Highlander Power Back Door (Hatch) Lifts

[paulo57509]

The lifts in the Highlander are starting to go bad. When opening the hatch, the latch releases, the door lifts an inch or so, the lift gives up and the door shuts/latches. Same deal when closing; it closes a few degrees and quits. Opening and closing it by hand once, and it good for the rest of the day. I think the cold temperatures we've been having an Central CA has something to do with this behavior.

Issues with these lifts are a chronic problem. Wouldn't be so bad, but they need to be replaced in pairs at +$400/each (OEM). Does anyone have any experience with aftermarket lifts?

 

[GSCJR]

My colleague had his disconnected by a Toyota dealer on a 2018 Rav4 hybrid. It's now a manual door, but it doesn't go up as high as it did originally.

 

[meep]

I wonder if the bruhshes in the motor get tired.

 

[CKN]

I wonder if the bruhshes in the motor get tired.

No. Its the struts themselves. They " assist" the liftgate and wear out- way earlier then they should. I had some go out under warranty. They are garbage.

 

[edyvw]

No. Its the struts themselves. They " assist" the liftgate and wear out- way earlier then they should. I had some go out under warranty. They are garbage.

You are lucky hinges are ok. They are as “strong “ as struts.

 

[Hall]

Stabilus is an OEM for a lot of automakers. I bought some for my Infiniti and they had Nissan's p/n on them along with Japanese text. Another reputable brand is Strongarm.

 

[benjamming]

I bought a replacement for $250 each from Toyota when they had the 25% off sale back in December. I haven't replaced it yet as it's still so intermittent but usually noisy nonetheless. I wonder if you could only replace one but that would be guessing I imagine with your unit actually stopping.
Pathetic that this is still an issue that started back in 2014.

 

[zzyzzx]

This is something that you should go aftermarket on.

 

[Tundragod]

I bought a replacement for $250 each from Toyota when they had the 25% off sale back in December. I haven't replaced it yet as it's still so intermittent but usually noisy nonetheless. I wonder if you could only replace one but that would be guessing I imagine with your unit actually stopping.
Pathetic that this is still an issue that started back in 2014.

Let us know how it goes after replacement. Mine just beeps. No movement up or down when using power trigger. Manual works fine.

PS. What did you buy for $250 each?
I'm looking at these at Longotoyota:
Hatch Lift Support (Right) - Toyota (68950-49355) $46.10

 

[benjamming]

68910-09130 is the left hand (driver) from World Toyota Atlanta.
68910-09120 is the right hand side (passenger).
Note I have a 2016 Highlander.

 

[iCurious]

Common problem. The struts needs to be replaced. Aftermarket vs OE is dependent on you budget.