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Toyota Highlander Maintenance and Repair

4692 messages,  Last post on Nov 28, 2009 at 3:26 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Highlander, SUV

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#1471 of 4692 Hey by wain Jul 14, 2004 (4:02 pm)
I own one but these cars are kinda bland not exactly XKE level cars
#1472 of 4692 Re: '04 Moonroof Switch [akat2000] by jbollt Jul 14, 2004 (5:08 pm)
Replying to: akat2000 (Jul 14, 2004 3:56 pm) And..the 5 speed automatic trans, and availability of the 3rd seat, small and useless as it seems to be reported to be... haven't seen one.. I have the '03 non-limited V6, and loving it!
#1473 of 4692 Highlander "quirks" by dv8er Jul 14, 2004 (8:13 pm)
Hello Toyota owners!   I've recently looked at a new Toyota Highlander. Having never owned a Toyota (yet), I am curious as to the common repair "quirks" that are typical of the brand.   I currently have a 1996 Chevy Monte Carlo (which I hate, I might add) and am tired of poor craftsmanship and expensive minor and major repairs-not to mention crappy styling. I realize that no brand is immune from repair, but I would like to know some of the more common repairs to get a general idea for what I'm really up against.   I've also heard about the upcoming hybrid model, but my dealer claims they have no info. Does anyone know the expected price increase and what trim levels they will hybrid first?   If you would like, please contact me off-list at: shootvideoyahoo.com   Thanks in advance! Replies to this message: landdriver (Jul 17, 2004 9:45 am) dv8er (Jul 21, 2004 7:50 pm)
#1474 of 4692 rear wiper revisited by herzogtum71 Jul 16, 2004 (2:19 pm)
Back in March I mentioned that you couldn't pull up the rear wiper on my '04 Highlander more than an inch or so above the glass. We discovered that this was a change between '03 and '04.   A couple of days ago I discovered that there is a little plastic piece at the base of the wiper that covers the bolt that attaches the wiper to the vehicle. This plastic piece is easily removed. Once it is removed, the rear wiper will lock into place at a 45 degree angle off of the glass, just like the front wipers.   Knowing this will make it easier to replace the blade, but it's not something I'd want to do each time I clean the rear window at a gas station. I'm still puzzled about why Toyota would have made this change.
#1475 of 4692 it is possibly by wain Jul 17, 2004 (3:30 am)
a screw up by a vendor. is your HL US/Canada or Japan made? Mine is Japan - can pull the wiper off about 4 inches (but not at 45 degrees)
#1476 of 4692 Re: Highlander "quirks" by landdriver Jul 17, 2004 (9:45 am)
Replying to: dv8er (Jul 14, 2004 8:13 pm) The most common repair "quirk" about Toyotas is that they exhibit great reliability and don't need to be repaired very often.   My first experience with a Toyota was when I sold my '73 Chevrolet Vega and bought an '83 Toyota pickup. The Vega was notorious for always breaking down, whereas the Toyota pickup never broke down, save for replacing the water pump a couple of times and an oil seal in the 21 years I've owned it (see my profile).   Great things about Toyotas: 1. I've almost forgotten what the inside of a repair shop looks like. 2. I'm almost hoping my car breaks down just to inject some excitement into an otherwise mundane reliability experience. 3. Can't use the excuse of my car breaking down for being late to work any more. 4. If you plan to drive your Toyota into the ground before buying another, take heed; your car may outlast you. 5. Reason Japanese cars in the 'early days' were notorious for water pumps going out at 100K miles: in the early days most American cars never made it to 100K miles. (Of course, that's changed in the last 20 years, thank goodness!!) 6. Without the hassle of dealing with broken-down cars I have too much spare time on my hands.   The Highlander may not be quite as reliable as the '83 pickup judging from some of the posts here, but my experience with it has been excellent. Only problems I've encountered are a glovebox rattle and side wind noise, both of which were fixed by the dealer under warranty via TSB. Other known quirks are somewhat cumbersome shiftpoints with the transmission on V6 models, buffeting effect with rear windows only rolled down (exhibited by many other vehicles and easily alleviated by cracking front windows), wheel baring noise, warped brake rotors, and vibration from engine transmitted into passenger compartment. Except for the last two the problems are very minor and usually easily addressed by dealer under warranty; some of these known problems may have been corrected on more recent Highlanders (havn't heard anything about side wind noise and wheel baring noise in a long time). As for the last two these are more serious but the prevalence of these problems (percentage of Highlanders afflicted with them) is not readily ascertained from the posts here.   There may be one or two quirks I may have forgotten, and I'd encourage you to scan all of the posts in this discussion for further info.   In general the Highlander is an excellent vehicle; very few are disappointed with their purchase, and I wouldn't let reliability or fear of repairs dissuade your decision in any way in this instance. I wouldn't hesitate buying another Highlander if I was in the market for another one!   The hybrid is expected to cost perhaps $3000 more -- supposed to be available early next year but with a long waiting list expected, but may be worth it if this is what you want; there's a separate discussion on the Highlander Hybrid that you should check out for more info.   Good luck! Replies to this message: dv8er (Jul 21, 2004 7:50 pm)
#1477 of 4692 follow-up questions for wain by herzogtum71 Jul 17, 2004 (10:37 am)
Is yours an '04? Does the rear wiper lock in an "out" position so you can clean the glass underneath the wiper with a squeege?   Mine was made in Japan. Other '04s at my dealer have the same rear wiper set-up, and another poster tried some '04s on a lot in his area and found the same thing. If yours is different, I wonder if maybe a bunch of them came through with a defective black plastic cover. Replies to this message: wain (Jul 17, 2004 12:48 pm)
#1478 of 4692 Re: follow-up questions for wain [herzogtum71] by wain Jul 17, 2004 (12:48 pm)
Replying to: herzogtum71 (Jul 17, 2004 10:37 am) 04 - yes japan - yes the plastic cover on mine will snap off.   when it is off the wiper arm will tilt out all the way and lock at 45 degrees. the cover has two tabs that hold it in place. It also has a locator "pin" that goes down beside the wiper arm, that causes the interference and keeps the arm from coming out more.   Sounds like a design screw up to me. I am tempted to cut the tab off.
#1479 of 4692 Plastic cover.... by wwest Jul 17, 2004 (10:35 pm)
maybe to keep dirt and grime out and reduce the wear rate?? Replies to this message: wain (Jul 18, 2004 3:56 am)
#1480 of 4692 Re: Plastic cover.... [wwest] by wain Jul 18, 2004 (3:56 am)
Replying to: wwest (Jul 17, 2004 10:35 pm) for looks - covers up the nut that holds the wiper on

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