Recent articles sound like Toyota knows about it but hasn't come up with a fix. Current pandemic is causing them issues in Japan too. Likely update is said to be coming out in Early May. So my local dealer says,FWIW.

 

In terms of a factory solution, I think what @sdspeed said is right. Some people have had the Toyota hitch fitted by dealers who replaced the bumper fascia with that of a lower trim, which deletes the kick sensor hardware.

In terms of an aftermarket solution, there is a thread going in the non-hybrid forum where someone had success with the Curt 13453. It sits immediately below the existing fascia and the kick sensor still works (they posted a video).

 

Has anyone had experience with the hybrid system overheating, prompting the driver to pull over and stop to wait for it to cool down?

I would like to know how likely it is for the 2020 Highlander Hybrid to overheat while towing near maximum load (3,500 lb) throughout the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming in the middle of summer. Would I be better off getting the gas model for this purpose?

This is not a one-time journey, I'll be spending a lot of time driving around in the mountains.

 

Just got 2022 highl hybrid xle .04 18 2025.hope my plan to tow goes well did yours work out?? Ok?? Thanks 🎒

 

I'm not going to vote because I think you're asking the wrong question. My gut feel is if you're going to be hauling a trailer up to maximum weight through the mountains you'd be well served to get a vehicle better suited for towing - and that ain't a hybrid. Any fuel savings you're envisioning by having the hybrid will evaporate quickly as soon as that 4 cylinder engine tries hauling a load uphill - and yes, that will cause it to run hotter, whether it would be dangerously hot only experience will tell.

 

Actually the HiHy AWD has a six cylinder and two electric motors and a transmission fluid cooler. I've towed a camper weighing 2400 lbs over 25K miles in mountains without any problems at all other than having to slow down some going up hill. The TV has 110,000 miles on it.

 

Don't do it.

 

+1 on towing 3,500 lbs with a hybrid/4 cyl engine. V-6 with a good transmission cooler is a must.

Another question that has to be asked, what kind of trailer are we talking about? I towed a 3,500 lb pop up camper all over the US from the mid west including Yellowstone and Southern California going to San Diego from Yuma, AZ which was actually more challenging than Yellowstone. The huge advantage of the low profile camper was almost no drag from wind at highway speed because the trailer had a lower profile than the van and I could run 70-75 mph on flat ground easily, but when I rented a U-Haul trailer at half the weight that was taller than the van it really struggled to hold 65 on flat ground. It isn't just about weight. If you are talking 3,500 lbs and a taller profile that is an unworkable situation even for the V-6 for anything beyond local towing.

 

Can you be more specific on what you mean by "it struggled to hold 65 mph on flat ground"?

Do you mean vehicle stability was an issue, or it was revving consistently high?

The trailer is about 30 inches taller than the Highlander.

 

@Pkrface I really appreciate your input on this. Thanks!!

 

No problem. This is a really common issue among these mid-sized V6 min van or crossover platforms. The 3,500 lb tow capacity is very deceiving. People pulling pop ups and small boats get by just fine and they often hit that 3,000 -3,500 lb range. It really takes a V8 Tundra or Sequoia to handle what you want to do comfortably.

 

On Hybrids you cannot add any bigger transmission cooler. The transmission fluid is not cooled and neither is the rear high voltage motor in the rear diff. I think you mean transmission fluid whenyou mean overheating and not engine coolant

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the Hybrid, doesn't the inverter coolant also cool the CVT?

 

Yes you are right. It goes inside the teansmission through 1 inlet and 1 outlet hose and you cannot actually modify or increase the cooling of it. Perhaps you could add in series another cooler external but have not seen a company make one yet. Not sure if i would take a chance in case a line pops and leaks out with an aftermarket kit

That is for the front cvt transmission and its motors built inside. In the rear you also have a Hybrid electric motor called MR inside the rear differential. That has no cooling. Its just basicly a sealed unit. That could overheat....


With a regular transmission you can add a bigger cooler behind the bumper (kind of like a radiator) to increase the transmission cooling of the fluid

 

I just ordered the CURT C99FR. I have the Limited without the foot activated power liftgate. It supposed to seat right under the bumper. There are a few pictures from Customer photo section.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer_Hitch/Curt/c99fr.html

 

Wonderful. Thanks!

