2004 Toyota Highlander Review: An Excellent Mid-Size SUV at a Good Price, but the Honda Pilot is Just as Good and Less Expensive

The 2004 Toyota Highlander is an excellent mid-size SUV, released in a year with a lot of excellent mid-size SUVs. The Honda Pilot is more powerful, more reliable, and less expensive.

Is the 2004 Toyota Highlander a Good Used Car?

• Overall Rating 8/10 – Maybe the best mid-size SUV released in 2004.
• Interior, Comfort & Cargo 8/10 – The back row feels like a luxurious sofa and the suspension has held up beautifully over the years.
• Reliability 8/10 – If you can find a Highlander in good condition you might go 250,000 miles without a single major repair. Just bear in mind, that means that nothing breaks until it’s too expensive to bother fixing.
• Safety 7/10 – Anti-lock brakes and traction control as standard features help to put the Highlander ahead of most 2004 SUVs on the safety front.
• Gas Mileage 7/10 – Averaging 18/24 in the V6 models and 19/25 in the i4, the Highlander gets very good mileage for its size class.
• Value 7/10 – For just a thousand bucks less, the 2004 Highlander would be the best mid-size SUV for the price. At $6,000 and up, it’s hard to recommend over a comparable Honda Pilot.

What Do Critics Say About the 2004 Toyota Highlander?

Consumer Reports named the 2004 Toyota Highlander their SUV of the year. They had special praise for the new, larger V6 engine found under the hood, they liked the spacious third-row seating, and they loved the tight handling and the comfortable, quiet interior.

Kelley Blue Book users give the 2004 Toyota Highlander a glowing 95% recommendation, noting the SUV’s longevity, with many drivers passing 200,000 with no major repairs. Fuel economy earns the SUV some praise, as well, with the roomy mid-size getting better MPG than you’d expect given its size.

Edmunds liked the spacious interior and carlike handling, and they were impressed by the smooth-but-powerful V6 engine. They note the limited towing and off-road ability in the minuses column, with the Highlander not really being a viable adventure vehicle.

What Common Problems Does the 2004 Toyota Highlander Have?

Over 700,000 Toyota Highlanders were recalled in 2011 for floor carpet covers that had a tendency to trap the accelerator pedal, preventing it from popping back up when you release it. Complaints continue to roll in as recently as 2020. Make sure to check the VIN when shopping for a used Highlander.

Drivers have reported a number of powertrain issues including transmission fluid leaks and random jumping at various speeds. These complaints aren’t incredibly common, with only 58 powertrain complaints on file, but they’re common enough to be worth looking for on the test drive.

There was a recall in 2011 for the crankshaft pulley. In nearly a half million Toyotas the power steering pump had a tendency to detach from the pulley, resulting in a loss of power steering. A handful of steering complaints have continued to trickle in as late as 2020.

The 2004 Highlander has 5 recalls and 282 complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both of these numbers are remarkably low for a twenty year old SUV.

How Long Will the 2004 Toyota Highlander Last?

The 2004 Highlander is a Toyota, so you can expect to hit 250,000 miles on the original engine and transmission, at a minimum. That is, if you’re buying one in good condition and you take good care of it. Some drivers have reported passing 300,000 miles with no major repairs.

RepairPal estimate an annual repair cost of $489, with new camshafts being the most expensive common fix, starting at around $3,259. At that price it might be smarter to just buy a new car.

How Is the Technology?

Entertainment technology in the 2004 Highlander is adequate for a 2004 SUV. You’ve got an AM/FM radio and a CD player in the Base model and eight JBL speakers in the Limited. DVD based navigation systems are available in some models.

Safety technology is pretty good considering the vehicle’s age, with anti-lock brakes and traction control included as standard features on all models.

Is the 2004 Toyota Highlander a Good Value?

The Base 2004 Highlander is a good value, typically listing at around $6,420, with the Limited listing at around $7,033. These prices are for models with around 150,000 miles on the odometer, and they may sound a bit high compared to similar SUVs. But, you’re going to make up the difference on cost of ownership.

