It’s not very obtrusive, but there is a button to manually disable it if you want...but again I don’t really notice it. You might be able to permanently disable it through techstream if it’s not in the settings? Idk what options techstream opens up through the dealer...they just programmed my key fob to open all windows and sunroof by holding the unlock button which was pretty neat.

 

Idk what options techstream opens up through the dealer...they just programmed my key fob to open all windows and sunroof by holding the unlock button which was pretty neat.

There's a section in the Owners Manual that lists all of the possible customizations and how to do them (big display screen, info screen in front of driver, or dealer with Techstream.)

 

Thats very cool!

 

Found this in the 3rd gen forums which says it cannot be permanently disabled, I would assume the same is true for the 4th gen (2020) HL. They do mention that it can be controlled by how hard you depress the brake pedal if you don’t want it to activate. I haven’t had mine long enough to confirm if this is true.

Permanently disable auto Start/Stop?

I have a new 2017 Highlander and I'm trying to see if there is any way to permanently disable the auto start/stop 'feature'. I hit the button every time I start the car now, but it would be nice if there was a way to just disable it altogether. Any ideas?

www.toyotanation.com

 

Found this in the 3rd gen forums which says it cannot be permanently disabled

Actually the forum members collectively helped create this below.. And it works AMAZING!

Stop/Start Custom Disabling Device Build

EDIT: This completed project can be found now here. (To save you from sifting though the many pages) https://www.ebay.com/itm/122906497591 Due to a recent post in which people were taking issue with the fact that there was no way to permanently disable the Stop/Start feature (Not to be confused...

www.toyotanation.com

If there is enough interest here we can all come together and create one for the 4th Gen.

 

It's true and I like that feature. I'll likely turn it off, as I can't imagine you save much gas at all in the end.

 

Correct, it can't be turned off permanently, even with Techstream. The EPA rating is probably based on the assumption that start/stop is active.

It's already a new habit to press the disable button every time I get in the car. Sometimes I'll forget and it reminds when it puts a message on the display about why it's not shutting off the car while I'm sitting at a light. The salesperson told me that it's a little less likely to shut the car off than the 3rd Gen, as there are a number of conditions that need to be met before it decides to shut off the engine.

Yes, how hard you press the brake is one of the conditions. I've seen the message "press the brake harder to activate start/stop" while sitting at a light.

And it's true that you don't notice it. Before getting in the habit of turning it off, it was turning off on me sometimes. Honestly, unless you are staring at the tach in the HUD or watch the messages in the center of the info display in front of the driver, you don't realize it shut off. There's also nearly zero delay in starting back up when you let off the brake and press the gas pedal.

 

13% of the total fuel consumed in the USA is wasted idling engines.

 

Nice figure, I'd still like tom know how much the MPG will change if not using the feature vs using at the time. I guess on one of our trips (after we get the damn thing), we use it going one way, and not coming home. Now this won't be totally fair seeing we will be driving downhill going south when in use and going uphill driving back north

Maine to Quantico likely to be the first big trip

 

My wife didn't even know it was on there until I told her. She doesn't push the brake pedal hard enough at a stop light to engage it. I like that for pretty much all the driving we do...it wont engage unless I tell it too....like at a train track or very long light. Its very easy to just drive normally and it wont engage...you'll just get the popup on the dash on how to engage if you want. and it does turn back on pretty much instantly before you can ever get your foot off the brake and back on the gas. I'm curious as to starter wear over time and I would like to see the difference in fuel consumption between idle and first start. Maybe modern engines don't need the startup spray of gas. I was hoping to find a way to permanently turn it off in the dash options.....haven't read the manual yet....but sound like maybe that isn't possible.


Overall a pretty slick feature...makes me forgive them for the stupid Qi charger location.

 

If you stop long enough (whatever long enough is) it will turn off.

I notice the engine start though.

I can not help think it increases wear......

I understand in another brand of car, which is very high performance, that you can (unofficially) remove a fuse to kill the “feature.”

 

I've worried about increased wear on the starter and such too but I've read or watched (can't remember maybe engineering everyday on youtube) that the engineers have accounted for the extra startups in the design and engineering of those components. I feel pretty confident that Toyota wouldn't adopt this tech unless they felt like it was reliable. This is the reason they usually lag behind on innovation.

 

I am thinking about moving into a 2019 or 2020 Hylander if we can get all 5 of us and 4 sets of hockey gear to fit. Im trying to figure out all the differences between them.......

You will need a bench seat version.

For me, from a purely practical standpoint, there are no differences you will feel bad about between a 19 and 20.......

I could have saved a bunch and had a new car sooner, but was fixated on getting a Gen 4.

The 19 is a good a hauler as a 20.

 

I test drove one today and didn’t even notice the auto start/stop. I love had some rental Jeep/fords recently that were incredibly intrusive but Toyota seems to have calibrated it well

 

I was stopped at a turn tonight and I purposefully applied more break. The rngine did not turn off. But elsewhere it did. Emmmm....

 

It is celled hypermiling, I believe. Please do it responsibly. I kept the cruise at 60 the other day and the trip mileage crept up to what looks like 30 mpg. I did so primarily in the slow lane. Ruby is not meant as an everyday commuter. It is just too big, too powerful and nice to subject to everyday life. We have smaller cars for the daily grind.

If they would make a nice car like the HL as a fuel cell or ngv or fusion powered, I could be excited. Face it, bigger cars pollute more. The electric car battery waste problem has not hit yet. It is a huge issue and as other countries afford cars it will continue to get worse. No easy solutions.

So do not disable your engine stop feature.

