Every mechanic friend I have said it sounds like CV shaft. I did a video, but it was hard to tell (accept you could the water in my bottle shaking crazy in my console). I noticed that it starts in the front, but noticed that there was a vibration in the rear (I could hear it). Goes back in tomorrow
You probably want to bring it to another shop. Some places are stronger in some areas than others. You don't want places to be firing parts at it and spending your money.
Does it shake while accelerating, coasting, cruising, decel?
Loose lug nuts are usually accel and decel and would do it every time, not only after it warms up. Sway bar links don't cause vibrations.
Obviously this is something that changes with time, usually that is associated with heat. I agree that it could be a brake issue if you've got one sticking. You can usually feel the heat radiating from the rotor when this is the case, don't touch it. I usually use an infrared thermometer and the bad one is usually like 100* hotter than the others. It's noticable.
The shop could put a dial indicator on the rotors and easily see if there is lateral runout causing vibration.
Several people have mentioned hung up brakes as a possible cause. Have you gotten out and felt your wheels with your hand after you experienced the problem yet? If one is noticeably warmer than the others that could be your problem, even if it is not sticking very badly. Just as a reminder, the front wheels will be a bit warmer than the rears because they handle more of the braking, you need to compare side to side. Good luck!
It's at a Toyota service center right now. I figure there mechanics should know something about the cars they sell, then a small repair shop. I have a deluxe extended warranty that pretty much covers everything. My 4 new struts only cost me a $100 deductible. When I first start driving it's normal, after about 6-8 blocks it will start to shake/vibrate whether I'm doing 20mph or 50mph. It seems to shake less when I'm doing over 60mph. My nephew crawled under my vehicle and showed me how my CV axle (worse on passenger side then drivers) moves up and down. Guess I'll see what Toyota's mechanic finds tomorrow
So Toyota said the CV axle is fine and moving up and down is normal (?????). One back caliper gets hung up, but wasn't been they drove and checked (said they could tell by blue residue and something about piston) and the other is rusted. My warranty company will pay for the one, but not the rusted one. They wouldn't do the one caliper because my back rotors and pads are shot....they quoted me $1200...right, I'll watch YouTube and figure that out myself. They also said my rear axle seals are leaking. What would happen if I let that go??? They wanted $1200 for that too!!! Also said my timing belt needs to be replaced because it doesn't have a sticker indicating that it was done at 90,000 miles, another $1200 quoted. If my water pump goes out, then my warranty company would cover that. I just don't know what to believe anymore......UGH!!!
The rotors probably have blue sports or rings which means high heat. The piston may be seized. Before suggesting brake replacement I usually try to see if any of the parts are seized so we don't have to surprise the customer with more work. The piston is probably seized is what they may have said.
Here's a video on replacing a caliper from Chris Fix.
This was my first caliper change. I had changed brake pads and bled brake lines. Below is pasted from my thread on this forum but I can't seem to find it again. (can't figure out how to search for my posts?) I will keep looking.
Update - last week I put a reman oem caliper and a Wagner rotor on the left front and I bled only that brake line. That rotor had ridges from the caliper sticking. Yesterday, Sunday, I drove from northern CT to Brooklyn and back, about 260 miles and had no braking issues.
Yes, I did think about and read about replacing both calipers but I had never replaced a caliper before (I'm 74) and didn't read anything that said I "must" do so. I had replaced pads and rotors 12,000 mile ago. i put on snows with dedicated wheels each winter so I can get a good look at pad wear twice a year.
Replacing the caliper was not as messy as I expected. I did not pinch the brake line but I did fill the reservoir up over the max line and kept the cap on. I followed Crris Fixx on Youtube in that I didn't switch the brake line until after I had replaced the caliper. I did "brake"/loosen the banjo bolt before taking off the old caliper off the car. I found it interesting that the $8 oem washers were not copper and were joined together just like the ones I removed from the banjo bolt.
