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HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "Acceleration Hesitation", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
my highlander is green and it has 4500 miles on it. i read in some forum about the hesitation when slowing down from say 50mph, down to 10-20mph while turning. i experience it always wherein when its down to 10-20mph, and step on the gas pedal, i can feel the hesitation (dont know it terminolgy is correct). it feels like it wont respond, but when it does it takes off so fast.
according to local toyota service manager, he also knows its happening in camrys.. you guys know the solution to this yet?
From all the research I've done, it is a inherent problem with the Highlanders and Camry's.
My question to you would be when you get to the 10-20mph range, do you put the pedal to the floor, or do you ease into the accelerator?
I'm assuming you put the pedal to the floor, but I'm interested in your response.
Then maybe I can elaborate further.
no i dont floor it. but when i feel like its not responding i kinda hit the gas pedal a little bit more till i feel it responding. there is this GAP that i feel and is dangerous especially when trying to accelerate or entering a high speed street. both the serv mgr and toyota said it problably is due to gas electronic throttle in these 6cyl highlander and camry's?
OK, if you put it to the floor, I could see a problem with the hesitation.
But with easing into it, I thought you wouldn't have this problem.
I agree with the mechaincs that it's part of the electronic throttle, but I wouldn't put up with it.
I know all cars have a little quirk or two, but this sounds annoying.
One of the many problems on the Highlanders that's keeping me from purchasing one.
I have tried a couple of times on our 2wd 04 limited (2,500 miles) to find the hesitation that everyone is talking, but with no luck. I tried slowing down quickly and then accelerate quickly like I was passing. There is a very brief pause as the transmission selects the correct gear, but I don't find this unusual. It does tend to rocket some. I am sure my kids will enjoy this when they start driving. My previous car was a rwd with a turbo. Turbos are know for lag time as the turbo spools-up. So far I haven't found anything as dramatic as others are claiming. However, I have not tried flooring it while making a sharp turning...not something I anxious to try. So far I rate the Highlander two 's up.
Me being one of the few speed demons on the forum i know what u mean, like say ur in traffic and u slow down and cut into another lane by cutting off someone, and want to make a quick getaway. You step on the gas and it doesn't do nothing for a few seconds and then u get kicked back in your seat as you get a quick burst of acceleration. Its eather caused by a change of gear or the time it takes for the gas to ignite after u pushed the pedal. Ever try it from a standstill? It feels like ur standing still for an eternity before you move. Iv noticed if i start in 2 and floor it to like 4500 and switch into D there is no delay.
"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
I am a new member to the club and recently got a 2004 V6 HL. I have been reading this hestitation problem of the HL and RX330 from this club, Lexusowner club and nhtsa.gov website. From my experience, I had the same problem with my 2002 Honda when I got it initially. I have discovered from the odyclub that this could be an emission problem when the fuel cap is not close tight. Especially when I have to go to NJ to fill up gas that come with full service, they usually do not close it with couple clicks. The solution is to close it tight with couple clicks and drive for 30 min, and it will restore the emission setting of the computer, or remove the fuse to the computer for 15 sec.
One other thing I would like to ask everyone related to jroll204's RPM problem. When I drive the HL on highway at 2000RPM, I got only 63mph. Compares with my Odyssey, I got 72mph. Since both vehicles have 5 speed trans, is this normal to everyone' HL.
Even though both cars have a 5 spd transmissions, it might not be the same manufacturer, and or gearing ratio of 5th gear.
You can find this info buried out in the specifications.
I found three different 5 spds transmissions used on the '04 Highlanders
Our RX330 had the problem so bad that it was dangerous. I complained about it each time I took it for service. Finally, after two years and 20,000 miles, I sold the POS. Toyota can't make 5 speeds apparently. My next ride will be BMW.
Both of our Toyotas are 5 speeds, both exceptionally smooth with no hesitation. While they are great cars typically, you might want to read about aluminum subframe issues on the BMW Z-8 since they are also being used on the new 5 and 6 BMWs.
__________________
Jim
'06 Avalon Limited
'06 Lexus RX 400h
My 2006 V6 HL does have a hesitation issue - fairly easy to recreate. Slow down to about 30mph by taking foot off gas. When Speedo registers between 25-30 mph, try to accelerate (gently or rapidly makes no difference). The transmission thinks for about a second , then slams into second gear and rockets you forward.