 

From what i remember in class the Start Stop starter assembly is beefed up to handle the extra lifetime load. After so many starts (forget the number) the dash will give a warning for Starter replacement as it has exceeded its engineered life and may fail

 

I have a 2017 HL Limited. I've been driving with the engine stop/start feature for about two years now. At first it was a little scary having the engine shut off while I'm sitting at a red light in the middle of a busy intersection. Now I don't even notice it. It's no big deal. The engine starts every time and it doesn't take long so you're not obstructing traffic or anything.
Honestly, I just wouldn't worry about it. It's different than what you are used to, but that's OK. It works reliably and is almost invisible. I don't see any need to disable the engine start/stop feature but hey......it's all about personal choice. Enjoy your new HL.

 

I have a 2017 HL Limited. I've been driving with the engine stop/start feature for about two years now. At first it was a little scary having the engine shut off while I'm sitting at a red light in the middle of a busy intersection. Now I don't even notice it. It's no big deal. The engine starts every time and it doesn't take long so you're not obstructing traffic or anything.
Honestly, I just wouldn't worry about it. It's different than what you are used to, but that's OK. It works reliably and is almost invisible. I don't see any need to disable the engine start/stop feature but hey......it's all about personal choice. Enjoy your new HL.

After two weeks of driving, I only notice the engine stop a couple of times. You need to press pretty hard on the brake to stop the engine.

 

I do not understand the magic quite yet. Nothing to get excited about. I did notice if you fiddle with the AC or put the transmission in manual mode the engine starts. I am sure there are more conditions. I sort of noticed (and not confirmed) that it will not stop if you have the blinker on. I too only notice it every now and then. I have a little more than 200 miles now.....I am sure the function will fade from consciousness soon enough.

 

My hybrid camry shuts off and restarts 50 times in a 10 min drive

 

I am thinking about moving into a 2019 or 2020 Hylander if we can get all 5 of us and 4 sets of hockey gear to fit.

5 of you, 4 sets of hockey gear and luggage to go to tourneys? That will be tight, I just have two hockey players(and my coach bag) and when we load up(5 of us) for weekend tourneys with luggage, two hockey bags, sticks, etc. we are PACKED tight. That's two bags for 10u and under players which aren't real big yet. I imagine as my kids get bigger and equipment bags get bigger we might outgrow the Highlander..Bench seat is obviously a must(I had a hard time finding a 2018 platinum in the color combo I wanted with a bench second row).

 

I'm in the "increased wear and tear on starter and battery " camp. If my start/stop feature saved a tank of gas in its lifetime I would be surprised. Oth, how much more quickly will my starter and battery wear. And how many hundreds of dollars does it cost to replace either one? I turn off the auto stop as soon as I start the engine. Completely useless technology imo and designed to satisfy the "do something, do anything " crowd.

 

Agree

 

If you haven't done so yet, pop the hood and look at the battery. It's not a conventional lead/acid battery, but it's a bigger "enhanced flooded battery" made for start/stop applications. I Googled and found that the OEM replacement is in the ballpark of $350.

And then fill up the washer fluid reservoir while you're there. There's some fluid in the bottom of it from the factory, but there's room for a LOT more.

 

Developed an issue with our start stop yesterday...when brake pedal firmly depressed to trigger the auto off, it gave me the check surroundings warning with the camera flyby, did it every time even when I stopped on a quiet neighborhood street. There was seemingly nothing around to trigger it. Looked in the manual, doesn’t seem to be a feature or expected behavior of any sort....

 

Had dirt on an ics sensor once and gave me some warning also. Those are the round sensors in the bumper. Clean them up. Cameras do not detect objects but the ics sensors do. I dont think it is related to start stop

 

I agree about the excess wear/tear issues, and additionally I think it's just crazy to shut the motor off in the middle of traffic. My fear is that it wouldn't start again for some goofy reason, and then you're stuck. If it won't start at home or in a parking lot, that's a much safer situation.

I know it's supposed to check the battery voltage before shutting the engine off, but that certainly isn't foolproof (batteries are really good at misrepresenting the voltage available until you put a big load on them) and also isn't the only reason the car may not start.

Hybrids start and stop the engine all the time, but the hybrid isn't totally dependent on the engine in order to move out of traffic.

 

It constantly monitors battery voltage. As soon as it drops below threshold it starts it back up. Hybrid system works the same. Constantly monitoring voltage

 

The lack of auto start/stop on the hybrid is just another reason to get the hybrid.

 

Are you serious??

 

I think this fear of the engine start/stop system is overblown...the tech has been improving for decades and is very reliable. Components are also much more robust than before In order to handle the increased cycles. And with the way toyota does it I’ve found it’s really easy to keep the engine on even if the system is enabled.

 

Start stop is design to protect the environment and the Epa readings reduced including pollution. Start stop is not designed to protect your wallet. When you get a code to replace starter after said cycles it will defeat any savings. Start stop will not degrade battery as battery wear mostly happends over time or from completely discharging or overcharging with a booster/ wall charger.
This is why traction high voltage hybrid batteries last much much much longer than the 12 volt batteries that are also found in hybrid vehicles. Hybrid high v battery never above 80% or below 20% controled by the hybrid battery ecu. Low v starts engine to charge. High v stops charging. Now the low voltage battery is dependant on user/ driver. Dude goes out leaves lights on etc and voltage in 12v battery drops to 0 v bye bye battery even in a hybrid. Some hv cars see 3 low v batteries and still on high voltage battery original. This is unless it is normally a taxi vehicle with high backseat traffic where high voltage filter gets clogged and it overheats and kills the battery. User error or lack of service again mostly seen on these vehicles. And dont read into the Honda battery problems as the system is different