I’m late to this video by years but just want to say thank you sir! You saved me a pretty penny (avoiding the stealership) and made me look like a rockstar to my wife.
hahaha....I never thought this video would enhance relationships.... I need to write a book: 'Your guide to a better marriage thru DYI Auto Repair.' lol..... glad this helped out..... it is definitely very satisfying to do it yourself and see it work at a tremendous cost savings.
After doing some routine maintenance at Toyota, which cost me $1800, they told me that it would be another $600 per door to fix my actuators. I had two that weren’t working, with the driver’s door being the most aggravating. Toyota service also told me that l “have a third one going out.“ I have no idea which door that might be. Anyway, I watched your video, ordered my first actuator as a test, and installed it successfully. I’ll be ordering the second actuator now. Thank you for the assist. I have a 2015 Highlander. I love the Highlander - Toyota service, not so much.
Awesome! Glad the video helped - and that you were able to save some serious money doing it yourself. These actuators are apparently a major reliability issue with Toyota....hence the tens of thousands of views and many comments.
Thank you for making this video - I ordered the part and started doing the swap and noticed that the reason my actuator wasn't working was simply because the connection got dislodged, perhaps to hard slamming of the door but all I had to do was reconnect the connection of the door actuator to the door again and everything worked fine. The door no longer did the crazy 7-8 beeping sounds when you opened the door. So to everyone out there perhaps check the connection before you go order yourself the part, the removal of the panel is 3 screws and should only take about 10-15mins and it all snapped back together pretty easily.
Excellent video. This helped my wife out tremendously. Now in the line to pick up the kids from school she no longer has to reach over and unlock the door. Thanks for taking the time to help us do it right the first time.
If you're replacing this on the driver side, do yourself a favor and REMOVE THE LOCK CYLINDER before you install the new actuator! Look up a video on how to do this but it's dead simple and only requires loosening one screw. Don't make the same mistake I did and try to angle the actuator around the key rod and seat it back in by feel when you can just pull the rod out and stick it straight back in after the actuator is in position. For some reason every one of these instructional videos fails to mention this and it would have saved me a ton of time and frustration.
2015 Toyota Highlander Limited. Thank you for the great and detailed video. As others have commented don’t forget to seat the key lock mechanism into the actuator not shown on the video. I did miss it at first but I was able to go back and correctly seat it with little wasted time since I knew what I was doing thanks to the video on all of the other steps. Greatly detailed and good camera work in the tight spots. Glad I tackled this project myself thanks to your video. 01/01/23 Happy New Year!
I replaced my driver side actuator on my 2015 Highlander, tested (almost) everything, and buttoned it up. A couple months later I realized my valet key wasn't working so I prepared to open everything up to see what I missed. Thankfully, I stumbled onto the comments here and was able to fix it in 10 minutes! Thanks!!
Replaced mine today and went step by step on this video and it was perfect! Thank you and you saved me $1100 that Toyota quoted me!!! Yikes!!! I replaced it in a little over an hour. Completely worth the time…thank you!
Glad it helped! The first one takes the longest just because of the unfamiliarity involved. Once I dis the first one and figured it out, the remaining 3 doors I had to do took about 30 minutes each.
Thank you. Repaired my 2016 Highlander in under 2 hours using a $50 part. Dealer wanted $800 for the repair. I think 2 hours of my time was worth $750. Very thorough.
Awesome! I am happy to know that I 'stuck it to the man' and deprived the Toyota machine thousands of dollars in repair revenue for these weak OEM parts.
