You are currently viewing our community as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our Member Supported community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload photos, content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.
HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "2004 Highlander - Vibration Woes", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
Hi everyone...First post on this excellent forum. I'm looking for some advise from the pros. before I visit my dealer. This dealer happens to be famous for saying a problem either doesn' exist or is normal for the vehicle. I hope to be armed with information.
After mulling over getting a new Highlander for almost 2 yrs I finally broke down and traded my beloved 97' Camry LE V6 on a new fully loaded AWD Limited. I test drove several Highlanders before making my choice, closed the deal at $250.00 below invoice and drove home happy as a pig in S..t. It was raining at the time so I didn't hear anything strange. As I backed out of my garage later that day for the first real drive I noticed a very low frequency noise (vibration) that I could also feel in the steering wheel. I put it in neutral and the noise stopped. Back in reverse and it was there again. Once I started forward and gave it a little throttle the noise went away again. When I approach a stop sign (near idle) or stop completely with the car still in gear the vibration appears. Sometimes it is just annoying but occasionally it is just short of ear shattering. It seems to get quieter after the engine and transmission have warmed up a bit. On a few occasions the vibration continued even when I put it in neutral and just let it idle. This vibration is a very low frequency tone and I'm sure it is the natural resonant frequency of the vehicle body because I get the same frequency sound when ever I hit small bumps, concrete joints or general rough spots in the road. I've read a few posts on edmunds with some owners having the identical problem but so far I haven't heard of any solutions. Toyota doesn't seem to be responding and some of the dealers are claiming the vibration is normal. Believe me when I say there is nothing "normal" about this sound. Sometimes it literally rattles the sides of the car and causes the rear view mirror to vibrate. Some other posters have suggested either a defective transmission or defective engine mounts as a possible cause. Any thoughts would be very much welcome and appreciated.
what you are experiencing is not "normal" in that you dont pay that much money for something, then find it sounds like it'll come apart, and "ear shattering" isn't normal even if it's a ford .
some information from a friend of mine who works in the auto industry and spends a lot of time on import racing forums passed this bit of info along...the damper portion of your engine mounts is tuned to soak up harmonics in a certain range, and apparently part of this tuning is the amount of compression through the soft center of the three-piece mount, adjustable via a bolt. i've seen this on my mounts, dunno what it's like on the highlander, and i wouldnt recommend messing with it. however, i would contact toyota corporate customer service, and recommend that the other owners with the same problem do the same, as the dealerships are quick to cite "normality", whereas toyota corporate customer service reports have a much greater chance of eventually reaching the engineers, and hopefully becoming TSBs or redesigns.
liquid-filled engine mounts will soak up even more vibration from the drivetrain, however this is something toyota needs to address, not the consumer. if the transmission is fine and toyota won't help you, look for a liquid-filled engine mount--i suggest this as a last resort, and only because you mentioned it seems like a resonant frequency of the vehicle, ie it's "normal" as a resonant frequency, and it's "normal" for the engine to produce that frequency, but abnormal that you should feel the harmonics, that's what the center portion of the engine mounts are supposed to address.
Thanks for that reply. The Highlander is supossed to have "active control motor mounts" that are intended to reduce or eliminate the transmission of drive train vibration to the cabin. I'm not sure if this system is computer controlled or some type of vacuum assist arrangement. Based on you're information it leads me to suspect there is a possibility that a problem exists within this system. It at least gives me a solid starting point when I visit my dealer. If I'm lucky I can at least get them to test and varify that the active control system is within Toyota's specifications.
I just bought a 2004 with a 4 cyl. and I'm getting a vibration at idle and it gets more pronounced when I place it in the Reverse gear. I am going back to the Dealer Monday to get them to take a look. They have told me that my model does not have the liquid-filled motor mounts and that an adjustment is not possible. I will let you know what I find out.
Sounds like you have the same problem as I do. As an update, I took my Highlander to the dealer and of coarse Murphey's Law took hold with a vengance. There was nothing I could do to make the car vibrate. I couldn't believe it! Just the night before my wife and I were backing out of the driveway and the vibration was insane. My wife just looked at me and said, wow!, if only the dealer could be sitting here now. She is normally oblivious to car sounds and the like. This car vibrates 95% of the time but just refused to misbehave in front of the dealer. I left the car with them for the day and the service tech tried it at least 5 times throughout the day with no luck. When I drove it home it was smooth and quiet until I got home. Then it started vibrating again as I was pulling into my driveway.
I did walk away with a small degree of satisfaction with the dealers attitude. The customer relations manager and the service tech both agreed that if something is vibrating enough to cause my rear view mirror to shake then it is definately not normal for this vehicle. Even though they could not physically verify the condition, the Customer relations Manager said his action item would be to call his district service manager and get their opinion as to a possible cause or direction to take. He would keep the incident in my file as unresolved and the vibration complaint would be on record. The service tech said he wasn't familiar with the active motor mount system and was going to research the topic in Toyota's technical service literature to learn more about it. At least they appeared to be genuine in their interest in resolving the issue. They suggested that I just drive in without an appointment whenever the car is acting up so they can get a better feel for what I'm dealing with.
I'm anxious to hear what your dealers position is on your vehicle.
Pretty much as I thought. They test drove it and said they didn't feel any unusual shaking. I explained to them that it wasn't a shake but a vibration but to no avail. I'm convinced on warranty work that it has to be something pretty significant before they are going to agree there is a problem. The first thing they asked me was the check engine light on which is what they base their potential problem indicator on. I said that for a vibration it's not likely going to trip something for the check engine light to come on. Bottom line, they documented that I came in to have it checked and that they could not replicate the problem. I will see if the intensity increases and if so take it back it in. Good luck dealing with your dealer.