 

Odd that the reviewer on etrailer says "Kicker tailgate will not work in any position after installation" but there is at least one person here who installed the same hitch and the motion sensor is working for them.

 

Reading through that thread. Yes, only one person claims the motion sensor still works for him while many others say it doesn't. That person also use the CURT 13453 which were made for older HL, not for 2020. According to CURT and eTrailer, the one for HL 2020 is C99FR.

 

Alex put his RAV4 Hybrid through a thorough towing torture test. 2000 lb of trailer from sea level to 7000 ft of elevation; logging all of the temperature data from the motors, battery, inverter, etc. He does a deep dive into the fuel economy, the nature of the eCVT, and the cooling systems. He also mentions that he has never had an issue filling the tank and speculates that it may be an issue of the various gas nozzles and shutoff mechanisms used in different areas.

 

Hi there:

I too am interested in this question. I'm trying to decide between a used 2017 Audi Q7 w/ air suspension off lease and a new Highlander Hybrid. I already have a Honda Clarity and enjoy fuel efficient vehicles. Here is the Canadian 2020 Highlander Hybrid Manual - the GCWR seems to indicate unlike other vehicles that the vehicle can tow 3500lb with a full vehicle load of 1300lbs less the tongue weight. I want to get an R-Pod or fiberglass travel trailer (budget vs luxury option) and am curious how it would do here in Canada. Any towing feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

Hi there:

I too am interested in this question. I'm trying to decide between a used 2017 Audi Q7 w/ air suspension off lease and a new Highlander Hybrid. I already have a Honda Clarity and enjoy fuel efficient vehicles. Here is the Canadian 2020 Highlander Hybrid Manual - the GCWR seems to indicate unlike other vehicles that the vehicle can tow 3500lb with a full vehicle load less the tongue weight. I want to get an R-Pod or fiberglass travel trailer (budget vs luxury option) and am curious how it would do here in Canada. Any towing feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

I wouldn't recommend getting a hybrid if you intend to use it for towing. If you need to tow once in a while for a short period of time then it's OK. But if towing is what you intend to be doing often the you should consider a non-hybrid. The idea behind a hybrid is to run the car with a small engine that is only a little more than enough to maintain speed. When the car needs acceleration, the electric motor will help out. If you have to tow for a long period of time, you will over work the small engine and wear it out faster.

 

We've had a Venza with a 2.7L L4 engine and it worked great to tow a 2500 lbs trailer for many years. 180 HP is plenty, as long as the wind drag of the trailer is low (ie the trailer is not higher than the truck.) We did full day drives and about 6000 km over 3 week time every year.

What killed the Venza is somebody hitting the rear-end and causing more than 8000$ of damage.

The Venza could tow because of the proper tow package (engine and transmission oil cooler, boosted alternator if my memory is right). I don't see why the Highlander can't be as good. I'm pretty sure the alternator part is covered by the hybrid system... All it needs is sufficient cooling.

jf

 

Failed to grab a great used 2019 highlander hybrid...stupid move on my part. toyota does say our 2020 model can two 3,500 and I am picking up a used 21’ travel trailer that weights 3,000lb up in NY later next month. I guess most feel it would be crazy to do it with the 4 cylinder engine though. Plus it trailer will be tower then the suv though it will have a V nose.

 

From personal experience....the worst kind of towing is with a short wheelbase vehicle...and the middle of Summer on old (trailer) tires. Unless it is a lease vehicle...I would find something else, like an 8' bed pickup (preferably a club cab) or a Suburban. A short wheelbase vehicle can get easily "steered" by the trailer on a downhill grade with a curve at the bottom or just an 18 wheeler blasting past at 20 mph faster than you are going. Not saying it can't be done (just because you can doesn't mean you should). There is no low gear to slow the trailer besides the brakes. How it gets out of hand is a little dip in the road @ 60 mph and a slight sideways movement...somebody pulling in too close in front to get off of an exit at the last minute..."it" can turn to shighte fast....Unless you have a lot of towing experience, I would not learn on a $40K? vehicle.

Afterwards it should be fine to tow on rolling hills, but I would avoid the Appalachian mountains or larger, for towing. If you were talking about a popup camper, you would not have asked anyway.