Thank you for your input.
they said they found a dragging left rear brake caliper is causing vibration. my extended warranty will cover the caliper, but they won't replace it until I have the rotors and pads done. They said they were worn out. They quoted me $1200
Watch any of the South Main Auto brake job videos. he's no backyard hack. Aside from using a media blaster like he does, you want to do everything else he does. It takes more time but will extend the life of the parts.
The key points are that the parts all have to be moving freely, lubricate all of the right places, get rid of any rust build up, replace the hardware. If you have to force the pads in, you are going to be doing it all again in the near future. Only buy pads that come with new hardware. You'll see it all in his videos. He is as good as it gets in the field and has a lot of brake videos. Don't bother watching any of those videos of guys like Scotty Kilmer. That guy makes my blood boil...
annay69, below is a post I made not too long ago, i.e. 13k miles. I am pleased to report this brake combination is a winner. Smooth, reliable, and great stopping power. You may be interested in the costs! :surprise:
Regards, Haha.... Edit: Regarding calipers, I have been using NAPA Auto Premium calipers with excellent results.
2003 V6 AWD 320k miles. Original owner.
I recommend Akebono ACT884 Front ACT885 rear. Also check out Nakamoto rotors for Highlander on 1A Auto website. I have Nakamoto on both the Highlander and our Audi A4 and find the parts to be first rate. My current set-up as of two weeks ago....
Front: Nakamoto plain rotors, TRW TPC0884 ceramic pads
Rear : Dura-go plain rotors, Akebono ACT885 ceramic pads
Cost:
front rotors $56 (sale)
rear rotors $0 (reused)
TRW front pads $24 (sale, Amazon with coupon)
Akebono rear pads $24 (Amazon Warehouse Deals)
Total $ 104
Comments: I'm very-very pleased with Akebono pads and would have installed them on the front again but could not find them for less than $60 so I went with TRW (on sale) which appear to be quality ceramic pads with lots of good reviews on line.
My former Duro-go front rotors were in good shape wear-wise but one of them had a slight warpage so I replaced them both with Nakamoto rotors. The rear Duro-go's were good so I reused them. I installed Akebono pads on the rear again. The previous set was actually still good (as were the front pads) with about 60% left but since I had new ones on hand I put them on. It has been 3 1/2 years and about 80k miles since rebuilding brakes on my Highlander.
Also re-lubed the caliper slide pins (I do this annually) with synthetic brake lube. Necessary in my location (salt belt Michigan) to keep the sliders from seizing. Good luck, Haya....
Update: the TRW and Akebono pad combination has a nice feel and smooth gradual stops are the norm. But emergency stopping is outstanding too. I had occasion to find out last week when making a left turn across two lanes opposing traffic. Usually the left turn lane at this particular spot is vacant and one just zips up to the stop light then proceeds when green. This time I was shielded by a big-ass Dodge SUV that I could not see around. He stopped short as there was a 5 or 6 car back up at the light. A slight hesitation on my part put me even closer to the Dodge before my brain kicked in and said "Hit the damned brakes knucklehead!" I did and the binders worked well. So well the heavy Toyota Highlander stopped in plenty of time (maybe a half car-length to spare) and I even had time to mumble to myself "Hey these are some miiiiighty good brakes. WooHoo." Haya...
Greetings,
New to the forum, I have owned several Toyotas over the yeas and have always been impressed with their reliability and longevity. I recently acquired a 2000 Lexus RX300 with 230k in poor running condition. That being said, it is a Colorado car, there is no rust and the interior is...
Looking to buy a few sensors just to have them.Want to get Denso,looks like there is only two positions upstream and downstream. Does this cover all o2 sensors
on this car?
Which brand you guys got and how easy was it to install. I purchased one a few months ago and am going to attempt to install it next week when we get some high 50s again. The brand I have is MPC remote starter kit for highlander 2004-2007. Was around $200 if I remember. It's a diy kit messing...
mylander · updated 
tnt4him2 · updated 
