moonroof will not stay closed

cmurf · #1 (**permalink**) 05-14-2009, 12:19 AM

while driving my 2002 highlander the other day i heard a loud bang, sounded like something hitting the car. when I tried to close the moonroof it ALMOST closes than opens up again about 1/4 of the way. almost like a garage door with something stuck under it. any suggestions for cause or fix????

LifeTech · #2 (**permalink**) 05-14-2009, 07:21 PM

Did in fact something hit the car??? What loud noise did yu hear??

Did a bird or debris fly into the the open sunroof's track mechanism. Were yu driving highway or local slow speed?
Could be a fallen branch stuck in the sunroof track!

Not enough info. here.
The sunroof does have a failsafe to prevent caught hands from getting stuck. Just as the power windows have this feature. Is the loud bang directly related to the problem in your opinion?

Seems that something is jamming the track of the SR. that's why it opens 1/4 ways.

LT

cmurf · #3 (**permalink**) 05-15-2009, 12:26 PM

I am not positive if something did hit the car but it sounded like something hitting glass (could have been moonroof, although it was open) I have looked as much as I can for something lodged it in and see nothing. I am not sure if this is the same problem other people have described withthe cables fraying or breaking. I have tried holding the switch for the moonroof and it will ALMOST close and stay there, so it is drivealble even in the rain but real noisy with the wind whipping through the small opening. I dont know if this is enough info yet to describe the problem.

cmurf · #4 (**permalink**) 05-15-2009, 12:28 PM

I was driving on a local road at the time of the BANG, probably 40-50mph but I am not positive the noise and the moonroof problem are connected,

LifeTech · #5 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 09:52 AM

Maybe the noise yu heard was one of the two cables snapping.

LT

cmurf · #6 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 10:09 PM

If it was a cable snapping is there a way for me to check, and or fix it. I am close to the point where if i can close it all the way i don't need to ever open it again

LifeTech · #7 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 09:09 AM

Yu need the service manual and need to take things apart. Not very easy for even a DIY. Very time consuming.

To begin ...yu def. need the manual in any event.

LifeTech · #8 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 09:16 AM

Did yu try resetting the Sunroof switch??

Also...this may help...from the serv manual:

Look into page 74-2("Failsafe function") of the "Inspection"!
Yu have all the Toyota info available here.
Good luck.

LT

cmurf · #9 (**permalink**) 06-15-2009, 09:28 AM

LifeTech, thanks for all the help, I am not sure what the odds of it happening but a pebble actually got stuck down the track of the moonroof while the car was moving and was causing the moonroof to act as if there was a hand or some other blockage to the moonroof. a very bright light a thin metal rod and some sticky tape. problem solved

steamenergy · #10 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 10:25 PM

I had nearly the same problem with my 06 Highlander. No loud noise, just one day the moonroof refused to close. Bummer in the

or

The moonroof would keep reversing, not allowing it to shut. I could only "inch" it closed by tapping the control switch. I did the following:

1. "Inch" the moonroof closed by tapping the switch.
2. Reset the control switch to Manual mode by holding the moonroof switch in the closed position until it tilts up, continue to hold for 10 seconds. Now it is in Manual mode (you have to hold the switch to make it move in either direction).
3. Now that I had manual control, I opened it up and carefully cleaned the tracks, the rubber seal around the glass, the painted exterior roof parts where the seal rubs, the wind deflector especially where it contacts the glass, etc, with a paper towel dampened with a mild cleaner (I used Trader Joes Cedarwood and Sage). This definitely removed some grit and grime.
4. Then I greased the "ramp" part of the wind deflector with a thin film of lithium grease. I did not grease the aluminum tracks as they did not appear to have any OEM grease on them and I didn't want to collect dirt there. I found it helpful to move the glass around at will in the manual mode.
5. I applied Armorall to the rubber seal all the way around the glass.
6. Lastly I returned the control to Automatic so that one push opens or closes the window: Open the moonroof, then hold the switch in the closed position until it goes through this entire cycle: closes, tilts up, tilts down, opens, closes once more... then continue to hold for 2 more seconds. Now it's back in Automatic.
7. Voila! it works!

So I'm not really sure if cleaning or resetting the switch fixed it but it was a good opportunity for a little maintenance that I wouldn't of thought about normally!

Thanks for help, cmurf, leading me to this thread, and to LifeTech for getting me started and the OEM repair manual pages of instructions.

Now where did those TSB's go I hear others talking about?