 miles -dealer took care of it with no problem) that an analogy (maybe a bit of an odd one) regarding the back window issue is like someone offering me $1,000,000 but then later telling me I have to pay the income tax on it - I'd come out so far ahead that of course I would take that offer. But, just my humble opinion - we all have different needs and tolerances. By the way, this is my first Toyota and I would indeed buy another HL. Good luck with your shopping and decision! Ron

rmui1 · May 2003

My 03 HL has an aftermarket alarm/remote starter installed by the Toyota dealer that can be programed to lock doors when ignition is turned on. I think, but not sure, there was something in the 03 owner's manual that referred to auto locking that is factory installed (maybe as part of factory alarm?). In either case, this feature is pretty common in aftermarket alarm systems, but must be activated.

slow43 · May 2003

I bought a 03, base 4wd Highlander last week. Very happy but I noticed on cruise control going down hill my speed increases passed where it is set. Is this normal or should I go back to the dealer?

wwest · May 2003

While it can retard the timing the HL cruise cannot apply the brakes.

cssnostromo · May 2003

The Highlander has a few service requirements that entail proper torque settings. The fact that there are numerous complaints about warped rotors should serve as a reminder that those wheels are, for the most part, being mounted after rotation/balancing/etc without the use of a torque wrench. I recently purchased a Craftsman torque meter(new product) to make sure those torque settings are correct. Its not a wrench, but rather a 1/2" drive/meter and digital display that attaches to your standard 1/2" wrench. It has several modes for seeing where you're at as far as ft. lbs of torque, but I use the "Target" mode for the sake of simplicity. For example, lets say the torque value for the lugs is 55 ft. lbs, enter 55 into the meter and start turning the ratchet. The meter will visually and audibly alert you when you hit 55 ft. lbs. However, as good as this meter is..its worthless if you dont know the torque settings. Hopefully someone can help to that end with the torque specs for the lugs and driveshaft bolt. Thanks.

slow43 · May 2003

I had a Toyota dealer quote a price of over $600 to install a security system. I realize the dealer was trying to pull a fast one. I am currently shopping for a security system. What was the name of the security system you bought and if you don't mind how much?

zealot · May 2003

Thanks for the reply regarding your solution. The keyless entry/alarm system that came on our Limited HL doesn't seem to have that feature. It's obviously not the system that comes in the Avalon because I tried the instructions that came in that owner's manual, to no avail.

I'll continue to research the subject. Thanks again.

J

gklatv · May 2003

I've had the DEI Sidewinder/Viper system installed
on my Camry and HL - works just fine, allows some
customized setting, long range. Both were professionally
installed by the specialized shop. The security system
would run about $320 installed. The security with remote
starter - $100 more. In case of my Ltd. HL, the shop was
able to add the remote starter to my Toyota factory security
system - works very well with just one remote.

jazd2 · May 2003

Has anyone noticed that all Toyota cars seem to have the ugliest, most unattractive and hideous exhaust system of any car manufacturer. Starting from the muffler and moving forward, the pipe hangs down and bends at a 45 degree angle and then continues on. What is up with that atrocious design? Is anyone worried you are going to hang your car up on something? Can anyone explain why they do this? Everytime i am behind a Toyota, my eyes are drawn to this most unfortunate detail. What was even more unbelieveable was I saw a brand new Lexus the other day and I was astounded to see that it had the same unsightly exhaust. Yuck!!!! and shame on Toyota for blemishing their vehicles in such an obscene way. Every time i point this out to someone, they are never the same and are also revolted by the design. I for one will never consider buying a Toyota until this is fixed!!!
Comments?

cssnostromo · May 2003

The spacing of the cat-back pipe allows the pipe to dissipate heat better than a flush-to-body design..and is also easier to service when these systems eventually rust out. I've yet to hang the pipe up on anything on the road(or off) and an inspection last week on both the HL and Camry turned up no impacts, dents or crimps in either system.

vintagegold · May 2003

Going to have to run down to the garage and take a look. Had a Camry for ten years and now I have a Highlander and I never noticed. Been behind plenty of Toyotas and Lexuses and never noticed. You seem to feel very strongly about this. Did you use all of the extreme adjectives that you could think of or do have a few left? Maybe you should try to look somewhere else.

wwest · May 2003

tidester · May 2003

... feed the trolls! :-)

tidester, host

highlander8 · May 2003

Deal is charging 150 labor for running boards, 558(dealer cost), And sunroof deflector and bug shield 150 to install.. Any suggestions on bug shield sunroof deflector ? manufacture ?
Wanted the lighted running boards.

slow43 · May 2003

Thanks wwest for info on cruise. Also, thanks gklatv on security system. Like you gklatv, I am going to go with the Viper. I am thinking about the model 550 with remote start. I am having a big debate with myself about the remote start. I live in NC and I dont know if I will ever use the remote start feature. Jazd2, I have always noticed the exhaust system on Camrys but the way I look at it I would rather have the exhaust heat as far from the passenger compartment as possible.

lj225 · May 2003

I appreciate the reponses. I am still in the choosing process, and hopefully I can decide soon on what to get. Thanks glad to hear the Highlander is a "I would by another" type of car.

