2004 toyota highlander v6 - auto (2wd) since we've purchased the t-highlander, the car will occasionally suddenly jerk forward uncontrollably when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear and when the shift takes place between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM when in 2nd gear. We have brought this in to the toyota dealership on numerous occasions only to be told this is a "programming" issue and the car is trying to figure out how to shift based on different drivers. I've looked online and on forums and other owners have the same problems. I think it's toyota trying to save $$. My concern since we've brought the car in to the toyota dealerships is the same concern that I want the federal safety agency to be aware of now and that is, there is a problem with the car and there is a potential for an accident here due to something that is clearly defective with the transmission and/or the "programming" of how the computer shifts. This complaint is being filed because all of the other toyota problems that have surfaced have reaffirmed what I've known all along, that there are problems with toyotas and in our case, not having complete control of the vehicle when driving. However, I was made to feel that I had no basis for my complaints when in fact, I do. I hope that even if nothing is done to fix my t-highlander as I have given up on it (short of legal action, which might be worthwhile now) that the federal safety agency does do something to ensure that no one is injured as a result of this "programming" issue.
2004 Toyota Highlander transmission complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 58, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2004 toyota highlander limited v6 developed substantial transmission/ transaxle leak at 56,000 miles. Transmission fluid was able to leak into the front transaxles and then onto the ground. Toyota is aware that the #2 axel seal is at fault as it is well reported. The repair was over $2,000. I fixed mine, but am concerned about those that won't be fixed. I am concerned that if the transmission leaks out in total would the resulting transmission failure result in injury.
Have a 2004 toyota 3.3l 2wd highlander that has had a surging problem when taking off from a start since I had it new....dealer recalibrated computer but didnt fix the problem....they told me this is normal.....it is not normal and is very dangerous....being they dont want to fix it, I guess it will come down to a law suit if something happens.....there are all kinds of post on this problem and toyota should be recalling and fixing......wont never buy toyota again if something isnt done because they still seem to be having this problem in other makes and models in toyota line....and lexus........
2004 highlander, having same problems as all other reported problems for this vehicle. Hesitation, steering shaft replacement, 2 wheel bearing replacements, lousy original tires, bad sodering of heat/air board leading to not working properly, can not have back windows down due to noise and vehicle shaking, had rear wiper motor replaced within 1st month of ownership. While I did purchase the extended warranty, which did cover the cost of the wheel bearing replacement, it did not cover the cost of having to replace the tires damaged by the bad bearing - and toyota does not care. In their race to become the number one car maker, they have given up on being the safest, most reliable car maker - and they have certainly given up on being customer friendly. According to several toyota dealers, they don't have to, since they continue to be popular selling vehicles. I am getting nervous as the time for my warranty comes due to expire - and for the first time am seriously considering trading it in before that happens. That was not the intent when I bought the vehicle, but after reading all the people having all the same problems, I am very concerned.
I have a 2004 toyota highlander with approximately 70k miles. For the second time the wheel bearings have failed on the vehicle. I spoke with toyota and they do not believe it is a safety issue even though this is a know issue (all over the web). I believe anything related to the drivable/steering is a safety issue and toyota should further investigate the failures.
Transfer assy failed at 74,000 miles and failed again at 101,000 miles.
2004 toyota highlander with awd and 4 cyl. Vehicle is leaking transmission fluid at 67,500 miles. Dealership say that toyota will not help with this problem as it as the warranty expired at 60,000 miles. I bought this vehicle due to the expected reliability of a toyota product, but it appears that toyota does not stand behind their product. My other vehicle is a lexus rx 300 which I love, but I will be hard pressed to buy another toyota product in the future after this experience.
Acceleration lags all the time, but is especially apparent when "flooring it" upon freeway entry, passing, etc. I see that this is one of the most frequent complaints about 04 highlanders. Overall, quite disappointed in my overpriced SUV.
Transmission shift hesitation on acceleration at lower speeds. Just enough lag time to scare me a few times that I wouldn't make it across traffic.
Transmission fluid leaking from differential - 2000 miles out of warranty - dealer said they have at least two other vehicles that have had similar problems this vehicle is a 2004 toyota highlander.
Let me start by saying I am a die-hard toyota owner, my current vehicle being the 3rd toyota we own. I own a 2004 toyota highlander, v6, 5 speed automatic with awd. This vehicle has a very serious hesitation problem which is dangerous. Upon acceleration from a stop or at speed, there is a very serious lag in throttle response. Many times leaving a stop or accelerating from a slow speed I.e. Parking lot driving, the vehicle will lag with no response, then lurch & accelerate suddenly. Merging into traffic, safe passing, starts at lights and safe driving in parking lots and around pedestrians can be hazardous. Thousands of owners across the nation are affected by this defect. From my recent research it apparently is not restricted to the highlander, but affects many toyota vehicles with "drive by wire" as opposed to mechanical transmission & throttle linkage. I took the vehicle back to the dealer right after my purchase in november of 2004 and was told they could find nothing wrong, now recent research tells me they were well aware of the problem at that time. I love toyota but there methods of dealing with problems like this is deceptive at best and just short of criminal at worst. Please "google" toyota highlander hesitation problem and also visit tundrasolutions.com for more evidence of what I am talking about. Toyota has not devoted enough resources to this problem or a permanent fix would have already been developed. Please contact toyota and urge them to take care of this matter with all the thousands of owners across the u.s. That are having to deal with this matter. I will be following this matter with keen interest to see if anything is being done and am advising aaa of the issues as well as my state and federal representatives. Toyota commands a premium price for what are otherwise exceptional vehicles and their customers and the nations drivers deserve a better more responsible response from toyota.
