2004 Highlander won't accelerate after changing alternator

Asked by Floyd101 May 22, 2018 at 09:35 PM about the 2004 Toyota Highlander V6 FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I will try to give as much detail without getting too long winded.

I have a 2004 Toyota Highlander with the 3.3L V6 with 290k miles on it.  I
just replaced the front brakes (Calipers, rotors, pads) on Saturday.  Due to
an issue with ordering parts, etc. It had to sit for 3 weeks before I could get
that finished.  I finished that on Saturday.

Sunday I was not able to start the car and had to jump it to get it going.  I
then noticed that the battery light came on when I would press on the gas
pedal.  Monday it was dead again and would not start.  Today I replaced the
alternator and belt.

It starts up and idles fine, but when I press on the gas pedal I get nothing.  I
was able to shift it into reverse and idle it out of the driveway and then put it
in drive and idle it back into the driveway without any problems.

I have checked the EFI fuses and relay in my fuse box and they all look fine.  
I have 2 EFI fuses and 1 relay.  I have also checked my transmission fluid
and it is at the correct level.  I do have a check engine light so I might need
to do an OBD scan, but I cannot drive the vehicle to a store to have them
scan it.  I'm not sure if they lend out scanners or not.

I'm thinking it might be the throttle position sensor or it looks like this make
and model might have a pedal position sensor that has gone bad.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.  

4 Answers

34,830

Disconnect the battery for a hour and try again.

1 people found this helpful.

I disconnected the battery late last night and left it disconnected until this afternoon. Just tried hooking it back and and am still having the same issue. I also did an idle reset to see if that would take care of it.

34,830

Toyota's do not like aftermarket alternators AT ALL,they back feed through the system,That is probably what's giving you the issue,Install a OEM alternator.

3 people found this helpful.
50

I have same problem what was the issue

5 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Highlander

Looking for a Used Highlander in your area?

CarGurus has 15,785 nationwide Highlander listings starting at $1,250.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2004 Toyota Highlander

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Wendy Tucker
    Reputation
    6,460
  • #2
    Stillsearching
    Reputation
    3,690
  • #3
    SIdd
    Reputation
    3,100
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Pilot
1,060 Great Deals out of 30,849 listings starting at $2,299
Used Toyota RAV4
1,983 Great Deals out of 34,296 listings starting at $2,495
Used Toyota 4Runner
957 Great Deals out of 10,499 listings starting at $3,000
Used Lexus RX
888 Great Deals out of 12,524 listings starting at $2,588
Used Acura MDX
658 Great Deals out of 16,308 listings starting at $2,500
Used Honda CR-V
2,029 Great Deals out of 38,641 listings starting at $800
Used Toyota Camry
2,260 Great Deals out of 44,919 listings starting at $975
Used Toyota Sequoia
132 Great Deals out of 3,212 listings starting at $3,900
Used Toyota Sienna
709 Great Deals out of 11,858 listings starting at $1,150
Used Toyota Tacoma
2,128 Great Deals out of 55,459 listings starting at $3,499
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
1,400 Great Deals out of 32,177 listings starting at $1,550
Used Lexus GX
239 Great Deals out of 4,410 listings starting at $3,999
Used Ford Explorer
2,408 Great Deals out of 59,124 listings starting at $999

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Toyota Highlander For Sale
148 Great Deals out of 1,325 listings starting at $31,800
2023 Toyota Highlander For Sale
196 Great Deals out of 2,004 listings starting at $24,500
2022 Toyota Highlander For Sale
207 Great Deals out of 2,381 listings starting at $21,000
2021 Toyota Highlander For Sale
189 Great Deals out of 2,246 listings starting at $21,505
2020 Toyota Highlander For Sale
54 Great Deals out of 599 listings starting at $19,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.