New 2010 HL AWD SE Reverse issues

[boozereddy]

Hi,

I just bought a 2010 HL AWD SE this weekend. I love this vehicle. It is awesome. However I have noticed some minor glitches while driving over the weekend. Please let me know if these or normal:

- While reversing the vehicle backs a bit and stops on flat surfaces. I have to pedal the gas for it to move back. I had and eclipse previously and I never had to step on gas while reversing unless I park it on a slope. Is this normal? I never drove any Toyota before so want to make sure.

- Also on uphill the car goes backward. I thought any non stick-shift car will have enough power so that it does not go backward. Is Toyota's initial RPM very low.

Please let me know. Appreciate your replies.

[TrailDust]

First things first, to Toyota Nation!

I've never encountered difficulty backing up with my HL, but perhaps other members have encountered your issue. As for hills, the HL has a hill-assist feature to prevent it from rolling backward on any hill. You can check out your owners manual for info, but in short while sitting on a hill you depress your brake pedal deeply and firmly until the hill assist dashboard light kicks on and a beep sounds. The brakes will be engaged and remain so for several seconds or until you hit the gas.

BTW, if you haven't done so yet you'll want to look through the Modifications & Maintenance sticky and the Common Problems & Solutions sticky too, which are loaded with key information for you. Enjoy!

[R00K]

Sounds like an issue with the Hill Assist:
Hill-start Assist Control temporarily (for approximately a few seconds) applies the brakes to all the wheels in order to prevent the vehicle from rolling when starting on a hill.
Hill-start Assist Control will operate when the brake pedal is further depressed while all of the following
conditions are met.
 Shift lever is in a position other than P
 The accelerator pedal is not depressed
 The vehicle is at a standstill
 The parking brake is not applied

To activate this feature on a hill press the brake pedal hard until you hear a beep and the "slip indicator" lights up on the instrument cluster (bottom of the tach gauge). The feature will keep the brakes applied for a few seconds after you take your foot off the brake and will deactivate when the gas pedal is pressed.

Note: This feature does not require you to be on a hill. Just pressing the brake pedal hard will activate this feature. This feature will also work facing downhill as well as facing uphill. A case where you parallel park on a steep hill facing downhill and need the brakes applied while you start to back up comes to mind.

[boozereddy]

Thanks for your replies. I will try this tonight. I don't remember pressing the brakes too hard. Also I am assuming there is no need to manually switch on the Hill assist button which is near the gear pedal.

[konde.koma]

Originally Posted by boozereddy

Hi,

I just bought a 2010 HL AWD SE this weekend. I love this vehicle. It is awesome. However I have noticed some minor glitches while driving over the weekend. Please let me know if these or normal:

- While reversing the vehicle backs a bit and stops on flat surfaces. I have to pedal the gas for it to move back. I had and eclipse previously and I never had to step on gas while reversing unless I park it on a slope. Is this normal? I never drove any Toyota before so want to make sure.

- Also on uphill the car goes backward. I thought any non stick-shift car will have enough power so that it does not go backward. Is Toyota's initial RPM very low.

Please let me know. Appreciate your replies.

When vehicles start up cold the RPMs are higher. Usually when you back up during cold starts you almost always never have to touch the accelerator unless you are slightly facing downwards on a slope or small incline. During warm starts the engine RPMs are lower and the vehicle may require a little more accelerator input to get it moving in reverse.

Yes the engine RPMs are lower on your Toyota Highlander than on your Eclipse. The higher the number of cylinders the lower the idle speed. Why is that so you may ask? Here is the math. It comes down to the 4 cycles of the piston: "suck, squeeze, bang, release." Shame on you guys for having a dirty mind. "Intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust." Each stroke requires 180 degrees of crankshaft revolution, therefore; each cylinder completes one cycle in 720 deg. Take 720 deg and divide it by the number of cylinders: 180 for 4 cylinders, 120 for 6 cylinders, 90 for 8 cylinders, etc.

So what this means when comparing 4 cylinders to 6 cylinders is that a cylinder fires every 180 degrees on 4 cylinder engines whereas 6 cylinders fire every 120 degrees. Since firing times are closer together on 6 cylinders they don't need to idle as high to prevent stalling and rough idle. This is also why most, but not all, engines with higher number of cylinders run smoother like a lot of V12s. Other factors are involved such as dampeners, counter balancers, cams, etc., but that is another discussion. I was just trying to answer the "why" question if you should wonder why the Highlander idles lower. Plus your Highlander weighs a lot more than your Eclipse which would require more power to move it. The torque converter will allow for enough slippage on these newer cars to promote better fuel consumption during idle.

Hope that helps. My V6 AWD '09 Highlander has the same characteristics as yours. Most people don't notice the reversing situation. It doesn't sound like you have a problem.

[boozereddy]

Thanks for your replies. I was able to test the feature and it worked fine when driving uphill. Much relieved now.