I have a 2004 toyota highlander with a 3.3l v6 automatic transmission. Within the first week of driving the vehicle that was purchased new from the manufacturer, I noticed that the transmission seemed to hesitate when accelerating at low speeds. The problem persisted and I took the vehicle in for service. The dealer said they could not reproduce the problem or find anything wrong. Now the car has almost 20,000 miles on it, I've taken the car back to the dealer a few times as the hesitation has gotten worse and they continue to tell me there is nothing wrong with the car. I rarely drive the car now since I have come very close to having a major accidents numerous times. In each case, I will try and merge onto a freeway. Going up the ramp (or down) and accelerating to get up to speed, the transmission will delay for 2-3 seconds. I then push the gas pedal down a bit more and the RPM's will shoot up, the car will jerk, and speed ahead. If I don't apply the extra gas, it leaves me in a situation where I might be hit from behind by other cars. When the car jerks ahead, I've come close to slamming into cars ahead of me. I've done some research on the web and have found numerous other toyota owners with this same exact problem. I hope no one has been killed or injured from this defect that toyota is unwilling to address, and that the federal safety agency will investigate this before anyone is killed or injured.
Dt*: the contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission momentarily hesitates before properly selecting the correct gear to engage. The vehicle was taken to the dealership several times for inspection. The dealership mechanic reset the software three times, but this did not correct the problem. Diagnostic testing were performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and sent a representative to inspect the vehicle. The representative drove the vehicle and experienced the hesitation and explained, this is a flaw in the design and the vehicle is free-wheeling. The representative would contact the engineers and try to solve the problem. Updated 03/17/06.
The automatic transmission electronics get confused at street speeds, not allowing me to accelerate, especially when making a left across traffic. I have been nearly t-boned on numerous occasions. I talked to the toyota dealership about a year ago, and the technician said that he was aware of the problem and expects toyota to come up with a software update to fix the problem. Recently, I left a message with the same technician asking what progress has been made, and I received no reply. It is extremely scary to find this 'dead spot' in acceleration. This is our fourth toyota, and might be the last if toyota does not address this accident waiting to happen.
Engine hesitation when accelerating from low speeds; transmission shifts hard at low speeds causing the vehicle to hesitate and then surge when accelerating.
2004 toyota highlander limited developed a hesitation after around 10,000 miles. The hesitation is followed by a head-jerking surge. This situation is very hazardous when attempting to make a right or left-hand turn, or fast acceleration merge, in high traffic situations. I am very concerned about my 15-yr-old twins who are learning to drive in this vehicle. I don't understand why this issue has not been addressed by the federal safety agency considering the very large number of complaints about this issue, here and on the web. Are you waiting for a death? My dealer says there is nothing they can do.
2004 toyota highlander automatic transmission had experienced a dangerous hesitation while trying to downshift. *mr
My 2004 toyota highlander v6 (3.3l with 5-speed transmission) has an intermittent fault where the automatic transmission will abrubtly drop down a gear (or gears) while simultaneously trying to accelerate creating a sensation like it is bucking or porpousing. Usuall stepping off of the accelerator is sufficient to eliminate the bucking sensation. This has occured since I purchased the vehicle new in august 2004.
At apprx. 13000 miles on a 2004 toyota highlander, noticed increasingly rough shifting from the automatic transmission. Vehicle often hesitates when shifting, then surges into next gear, causing unpredictable ride. Throughout the gears, vehicle seems to be hunting for gears, upshifting & downshifting at odd times, causing a rough, unpredictable ride. Took it back to the dealer and they 'recalibrated' the tranmission, however, this didn't seem to rectify the problem.
At 12 months and 13,000 miles, noticed 2004 toyota highlander to have transmission problems. During shifting, transmission often hesitates and then suddenly surges into next gear, causing inability to predict vehicle performance. Throughout driving, transmission feels like its hunting for gears, frequently shifting at odd times, causing a rough, unpredictable ride.