Major repairs are few and far between with a 2004 Highlander, and fuel economy is excellent for a vehicle in this size class. So you may be spending an extra couple thousand dollars over, say, a Ford Explorer, but you’re probably going to get tens of thousands of extra miles out of the Highlander.

What are the Different Models of the 2004 Toyota Highlander?

The 2004 Toyota Highlander trim list is nice and lean with just two models, being the self-explanatory Base and the high-end Limited.

With the entry-level Base you’re getting:

• 8-way manual driver seat and 4-way manual passenger seat
• Power windows and door locks
• Cloth seating
• CD player with 6 speakers
• Anti-lock brakes and traction control
• Cruise control
• Manual air conditioning

The top-of-the-line Limited adds:

• 8-way power driver seat and 4-way power passenger seat
• 8 JBL speakers
• Heated mirrors
• Automatic air conditioning
• Full bench third row

What Engines Come In the 2004 Toyota Highlander?

• The base engine in the 2004 Highlander is a 2.4L inline-four delivering 160 horsepower and 165 lb.-ft. of torque. This is paired to a 4-speed automatic transmission, configured in front wheel drive, and averages 19/25 miles to the gallon, city/highway.
• V6 models come packed with a 3.3L V6 delivering 230 horsepower and 242 lb.-ft. of torque. This is paired to a 5-speed automatic, it’s four wheel drive capable, and it averages 18/24 miles to the gallon. Towing capacity taps out at 3,500 pounds, so you can pull small trailers, but not much else.

What Colors Does the 2004 Toyota Highlander Come In?

How Comfortable Is the 2004 Toyota Highlander?

The 2004 Highlander is pretty comfortable, with 54.9 inches of hip room in the back and firm bucket seats up front. The SUV has zero suspension complaints on file with the NHTSA, meaning that the shocks and struts have held up very well over the years.

How Much Storage Space Does the 2004 Toyota Highlander Have?

With the cargo area alone you’ve got 10.5 cubic feet of storage space, which is comparable with the trunk of a compact car. Fold the back row down and you’ve got 39.7 cubic feet, and with both rows folded flat you’ve got 80.6 cubic feet.

There are bigger SUVs out there, but 80 cubic feet is enough space to store six medium-sized suitcases, which should be about as much cargo as you ever need to haul without a pickup or a moving van.

What Are the Differences Between Years?

The 2004 Highlander was technically part of the 1st Generation for the nameplate, but was dramatically redesigned, marking a clear division between the 2001-2003 model years and the 2004-2007 models.

2002: The biggest change for 2002 was an integrated center console.

2003: 2003 was another if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it year for the Highlander, being essentially identical to the 2002 model.

2004: Toyota gave the unibody a total redesign for 2004, they added a DVD based navigation system, and they introduced a 5-speed automatic transmission for the V6 models.

2005: No major changes for 2005, but the SUV got some subtle styling tweaks.

2006: The big change for 2006 was the introduction of a Hybrid model.

2007: Being the final year for the first-gen Highlander, Toyota didn’t do much for 2007 besides keeping the safety features up to date.

How Does the 2004 Toyota Highlander Compare to the Competition?

The Honda Pilot has been the Toyota Highlander’s closest competition year after year, and, for 2004, the Pilot is the clear winner. The Pilot typically lists at a thousand dollars less than a comparable Highlander, it’s just as likely to pass 250,000 miles, and the engine is a little more powerful, at 240 horsepower.

Starting in the $3,500 range, the Ford Explorer is the most affordable option of the three if we’re just looking at the sticker price, but Toyota and Honda both have a reputation for longevity that Ford SUVs have never quite matched.

There are plenty of reasons to recommend a Toyota Highlander, but, at least for this model year, the SUV is simply outclassed by the competing Honda for overall value.

Do Owners Recommend the 2004 Toyota Highlander?