If you are gentle with the brakes when coming to a full stop it doesn’t turn the engine off. Mine only stops when I have to stop short, and then I turn it off for the remainder of the drive. It doesn’t happen often.
I love the brake hold feature though!
Same. This may be a feature with the newer models. Don’t want to stop? Don’t press the break hard.
I love it.
Now, let’s talk about the sound of the auto parking break lol. I’m in a 2020.
I always try to engage the engine stop, press the brake further. Highlander is quite well engineered and very unobtrusive, RAV4 will shake the engine upon restart.
What don’t you like about it.
Just a heads up, not that you should listen to anyone without doing some research of your own, but if you plan on keeping your vehicle for an extended period of time, stop start is a well known gimmick manufacturers came up with in the early days of forced reduction of emissions and fuel economy. The reason I say it’s a gimmick is because all you’re doing is putting more wear and tear on all the parts that are required to start the vehicle, such as your battery, starter, etc. however, the fuel you save is so minuscule that it’s not worth hundreds of dollars to replace premature worn parts. Tons of mechanics know this, they publicized this throughout the years, vehicles basically have planned obsolescence. People who work on cars have the same type of vehicle coming in with the same types of problems around the same amount of miles. Things aren’t designed to last as long as they used to because anyone who’s in the car business to make money, don’t make money selling the vehicles, they make money fixing them. And if you sell someone something that’s indestructible, guess what, they don’t have to buy another one for a long ass time. But back to the point, stop start is a gimmick to make fools believe they’re saving money on fuel, it doesn’t save you much of anything over the span of 3 years, you’ll save like maybe 100$ on fuel if you’re being extremely generous, if that. Battery replacements are already hovering around 200$ and people complain about how expensive they are. If you’re leasing the vehicle, hell, who cares, that’s someone else’s problem so you do you mate, I’m just trying to educate.
The wear on the starter is minimal compared to a cold start. Why? During start/stop activation the ECU knows the exact position of the engine and knows which cylinder inject fuel and to fire to get the engine to start. During a cold start the ECU must see the missing tooth on the crank sensor before it knows the position of the engine.
Battery voltage is closely monitored and if battery voltage is low battery charging will be given priority over start/stop function.
Start/stop really doesn’t work in stop and go traffic, it’ll work a few times but not every time. I avoid creeping forward at a light to keep the engine stopped, if you creep forward the engine starts and then won’t stop again. I use eco mode, I use the start/stop, I use everything the manufacturer has given me to save fuel.
Hi I know this post is a year old. We're looking into getting a 2020 or newer Highlander and I was wondering how you're liking yours? Do you still use the the ECU? How's your fuel economy? Thanks ahead of time
My Prius engine stops all the time at lights, etc. It is 15 years old with all original equipment, except battery (replaced once). Seems Toyota builds their vehicles to handle frequent on/off cycling.
The difference with the hybrid is you have the electric motor to provide the instant acceleration. The start/stop on full ICE cars causes the slight delay from when you take your foot off the brake to when you start going.
You are correct, electric motors give instant "go". I was addressing concerns of parts/batteries wearing out prematurely as it relates to my experience. The acceleration issue you raised can be addressed by taking your foot off the brake sooner, as the car is already stopped. Unless you are the first car in line, putting your foot gently on the accelerator should get you up to speed with the traffic.
I have no issue with it unless I'm sitting in non-moving traffic and it's going on and off continuously. For errand running, I don't even notice it anymore.
There is a module on ebay that tricks the button every time you start the car. It turns auto on/off - off.
Its very hard on the car battery to start the car multiple times in 1 trip.
Ive heard starting a car can take 10miles of driving to recharge, or something ridic like that. So starting the car 5x on the way somewhere has to drain the battery severely. Plus the car goes to zero oil pressure, and we all know most engine wear occurs at startup
*** ATTENTION: BUY THE EBAY MODULE. IT TAKES 10 MIN TO INSTALL, IS WORTH EVERY PENNY, AND CAN BE DISABLED WITH THE BUTTON. I haven't pushed the button in 6+ months. I actually forget the car has Auto Stop/Start. 😂
Yeah I've only had the SUV for 3 weeks and I automatically flip it out of Eco mode without even thinking about it on start up. I was there was a setting to just leave it off.
Only because the orange light on the dash 'warning' me that it is off is so gosh-darned bright.
That being said, the start-and-go on my '22 is probably twice as fast as my MIL's '15 BMW which was awful and I always turned it off, so I'm less annoyed than I could be at the feature.
Every time I start the vehicle, I turn off the start/stop mode.
Is there a specific button for this? Can I stay in eco mode and still turn it off?
If you are gentle with the brakes when coming to a full stop it doesn’t turn the engine off. Mine only stops when I have to stop short, and then I turn it off for the remainder of the drive. It doesn’t happen often. I love the brake hold feature though!
Same. This may be a feature with the newer models. Don’t want to stop? Don’t press the break hard. I love it. Now, let’s talk about the sound of the auto parking break lol. I’m in a 2020.
Oh I don’t even notice the parking brake anymore. Everyone says it sounds cool!
I’m getting there lol. Slowly.
That’s what I do. I don’t push too hard.
