2018 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light

Check Engine Light Service 2018 Toyota Highlander

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Toyota Highlander and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Toyota owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2018 Toyota Highlander checked as soon as handy. Ignoring that warning could end up causing leading damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2018 Toyota Highlander's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t meager, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Toyota auto repair mechanics at Nalley Toyota Stonecrest. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you imply that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an forceful high-tech to imply the issue and repair it.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most generally misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2018 Toyota Highlander is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few assorted ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2018 Toyota Highlander. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a range of various things. It can be as real as your gas cap being loose or as strict as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2018 Toyota Highlander, contact Nalley Toyota Stonecrest. Our Toyota service department can help you choose what code is turning your check engine light on or scan why your check engine light is blinking. Contact Nalley Toyota Stonecrest today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2018 Toyota Highlander will ordinarily shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going direct, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2018 Toyota Highlander light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Nalley Toyota Stonecrest so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Nalley Toyota Stonecrest to assist suggest if your vehicle is safe to travel to work in or if we recommend a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is troublesome to predict how many miles you can travel to work with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

2018 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are countless ongoing causes including something as effortless as a loose gas cap. Distinct ongoing reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Toyota Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as crucial to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Toyota issue was fixed.

Every 2018 Toyota Highlander was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its important systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is inaccurate nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Toyota Stonecrest provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Extraordinarily Qualified Service professional.

2018 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Highlander. There are hundreds of disparate codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling principal diagnostics will give you agreeable knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is actually supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, disparate and awesome vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of achievable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of achievable reasons for the light, including:

• Fuel and air metering systems problems
• Transmission issues
• Emissions controls issues
• Bad Spark Plugs
• O2 Sensor
• Ignition system faults
• Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
• Computer output circuit issues
• Old Battery

This is why it is necessary for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out expeditiously by a certified Toyota mechanic. Call Nalley Toyota Stonecrest at 7706290279 straightaway or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your automobile further by not repairing the issue right away.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2018 Toyota Highlander?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as uncomplicated as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a hazardous problem that could cause hazardous damage to your engine and come with a unusual repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow commonly means something less hazardous but a flashing check engine light expresses that your vehicle’s engine is in hazardous trouble and service is decisive swiftly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2018 Toyota Highlander, we excessively advise not to drive the vehicle and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most normal reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2018 Toyota Highlander if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prohibit the car from starting. If these issues sound modern, bring your Highlander to Toyota and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, exceptionally aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might rate a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor perform and damage caused by poor installation perform corrected.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are mandatory for your 2018 Toyota Highlander. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are aggressive or long-established, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, central to more expensive repairs.
• One of the most effortless and many cause is that your 2018 Toyota Highlander gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2018 Toyota Highlander serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a aggressive fuel cap? If your gas cap is long-established or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on promptly after you put gas in your 2018 Toyota Highlander, first thing you should check is to make convinced the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be changed. The Oxygen sensor, modern as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your car will be less practical when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2018 Toyota Highlander's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to pick the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A aggressive O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be changed. The mass airflow sensor in your Toyota Highlander is what determines how much fuel is mandatory to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to confident changes, like altitude. If your Toyota Highlander is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a abrupt change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a aggressive mass airflow sensor.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2018 Toyota Highlander is every meaningful. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did plentiful decades ago, and they don't altogether require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our modern service coupons and specials.
• Your catalytic converter is aggressive or going aggressive. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2018 Toyota Highlander’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's perform is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is commonly caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Toyota Stonecrest offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2018 Toyota Highlander will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other problems from overheating.
• Your 2018 Toyota Highlander has a vacuum leak. Every Toyota Highlander has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lessen harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, exceptionally if they’re exposed to exciting heat or extreme chilled.

2018 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light

A blinking light indicates that the problem is productive and if not taken care of immediately may result in massive wear and tear to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2018 Toyota Highlander starts blinking, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Toyota should be delivered in immediately. This blinking light frequently hints a adequate engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can rapidly improve the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is conceivable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A bad, erstwhile or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Nalley Toyota Stonecrest expeditiously by calling 7706290279. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair.

Is it safe to drive your 2018 Toyota Highlander with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a exacting issue and it is recommended to service your Toyota Highlander rapidly. This question is not very obvious because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is often indicated by a logical glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more stringent problem. Call the advisors at Nalley Toyota Stonecrest by dialing 7706290279 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and transport your 2018 Toyota to our certified mechanics as soon as active.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The middle price for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is constantly between $88 and $111. The fantastic news, Nalley Toyota Stonecrest offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help find out the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more unhealthy failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it fantastic to get the enthusiastic code reading and diagnosis.