Pay somebody $500 on uship to bring it to you.

 

From personal experience....the worst kind of towing is with a short wheelbase vehicle.

Hank Williams Jr.'s Daughter Dead In Tennessee Car Crash

Katherine Williams-Dunning, daughter of country music icon Hank Williams, Jr., died Saturday night after losing control of her SUV.

www.tmz.com

The 27-year-old was driving a Chevy Tahoe in Henry County, Tennessee when it began drifting across the median, triggering a rollover sequence. No other cars were involved.

No idea how short or long the boat was, but these things can happen with a short wheelbase vehicle. 2007 Tahoe is 116" wheelbase, same year Suburban 130"...…. 14" more wheelbase (less leverage) a trailer has on the tow vehicle.

2020 Toyota Highlander wheelbase 112.2"

2020 Dodge 2500 standard cab 8' bed 140" WB
2020 Dodge 2500 crew cab 8'bed 169" WB

Too many people dyeing lately over bad decisions.

 

Towing with highlander hybrid

My question is I was told that I have a pre-wired towing wire harness some place near the back bumper. I have been looking for this thing for 2days now and I can not find it. Does anyone know were it may be, or should I just goto the dealer and have the salesman that told me this find it.

www.toyotanation.com

Yours will be not much different. If T says 3500 lb, it is 3500 lb. 4 cyl or not. Silverado has 4cyl turbo engine and does fine. What you definitely want is trailer harness and electric brakes on it.

 

Well the rv shop in NY wants to sell me a $800 sway and Distribution control set they have yet to emailing me information about. I will be towing a 2011 Jayco Skylark 21ft (they only made them for two years). The trailer has brakes although it is only a single axle trailer (one wheel each side). I will check to see if that $800 includes a brake controller for inside the suv or not. I have an old one from my 05 highlander I could take up for them to connect or better yet have that done local I figure ahead of time. Might see family end of July up in Indiana so would drive up from FL to pickup the RV at that time.

 

Towing with Highlander Hybrid, EVERYTHING TOWING...

As this question - towing and hitches - will be asked routinely, all of them will be now in one merged thread. Has anyone had an OEM hitch receiver installed on the 2020 Limited or Platinum yet? The hands-free liftgate is apparently an issue. Last I heard, Toyota was trying to figure out a...

www.toyotanation.com

Maybe these 2 threads should be merged?

 

Well, I'd rather not. This is, in my opinion, experimental year, with a 4 cyl for a large vehicle. I'd suspect lots of bugs to show, and it does appear to be so.
I'd let it be for now, as 2020 dedicated. We can always merge them.

 

Just keep in mind that hybrids have special requirements for tow hitch hardware because of the underbelly and RWD design difference. Also, as hybrid battery is back there, I'd be very careful if someone tells you you need to drill any holes.
To behonest, if you were to only bring trailer back home from FL, I'd rather rent a truck and tow it. Not that much expense but heluva safer.

 

Just keep in mind that hybrids have special requirements for tow hitch hardware because of the underbelly and RWD design difference.

I'm curious what you're basing this on? Toyota's installation guides for the factory hitch and wiring components indicate they apply equally to the hybrid vehicles and there is no drilling of the vehicle to install, they bolt into the same frame holes as on the gas model. Even for the aftermarket hitches. The only destructive step is the optional trimming of a plastic shield (optional because you can simply not reinstall the shield). Is there something you're aware of that I'm missing?

 

Ha ha, I was wrong - and I was right. It's just different reason.

Why You Cannot Get a Tow Hitch for Some 2020 Toyota Highlander Models

Learn why you are not currently able to install a hitch on some 2020 Highlander trim levels.

www.torquenews.com

 

There are a number of relevant threads over on the non-hybrid forum for the 2020 Highlander. You can put an aftermarket hitch on the higher trim levels, and some people even find the kick sensor is working with them on. One owner even did the work of transplanting the kick sensor into a bumper fascia from a lower trim in order to use the factory hitch without deleting the sensor. Lots of ways to tow if you want to.

 

Please look at this video related to stability:

In a lot of the video shown above, it is OBVIOUS that the payload is in the back of the trailer. This is unstable and the cause of the crash.

jf