I own a 2004 highlander limited, v6, 5-speed automatic. When decelerating and then accelerating, there is a 1 to 2 second hesitation before the car moves again. This happens every time. This inaction by the vehicle is a safety hazard, especially when merging onto a fast-moving freeway. Note: this hesitation does not occur if you come to a complete stop. I did a web search to see if anyone else experienced the same problem, and I found a lot of complaints (you need to add "web search" to your "source" list below). So it's not just my vehicle. This design fault is evident on all toyotas with the 3.3 liter, 5-speed automatic. Evidently the lexus es330 and rx330 have the same problem. I also have a friend with a 2004 sienna that has the same problem. When I took my car into the toyota dealership to complain, they said it was the electronically-controlled transmission, and that "it was designed that way." I asked about reprogramming the flash memory of the controller involved and they said there was no updated software, there was nothing they could do. So, I guess it's up to you to get toyota to do something. I see here on your site, that there have been a lot of other similar complaints. This is a repeatable, measurable system fault. Just take a toyota highlander with a v6 out for a drive. Then slow down a bit, then accelerate as you would normally. The car will hesitate. Every time. Now do this while you're merging onto a fast-moving freeway. When it hesitates, you'll do an "oh,?!@#$%" and accelerate harder, at which point the transmission will hesitate slightly again, then shift down. The engine will rev up and you'll roar out onto the freeway like an idiot. Please. Do something about this before someone gets hurt, if it hasn't happened already.
We purchased a 2004 v6/5 speed auto 2wd toyota highlander in june, 04. It has a hesitation problem which creates a safety hazard. It loses power for several seconds after decelerating and re- accelerating to change lanes or make left turns, thereby exposing a powerless, decelerating car to oncoming traffic. Have taken the car to the dealer twice. They claim it is a design problem, they cannot fix. They say it occurs as a result of the adaptive learning algorithm in the engine/transmission package. Check the edmonds town hall by searching for "hesitation" and you'll find it reported since 12/03 by highlander, camry, solara, lexus rx330 and lexus camry equivalent owners all having gotten no commitment by toyota to fix it. This is a safety hazard as described by the classical definitions. It occurs frequently (in most vehicles and in normal operation, and more than a few of the occurrences will expose the occupants to severe personal injury. Toyota claims the hesitation is "normal" because all the highlanders on the lot do it--which only reinforces the high frequency estimate. For whatever reason, they are not addressing this issue with anything other than an offer to have a toyota rep confirm your car has it and then to take the issue to arbitration. Its time for you to investigate, before serious injuries or deaths occur. If we can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Jim mullen. *ak
Power steering and brakes failed while driving the 2004 toyota highlander. I have previously filed a complaint here and with toyota about the car cutting out between 20 and 30 MPH which is dangerous in traffic. The hesitation is more prevalent now with 10,000 miles on the vehicle even though at 700 miles it was infuriating not knowing if you were safe trying to merge into traffic or make a left turn. I don't understand how this company can sell unsafe cars and be allowed to cheat the people who paid for them. When the power steering and brakes failed the car had to be towed of course. How long before someone holds toyota responsible for these problems? How do individuals fight large foreign companies? Isn't it this agency's job to make sure american consumers are safe and treated fairly?
Safety concern with 2004 toyota highlander transmission. *bf the consumer stated that the vehicle shifts in a hesitation mode then surges. The vehicle takes a long time to shift from first to second gear. *tc
2004 toyota highlander hesitation in the transmission. Dealer said it was "normal", but I see complaints have been filed and the federal safety agency is contemplating a formal investigation. My highlander hesitates every time I remove my foot from the gas and quickly reapply it. In some conditions, it happens as I'm decelerating and press the gas. Also, periodically, the transmission will jump back and forth between gears as though the vehicle doesn't know which gear to be in.
I own a 2004 toyota highlander limited v6 awd. The car has extremely dangerious performance characteristics which will be the cause of many accidents. There is an unexpected and varying degree of lag in acceleration when trying to acclerate to merge on highways or to make turns across oncoming traffic. This is a severe and dangerous problem which will lead to loss of life. The dealer says it is "just a characteristic of the car" and nothing can be done. This kind of "characteristic" is too dangerous to just accept that nothing can be done. This is an unacceptable and dangerous problem!
My 2004 toyota highlander makes a terrible humming / moaning sound on acceleration that resonates within the vehicles and disturbs the driver. The problem typically occurs during speeding up from 0 MPH. It is terribly frustrating that a brand new car makes such a annoying sound. It is also hesitates a lot during 20-40 MPH speed range. The vehicle does not respond as it supposed to on acceleration and that too specially while driving within the city. On cantacting the dealer and toyota's national customer service thay said it is designed to be like that and the hesitation is a by-product of computer controlled automatic transmission. Currently there is no fix for this. Am terribly frustrated now and promise to never buy any vehicle from toyota in future. I would also make sure that my friends and relatives does not go near a toyota dealer. I am desperate in getting rid of this vehicle.
When attempting to accelerate to merge with faster moving traffic there is a significant hesitation. I've nearly been hit several times because I just couldn't get up to speed in time. This is a 2004 toyota highlander, v6 awd. I contacted the manufacturer with no results.
The vehicle would not shift properly. *nm the consumers vehicle shifts in a hesitation then surging manner nearly causing accidents. Shifting is very abrupt. The consumer was told that this issue is should be directed to the manufacturer.
I have a 2004 toyota highlander, v6, fwd. The transmission seems to downshift somewhat unexpectedly, but worse, when I need to accelerate quickly such as merging in to traffic on and interstate highway, there is a hesitation or lag before the vehicle starts to accelerate. This problem started when we purchased the vehicle in april and happens on a continuing basis.
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