Update after last dealer visit - I'll try to keep it short.
I scheduled another visit with the dealer to get to the bottom of this vibration issue. I drove my Highlander to the dealership and left it the evening before so it would be a fresh cold start when the tech checked it out.
The next morning the tech and I started it up and put it in reverse. The vibration started right on cue. Although it was not nearly as loud as usual it was clearly heard and felt. The tech said it did not sound normal to him and he would like to take it for the day and dig in deeper. I agreed. Also, as he promised, he did his homework on the "active engine mount" system. He connected his diagnostic tool to the car and was able to turn the motor mount system off and on at will. When turned off, a vibration could be felt in the steering wheel but it was not the same low frequency loud vibration that causes my ears to hurt and my mirror to vibrate.
Later that day, the service writer called me and said the tech definitely hears the issues I described and would like to keep it one more night to home in on a solution. The service writer went on to say, "rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this and get it solved". I was quite happy at that point. They agreed there is a problem and they are optimistic about getting it fixed. What more could I ask for!
The following day I received another call from the service writer. In a somewhat nervous tone he said he was sorry but they have concluded that they cannot find anything abnormal with the vehicle. I was pissed to say the least. I reminded him that his technician heard only a mild version of the problem and immediately determined that it was abnormal. At no time had any of their personal heard the problem in its worst-case scenario. I asked why they had made such a sudden change in attitude about the issue. He gave me some lame excuse related to the tech possibly misdiagnosing the original problem and then, in what appeared to be an after thought, he said they had the factory technical rep stop by and look at it. The factory guy declared the vehicle to be normal (without hearing the actual problem).
I immediately drove to the dealer to pay a visit to the operations manager. After conveying my frustration to him about all that had happened he asked me what I would like to happen. I replied that I would like one of the following to happen in this order of preference:
1 – Fix the problem (I like the vehicle)
2 – Exchange the vehicle
3 – Buy the Highlander back
He explained that since the factory rep classified the vehicle as normal there was nothing more they would do to attempt a repair. He then told me to wait a few minuets and he would check stock to get me a replacement vehicle. Again I was beginning to feel relieved. Just then the operations manager, service manger and the general manager went into a closed-door meeting. After 20 minuets they returned and the general manager handed me a post-it note with Toyota’s “Customer Assistance Center” number scratched on it and said Toyota would have to handle it from here on.
When I called the Customer Assistance Center I was told again that since the factory rep claimed he could find nothing abnormal with the vehicle, I would have to file a claim and take it to arbitration to get a decision rendered.
This is just wrong! First they tell me they agree there is a problem, then they change their mind. Next they tell me they will exchange the vehicle, and then change their mind. This is not the Toyota I have been used to dealing with over the past 15 years.
I have no option but to go on to arbitration and request that Toyota buy the vehicle back. The results will hinge upon how severe the vibration happens to be when the arbitrator actually checks the vehicle out. If I loose at this point I will be looking for opinions as to the best way to get out of the vehicle with minimum financial loss. Sell it? Trade it away? Etc. It appears to me that the dealership discussed the situation and essentially rushed me to arbitration before I went back a third time for repair, which begins to build a case for Indiana lemon law.
"The cheese is only free inside the mousetrap"
Green V6 2wd highlander
(alarm,wheel locks,vin number on windows options)
Manik Full Front Guard
Manik Rear Guard
Manik Side steps
Velvet seat covers
Chrome Exhaust Tip
Hyper White xenon bulbs
Tint 20% rear, 30% front
03 Sequoias have vibrations also, from either the front wheel bearings or the front differential. We get the same crap from the dealer. "Oh, that's normal".
I can't believe they can look me in the eye after saying that.
I think the solution is to create a "toyotanoise" website that collects signatures from everyone who has and has NOT had the problem, simply to establish that the noises aren't "normal." Noise and no noise can't both be normal.
It's so glaringly obvious that they just want to avoid fixing the problem.
Nice idea. If you start that "toyotanoise website" I'll be the first to sign up. I don't recall the vibration problem occuring on 03 Highlanders. I wonder if it is related to the coupling of the new 5 speed transmission no some models. We'll never know until toyota agrees it's a problem. Toyota sent me the paperwork to submit for arbitration but others have tried and lost. I have to wait until the wheather is cooler because the vibration is then stronger and lasts longer. I've also been considering trading mine away on a Volvo XC70 station wagon as they are offering incredible price reductions on the remaining 04 stock.
"The cheese is only free inside the mousetrap"
Green V6 2wd highlander
(alarm,wheel locks,vin number on windows options)
Manik Full Front Guard
Manik Rear Guard
Manik Side steps
Velvet seat covers
Chrome Exhaust Tip
Hyper White xenon bulbs
Tint 20% rear, 30% front
Tom,
I think you have several options you can pursue:
First, your car comes with a 3/36,000 warranty unless you upgraded. It might be a pain in the ***, but you can continue to bring it into them every day until they do something about it. The more you pester, the more they will respond. Escalate it to letters to district Toyota Officers and beyond.
Second, how long exactly have you had the car and after exactly how many days did you lodge your first complaint with the dealership?
I'm asking because the only way you are going to get something done is to press the issue hard ASAP.
Contact your state Attorney General's office to begin paperwork under the Lemon Law. They will most likely have a very thorough, step by step protocol to light a fire under the dealer.
I would continue to seek every avenue possible until you are satisified. I have an 04' Highlander, and I previously had a 99' 4Runner, and 2 celicas prior to that. And, just like your Camry, I never had any significant issues with any of them, nevermind a vibration with a brand new car.
2004 Highlander - Vibration Woes
.
