When you own a Toyota Highlander, you probably spend a lot of time on the road and exploring the off-roading adventures around you. You may even take it to the grocery store.
In all cases, you rely on the power rear door to open for you with ease. Sometimes, it doesn’t work, and that’s frustrating.
What should you do if the Toyota Highlander power rear door is not working?
The quick fix for this problem may be to press and hold the rear liftgate close button. It will beep several times and then let go. This will reset the liftgate and allow it to work properly in most cases.
It can be confusing to know what to do in situations like this. That’s why we’ll break that information down a bit more clearly and tell you what to expect when your liftgate isn’t working properly. You can also check the Vehicle History for more insight and support.
The Toyota Highlander Power Liftgate
A liftgate is one of the simplest and most beneficial features on any SUV. Imagine juggling the kids, boxes or work supplies and not having a hand to open the door. The liftgate that is present on numerous Highlander models allows you to open it with ease.
The 2020 Toyota Highlander features a hands-free power rear liftgate. That’s going above and beyond.
The liftgate works very simply. When you step up to the liftgate with your Smart Key Fob in your pocket or in your hand, the vehicle recognizes you. You just need to swing your foot under the rear bumper. That allows the sensors located underneath to detect the foot. That tells the vehicle to open the liftgate for you.
While that sounds a bit more complex than it should, it’s really efficient. Once you get in some practice, it is a simple way to open the liftgate with ease. This is an available feature on all 2020 models.
Why Isn’t the Liftgate Working?
There are a few reasons why the liftgate may not be working. The key to remember here is that the model year of your car can play a role in what you should do. Let’s go through a couple of examples.
2008 to 2013 Toyota Highlander
If you have a Toyota Highlander manufactured from 2008 to 2013, you may have a problem with the liftgate opening. If you stand behind the vehicle and use your key fob to try to open the door, it does not work. It also does not work from the inside button on the driver’s side door.
You may hear the vehicle beep when you try to depress the bottom. This indicates something is restricting the door from opening. Here’s what to do to fix this.
- Open and close the rear window if it is open. Sometimes, if it does not close properly, that can make it impossible for the door to open itself. That’s a pre-programmed feature.
- Click the key fob to try to open it again. If it is still not working, consider the next step.
- Go into the glove box. Locate the on/off button that is located along the left-hand side of the glove box framing.
- If this is off, that can mean that the liftgate is in the locked position. Press it. That will cause the door to become accessible again with your key fob.
Rear Liftgate Is Open and Not Moving
Another problem happens when the liftgate of the vehicle is in the open position. It does not want to close. This can be a problem if you are on the road and trying to get back home. Here’s what to do to fix this problem.
Locate the close button on the rear liftgate door. It is only accessible in the liftgate door jamb when the liftgate is in the open position.
Press and hold that button for a few seconds. You should hear it beep about four times.
Release your finger.
Then, press the button again quickly to signal to close the door. This should fix the problem and allow it to close normally.
Recalls and Service on the Rear Door Liftgate
The Toyota Highlander for model years 2008 through 2012, including the Highlander HV, have had a service bulletin issued on them for the power back door. The door does not close properly. This is not a recall but a service bulletin issued to dealerships about the problem.
The bulletin says the back door may move to a fully closed position and then seems to reverse back into an open position. When this happens, it may be possible to hear a popping sound or a clunk-like noise. This can sometimes be heard when the back door latches reach the striker. This is a normal operation for the vehicle.
Dealerships were told to instruct drivers in how to avoid this problem. To do that, before someone tries to close the power back door, they should confirm that there are no objects in the cargo area that could get in the way of closing.
They should also ensure there are no situations in which something could interfere with the closing operation of the back door.
They also instructed that owners should not use any type of body part to activate the Jam Protection feature on the power back door. That could further worsen the problem.
Though there is no recall yet, there could be one issued for this should problems continue. If you continue to have problems with the rear liftgate, it is an option to call your dealership for more information and help.
Finding Info About Your Vehicle Is Essential
The Toyota Highlander is a very reliable vehicle with a lot of high-end features. Sometimes, those features can slow you down if they stop working properly. Be sure to stay on top of all of the changes to your vehicle by checking the Toyota Highlander’s Vehicle History.