I read so many post that folks say "Im done... will never by another: insert name here _______."

dalancroft · May 2003

Or "buy" another, if that's the word you seem to be searching for ...

cmcardle · May 2003

one smart-as# comment, and the board shuts down for a week.

bikerjohn · May 2003

Has anyone seen any data or experimented with determining what Hwy speed achieves the best MPG in a V6 AWD Highlander? That would be assuming a flat Hwy w/o wind. I'd also be interested in knowing how much the MPG decreases with each additional 5 MPH increase in speed.

skyreb · May 2003

This is not a direct answer to your question, but I carefully monitor my mileage, and I will share with you what I have determined.

First: I own a 2001, V6, AWD non-limited
Second: I live in northern New Hampshire where traffic is light. I do not have any stop and go traffic to speak of, and most of my off-interstate driving is in the 45-55 mph range.

Now, with that said, I have never achieved less than 20 mpg, nor greater than 24 mpg. I find I get the best mileage in the summer (even with occasional A/C, and I think it is because the government stipulates oxygenated fuel in the winter and it gets lower efficiency.

Efficiency drops as speed increases, that, I think, is what the feds held to the 55 mph speed limit for so long. At a steady 45-55 mph, I consistently get 24 and slightly better mpg (summer). At 65-70, it drops to 22-23 mpg. I do not drive over 70, so I have no idea about that, but I suspect (based on another post several months ago) at 80-85 it would drop to 17-19 mpg.

I try to drive as steady as possible; anticipate stops and slow down in advance; no fast starts; and I have started using synthetic oil. Actually, I hope my mileage will improve a bit with the synthetic oil. I may have experienced a slight improvement already, but the real test will come this summer.

I know this is not what you wanted to know, but hopefully others will have more information.

Happy HL'ing to all.

fickle · May 2003

When do you all anticipate a new Highlander model to come out? I can't remember when the current one was avaiable.

jackmick · May 2003

I'll start the ball rolling.What do you like and not like about your HL, and would you buy it again knowing what you know now.
               DISLIKES
Outside wind noise, more with a crosswind
Vibrates when engine running, foot on brake and shifter in drive.
Odometer hard to see during daylight.
Not enough foot room, size 12 foot.
Painted dash.
                LIKES
Smooth ride.
Quiet strong engine.
Looks good.
Lots of cargo room
Comfy seats.

Head rest no problem.
Good warranty
Lots of back seat leg room, and easy to park.
                 Would I buy my HL again
Not if I noticed the vibration. Beleive it or not I had the same problem with my trade in, a 1994 Nissan Maxima. Nissan never could figure the problem. Said " the vibration within tolerences".

twobrowns · May 2003

Have a 2003 ltd. and offer then following likes and dislikes.
        Dislikes:
           Uncomfortable front seat(short cushion)
           Drivetrain noise
           Road noise from tires I think
        Likes
           Great handeling for an suv
           Smooth shifting transmission
           OK gas mileage(avg. 20+/- mixed driving
           Very solid (no rattles)
           Good looks

skyreb · May 2003

OK, I'll try

Dislikes: (mostly minor)
  Electronic odometer (off when key is off)
  Odometer and trip meter at same location
  Paint easily scratched
  Poor sound system on unlimited

Likes: (all the major things)
  Quality; fit; comfort; no rattles
  Engine, power, smooth, quiet
  Shifts smoothly and quietly
  Very reasonable fuel efficiency
  Handles well in snow
  Doors do not lock automatically
  Two way moon roof (especially canted position)

Other:
  I have had no problem with vibration
  No warped rotors; sludge;
  Toyota service has been more than acceptable

  Sure, I would buy another Highlander (but I do not plan on doing so for many years to come) I still drive a 1992 Acura, and it has plenty of good miles remaining even at 160,000 miles.

iwse · May 2003

I've heard engine upgrade is slated for 2005 model year. Anyone know if this is true or what is in store for 2004 Highlander?

wwest · May 2003

01 AWD RX300 roundtrip Lewistown MT, Seattle.

About 22MPG overall, lots of time above 80MPH.

Actual mileage posted somewhere over on RX300 thread.

Toyota Highlander

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