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HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "How many have hesitation issue???", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
I have a 2005 Highlander on order and should be picking it up in about 5 weeks. I have heard more and more about this transmission hesitation problem. It appears to be with the 4cylinder and v6. From what I have read Toyota knows its an issue but offers no fix.
How many of you have this issue?
Should I think about another vehicle? Or is this only 1 in a 1000 vehicles?
"I have the 4-cylinder and have followed this thread closely. No one in this forum with a 4-cylinder has noted the hesitation problem. The 4-cylinder has traditional throttle (not by wire) and a different transmission than the V6. People don't always identify which version they have, but I believe both FWD-owners and AWD-owners with the V6 have experienced the hesitation problem."
I thought that the 2005 4 cylinder now DOES have the throttle by wire??
When you reply please let us all know what engine and trans you have.
not aware of a definitive test, but would suggest the freeway on ramp...brake quickly to 10 mph, then floor it while steering towards the left lanes.
It might be advisable to do this when on coming traffic doesn’t put you at risk & when road conditions are dry.
IMO all automatic trans have varying degrees of "hesitation."
I suspect the Highlander does not have great emergency handling characteristics in general, but this can be compensated with a less aggressive driving style. For myself, I feel safe and have reasonable control in the NE driving conditions. I had to work a bit to get it to fish tail in the snow. Not too shabby on un plowed roads as well.
'05 V6 2WD--absolutely instant response in all situations. 5500 miles. I wish my '03 E Mercedes 5 speed would drop to a lower gear as quickly. Did you test drive one? It's one of the more responsive combinations I have driven in highway or town. Whether ours is the one or the 999, I have to wonder if this is really widespread or an internet phenomenon. Throttle by wire is not new. I have 3 cars with it currently: Highlander, Cooper S, and E Class, and it's better than a rod or cable as far as I'm concerned.
__________________
Jim
'06 Avalon Limited
'06 Lexus RX 400h
I think it is important to get to know the limitations of any car you drive. Hence at what speed can you take a sharp corner. Fish tailing happened at a speed / acceleration that I wouldn’t normally drive my family at.
Yes snow handling was good to excellent, but I didn’t feel it was necessary to test at 80 mph as I know I won’t drive at that speed in that condition. In fact for me to travel at that speed, in any wheather, a lot of things have to be perfect. May be a little more than with other cars I have driven.
One thing to remember is that this a SUV like car with a high center of gravity, it just isn’t a sports car and wont handle like one. So don’t drive it like one and everything will be fine.
As far as hesitation, there is a slight amount, but nothing I cant compensate for.
Not pronounced by any means.
but then i dont WOT too often.
(I drive an 04 lmtd)
I own a 2005 V6, 2WD and have only had the "hesitation" occur once; and that was during the test drive. I thought so little of it that I still bought the car without a second thought. Glad I did, because it does appear to be a phenomena that only occurs in very specific circumstances (fairly aggressive acceleration with a slight turn, after braking from highway speeds to a near stop).
For what it's worth, I have seen a lot of threads about the hesitation issue on several different forums and none have been reported by a 4 cylinder owner.
I notice the tranny can't make up its mind between 2nd and 3rd gears when accelerating. This only came up in the past three weeks though, but maybe it's because of my own throttle modulation.
At first the dealership told me that it was a drive by wire system, all toyota have it, and there was nothing they could do. I took a copy of the article to the dealership and then they did the reflash.
It is better but I am still very caucious about attempting to switch lanes at highway speeds. The hesitation is definity still there.
Come on Toyota get you act together and fix it. If this was an american company, they would have been battered all over all the forums.
BTW, the heated seats suck. Had them replaced and they still suck.
I have an 05 with 5 speed auto. I thought there was a problem with this vehicle right after I bought it. The dealer says there is absolutely nothing wrong with the vehicle. Claim it is the same engine and tranny as the Camry. Well I have NEVER drove a Camry, or any other car, that is such a chore to drive as my Highlander.
The trans hunts and downshifts weird. It is pure HELL in stop and go traffic. The damn thing lunges forward when stopping, when it downshifts, so you have to brake harder or slam into the car in front. It is nearly impossible to come to a smooth stop. I started using the Snow/Traction feature. That seems to help some but the hesitation is worse when the feature is on. The hesitation was so bad the other day the power steering also cut out. I was like the engine shut down completely for a second or two.
If I weren't upside in this vehicle I would get rid of it tomorrow.
How many have hesitation issue???
Linear Mode