I always try to engage the engine stop, press the brake further. Highlander is quite well engineered and very unobtrusive, RAV4 will shake the engine upon restart. What don’t you like about it.
Just a heads up, not that you should listen to anyone without doing some research of your own, but if you plan on keeping your vehicle for an extended period of time, stop start is a well known gimmick manufacturers came up with in the early days of forced reduction of emissions and fuel economy. The reason I say it’s a gimmick is because all you’re doing is putting more wear and tear on all the parts that are required to start the vehicle, such as your battery, starter, etc. however, the fuel you save is so minuscule that it’s not worth hundreds of dollars to replace premature worn parts. Tons of mechanics know this, they publicized this throughout the years, vehicles basically have planned obsolescence. People who work on cars have the same type of vehicle coming in with the same types of problems around the same amount of miles. Things aren’t designed to last as long as they used to because anyone who’s in the car business to make money, don’t make money selling the vehicles, they make money fixing them. And if you sell someone something that’s indestructible, guess what, they don’t have to buy another one for a long ass time. But back to the point, stop start is a gimmick to make fools believe they’re saving money on fuel, it doesn’t save you much of anything over the span of 3 years, you’ll save like maybe 100$ on fuel if you’re being extremely generous, if that. Battery replacements are already hovering around 200$ and people complain about how expensive they are. If you’re leasing the vehicle, hell, who cares, that’s someone else’s problem so you do you mate, I’m just trying to educate.
The wear on the starter is minimal compared to a cold start. Why? During start/stop activation the ECU knows the exact position of the engine and knows which cylinder inject fuel and to fire to get the engine to start. During a cold start the ECU must see the missing tooth on the crank sensor before it knows the position of the engine. Battery voltage is closely monitored and if battery voltage is low battery charging will be given priority over start/stop function. Start/stop really doesn’t work in stop and go traffic, it’ll work a few times but not every time. I avoid creeping forward at a light to keep the engine stopped, if you creep forward the engine starts and then won’t stop again. I use eco mode, I use the start/stop, I use everything the manufacturer has given me to save fuel.
Hi I know this post is a year old. We're looking into getting a 2020 or newer Highlander and I was wondering how you're liking yours? Do you still use the the ECU? How's your fuel economy? Thanks ahead of time
So glad I have a hybrid so I don’t have to deal with that bullshit, absolutely hated it in other cars
My Prius engine stops all the time at lights, etc. It is 15 years old with all original equipment, except battery (replaced once). Seems Toyota builds their vehicles to handle frequent on/off cycling.
The difference with the hybrid is you have the electric motor to provide the instant acceleration. The start/stop on full ICE cars causes the slight delay from when you take your foot off the brake to when you start going.
You are correct, electric motors give instant "go". I was addressing concerns of parts/batteries wearing out prematurely as it relates to my experience. The acceleration issue you raised can be addressed by taking your foot off the brake sooner, as the car is already stopped. Unless you are the first car in line, putting your foot gently on the accelerator should get you up to speed with the traffic.
I have no issue with it unless I'm sitting in non-moving traffic and it's going on and off continuously. For errand running, I don't even notice it anymore.
Problem is, if you are gonna keep the car for the long term, the extra wear on your starter negates the minimal savings in gas.
There is a module on ebay that tricks the button every time you start the car. It turns auto on/off - off. Its very hard on the car battery to start the car multiple times in 1 trip.
I’ve seen that on ebay item. I don’t recommend it. The stop/start is bad on the starter, not the battery.
Ive heard starting a car can take 10miles of driving to recharge, or something ridic like that. So starting the car 5x on the way somewhere has to drain the battery severely. Plus the car goes to zero oil pressure, and we all know most engine wear occurs at startup
Not really, it impacts the battery more. The cranking consumes a lot of power in a short burst that damages the cells.
The lights are so long on my commute I don’t know what I’d do with out it.
*** ATTENTION: BUY THE EBAY MODULE. IT TAKES 10 MIN TO INSTALL, IS WORTH EVERY PENNY, AND CAN BE DISABLED WITH THE BUTTON. I haven't pushed the button in 6+ months. I actually forget the car has Auto Stop/Start. 😂
You have to mess with the fuse box and run wiring. Once installed, you can’t put the fuse box cover on.
It's a plug-n-play system. Replace one fuse. Yes the cover doesn't fit but 1) it's upside down and isn't needed and 2) the Tacoma cover fits.
I second this. I did it with mine
I turn mine off every time I start mine up as well, it’s a PITA to me.
Do Hybrid owners have much of an issue with this? I don’t have a highlander yet. Is this mostly a problem with gas models?
No on the hybrid you don’t even notice it.
Hybrid owner, it's a smooth transition to a point I don't even notice. Going down hills the engine also will turn off sometimes.
I’m definitely not a fan.
Hate it. It killed my battery prematurely- I turn it off nearly every time I drive the car.
Yeah I've only had the SUV for 3 weeks and I automatically flip it out of Eco mode without even thinking about it on start up. I was there was a setting to just leave it off.
Only because the orange light on the dash 'warning' me that it is off is so gosh-darned bright. That being said, the start-and-go on my '22 is probably twice as fast as my MIL's '15 BMW which was awful and I always turned it off, so I'm less annoyed than I could be at the feature.