I am new to Hybrids and just purchased a 2007 Highlander Hybrid, and maybe I am worried about nothing, but I happen to notice something about the engine that has me somewhat worried.

I only notice this in the Morning when the car is cold that is has a type of hard start, that will literally shake the car just a little bit for when the engine is engaged for the first time in the morning. I would probably think that this was normal if not for during the rest of the day when it warms up when the engine is engaged it is smooth and quiet.

I also notice that is has a tendency to have a slight pull to the left, I asked the dealership to check the alignment and also rotate the tires, but it still has this pull to the left that is getting annoying, is there something else besides a alignment issue that would cause this?

Any advice much appreciated thx.

 

My Highlander does have a tendency to torque steer a bit when you get into the accelerator (esp from a dead stop). So I think from my experience that your feeling of pulling a bit is normal for this type of vehicle.


As for the shaking it could be any number of things so it would be best to have a dealer hook up a diagnostic scanner and start it in the lot cold then see what the engine parameters look like in order to hopefully find your issue. I would also have them research any possible TSB's on the problem as well.

 

Thank you, at the next maint I will mention that to them. Also on the pulling to the left issue. It seems to be really bad on uneven roads so I wonder if its the shocks or struts that are bad, but do they go bad after 97k miles?