Problems with 2004 Toyota Highlander POWER TRAIN

Transmission jumps at different speeds. *tr

Vehicle was driven normally and parked. while parked, owner noticed small leak under front axle, investigated and leak appeared to be transmission fluid or antifreeze. owner drove vehicle next day, parked and noticed leak was larger. owner took vehicle to dealer next morning and was told the head gasket was failing. dealer said alternatives were to repair head gasket ($3200+), replace engine or buy another vehicle. owner declined repair and took vehicle to independent mechanic, who confirmed head gasket leak and recommended either sealant ($250) or head gasket repair ($1200). owner chose sealant. about four days after sealant fix, owner was driving vehicle and stopped at a starbucks drive-through. minutes into the wait, the vehicles temp gauge began to climb rapidly. owner revved engine and temp declined. owner drove vehicle home and inspected engine, discovered coolant had begun to spray from overflow reservoir. owner let vehicle cool. next day, owner drove vehicle at modest speed across town, watching the temp gauge. temp would increase incrementally, then decline, but no overheating appeared. third day, owner did same, but this time, as owner approached his home, the temp ...

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. the contact stated that the smell of burning oil was emitted from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the transmission oil bearing seal needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 85,250. updated 08/08/2012 *js

Hesitation during auto transmission gear changes. engine revs very high then changes gears. *tr

Toyota highlander 2004 6 cyl awd - last may squealing noise coming from back of the car. made it to a toyota dealer and found out it was the rear differential. took 4 days and over $1200 to fix. this week, noise coming from front of the car. continued to get worse. took to toyota dealer and was informed it was the drive shaft - so far out of alignment needs to be replaced? just had it at the same dealer for maintenance 3 weeks ago - said nothing. this will cost $1300. searching internet and finding i'm not alone, but no recall. what gives with these cars? *tr

Car hesitates and suddenly surges forward. the is the 2nd time this has occurred in the past 3 months. the first time was near my garage and fortunately the car only traveled several feet forward before hitting the corner of the garage and coming to a stop. last sunday, i was leaving a parking lot. i was turning left when the car hesitated and suddenly surged forward at a rapid speed. before i was able to regain control, the car had traveled approximately 20-25 feet forward, ran up on a median and crashed into a tree. i called the police about filing a report but as it occurred on private property, they declined. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota highlander. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph and depressing the accelerator, the vehicle was hesitant to respond. the failure would occur most prominently when the vehicle was first started. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 91,000 and current mileage is 93,000.

My 2004 toyota highlander v6 at time has very rough shifts. the transmissions seems to hesitate and lag when i try to accelerate during normal driving speeds. this has happened when i was going 20 to 60. *tr

S10 appropriate handling re complaint against toyota motor corporation and jay wolfe toyota of west county fm owner of a 2004 toyota highlander. *tgw after driving the vehicle for a few weeks, it became apparent there was a problem with the shifting with the automatic transmission. the condition was most noticeable during sharp acceleration periods. the engine would rev up, but it did not gain speed relative to the amount of pressure applied to the accelerator. the engine would sound as if it was under stress and it would then shift with a severe jolt. the dealer informed the consumer toyota was aware of the transmission flaw, but there was no fix. the consumer has since traded the vehicle.

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 nhtsa 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 ...

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........*cn

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.*tw

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. *tr

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 ...

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. *tr