I saw a post in a different forum that seems to make sense. Apparently, in the interest of fuel economy, Toyota prevents engine braking in 5 speed transmissions by preventing downshifting into second when you slow down (engine braking is achieved by increasing compression ratio, thereby slowing vehicle down, but burning more fuel). So when you are ready to hit the gas, the transmission is not in the right gear, and takes a while to downshift. This is also apparent when you lightly touch your brakes while coasting in first gear. Most vehicles slow down due to braking + increased engine compression, but the HL seems to freewheel, giving you a feeling of suddenly shifting to neutral. What actually happened is the HL 5 speed up-shifted to second, to save gas, instead of keeping you in first.
I agree this can be annoying and in my opinion poor engineering, but I seem to have gotten used to it.
My 2006 V6 HL does have a hesitation issue - it's fairly easy to recreate. Slow down to about 30mph by taking foot off gas. When Speedo registers between 25-30 mph, try to accelerate (gently or rapidly makes no difference). The transmission thinks for about a second , then slams into second gear and rockets you forward.
I saw a post in a different forum that seems to make sense. Apparently, in the interest of fuel economy, Toyota prevents engine braking in 5 speed transmissions by preventing downshifting into second when you slow down (engine braking is achieved by increasing compression ratio by downshifting, thereby slowing vehicle down, but also burning more fuel). So when you are ready to hit the gas, the transmission is not in the right gear, and takes a while to downshift. This is also apparent when you lightly touch your brakes while coasting in first gear. Most vehicles slow down due to braking + increased engine compression, but the HL seems to freewheel, giving you a feeling of suddenly shifting to neutral. What actually happened is the HL 5 speed up-shifted to second, to save gas, instead of keeping you in first.
I agree this can be annoying and in my opinion poor engineering, but I seem to have gotten used to it
This hesitation issue exists on almost all Toyota, including Lexus obviously, automobiles with 5 speed automatic transmissions. There’s no point for me to list them all. Our family has experienced this issue on previous Toyota/Lexus cars that we owned, but we do not anymore.
The issue is not with the transmission hardware itself, but with the ECU, which controls the shift points, when to shift, how hard to shift, etc. Which is why T/L release firmware updates to try to alleviate the issue.
Fortunately my previous car had a fairly large aftermarket following. A large community who were DIY’s, troubleshooters, and able to successfully overcome this hesitation issue. There were three major elements to the solution.
1.) Resetting the ECU, clearing the short and long term maps.
2.) Firmware update from Lexus.
3.) Grounding Kit. (I know many will scoff at the grounding kit, but there were solid results pertaining to this issue. No results related to performance obviously.)
After these were applied, I didn’t experience a shift hesitation once since.
The biggest change “we” feel was the ECU reset. That cleared the mappings that were created by the behavior of how I drove my vehicle. Why do I say we? It started when my brother, a mechanic at a dealership noticed that all the loaner/demo vehicles did not hesitate at all. In fact all of the shifted perfectly; firm, smooth, and quick. What’s the biggest difference between a loaner and your own car? They get beat on the second someone starts driving from day one. With this constant aggressive driving habit, we guess the car anticipated shifts very well and very quickly. What’s also different? They aren’t “broken in”. Now this term “broken in” is subjective to many, but essentially what I mean is baby the car for the 1st 1000 miles or so. During this period, people tend to drive slow, try to vary speed of a 5 mph delta, drive like a grandma essentially. Then when the 1000 mile marker passes, you drive normally. Around here, this means pretend your driving in Nascar to get to work. But the car does not respond to what you expect it to do. It hesitates from the 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gear up shifts. It hunts when you want to downshift or upshift when you are low cruising speeds.
We believe the long term mappings still had the “breaking in” timings set when to properly up shift to the next gear. Now that these since these mappings are set during the break in period, the Nascar style driving will be hindered.
Solution? Reset the ECU and create new maps again. There are a few ways, pull the fuse, remove the negative terminal for 30 min or then step on the brake to drain the charge. Either of these will reset the ECU, ODBII ECU’s…
Then drive normally, infact drive a bit aggressively for the about two tank fulls, 300-500 miles. We estimated that’s when most maps are set. We performed this will all of our cars including my 2005 Highlander and they all shift perfectly fine.
The firmware update for my previous car did eliminate the hesitation to a degree, but not completely. It just wasn’t as severe or frequent afterwards.
The grounding kit did eliminate it for some people, but we feel it’s mostly due to the fact that the battery must be disconnected during installation. We do get smoother idles and slightly better mpg afterwards. I plan to put in a custom kit in my Highlander once the weather gets better.
For the people who are experiencing this issue, I would suggest to reset your ECU and try this. It won’t hurt, if you know how to safely disconnect a battery. You may lose your saved radio stations and memory seat settings and what not, but nothing dire.
04 6awd higlander hesitation
's up.