This video was very clear and articulate and easy to follow for someone like me with limited auto knowledge. This video saved me $1500 from the dealership as I had 3 doors that needed the actuators replaced. I was able to follow these instructions and complete the task easily. Thank you for posting this! 🙏
Procedure works good for a 2015 Highlander Limited Platinum. Our door lock system works correctly 95% of the time, but more and more often the drivers door would not unlock with key fob and we would have to enter from passenger seat and unlock drivers door from inside. While most small electric actuator motors suddenly stop working 100%, ours was gradually going bad. I have no idea why anyone would give this video a thumbs down - it was very helpful to me. I am in my mid 60's and have done 99% of my own repair work for 45 years. It's great to have videos to show you specific steps and tips, and I sincerely appreciate tgill taking the time to shoot and post this. A couple of comments / suggestions: The video "perhaps" is a bit too detailed in that if you don't know which direction to tighten / loosen bolts, that probably means your experience level and ownership of necessary tools will not be enough for you to do this repair yourself. I found the most difficult part was getting that metal rod down into the actuator. I paid close attention how it was inserted before I removed my old actuator, but still a bit of a challenge when reassembling. You will need to push that bracket out of the way towards the front of the door, and slide the actuator in behind the bracket. Lower the actuator and inch or so from where the 3 bolt holds line up, insert the rod, raise the actutator up an 1" to get the bolt holes lined up, and start one or two bolts into the hole. Then, take a look and feel inside to make sure that rod is still inserted. I had to do this step 3 times to keep the rod inserted and get the bolt holes lined up. I also found the first little plastic tab you have to pop open, that is hinged, has a very small gap and I had to use a small blade screwdriver instead of one of my plastic door panel tools to get it open. Also, while mentioned in text in the video, take the courtesy light out of the panel bottom early on before popping the panel off. Once again, narrow gap, small screwdriver to get the plastic lens to pop out so you can disconnect connections.
I missed the bottom door panel courtesy light initially and sort of broke part of the attachment clip...haha....but got it to insert good enough upon reassembly to hold well....that was why I had to add the addendum to the video....
Thank you so much for posting this! My dealer quotes me $450 for this repair. I found this video and did it myself with absolutely NO problem and I am NOT a handy guy. You made it really easy to understand. Thanks again!
Awesome! Knowing this has helped so many people made the time it took to create it worth the effort! Glad it worked out for you and saved you some bucks.
Thanks for the video. The passenger door lock went out on my 2017 Highlander. I found the part on Amazon for $80 and installed in around 45 minutes. The dealer wanted $800 to replace it not kidding. The part I took out is exactly the same manufacture on Amazon. The dealer wanted $300 for the same part.
PS - the people that gave this video the 'thumbs down/dislike'..... must be Dealership Service Department Managers upset that they are losing repair opportunities.... LOL. Step-by-step, this video gets the job done, accurately and without issue.
Also check that you didn't have my problem which was simply the connection got dislodged and just needed to be pushed snuggly back into place. For me it was the power connection (video at 11:15) that was dislodged.
I'd like to add an important note if replacing the DRIVER'S side actuator that was not discussed, and this is VERY important: There is a relatively short horizontal upper post or rod for lack of a better term that comes out from the lock tumbler in the door handle and mates up with the actuator. So, when installing the new actuator you have to ensure the vertical rod is properly inserted into the actuator (as discussed at 21:00 ). That you have to do first. Then, as you continue to raise the actuator into place, you have to guide the horizontal rod from the tumbler into the proper mating area on the actuator. There is a rounded raised lip around the mating area that will help you guide the rod into place. You have to do all of this by feel. The trick though is that you have to verify that the vertical rod remains properly inserted in the lower part of the actuator while you're guiding the upper horizontal rod into place. It's kind of tricky. The lower vertical one came out like 3 or 4 times on me while I was wrestling with the upper one. It's not hard, just tricky and requires a little trial and error. If you don't get that rod properly in place (like mine was when I took ownership of the vehicle), the door key will NOT unlock the vehicle at all. So, if your remote control battery dies, the only way you'd be able to get into your truck would be by using your key in the back hatch. But, great video! Thank you for your effort. You saved me a lot of trial and error.
Roger, thanks ! I had to call AAA to open my car. The video does not mention what you stated. I had to take it apart twice because I could not figure out what I did wrong. I then looked through the comments to see if the video did not cover something. Luckily, I saw your comment. I went back ( for a third time) and took the door cover apart. I found the rod that you mentioned. Got it to work.
Thanks for detailing this....I may have missed noting that. I am pretty certain I connected everything you noted.....but it has been quite a while ago now and I just don't recall. I sold my Highlander shortly after this video and bought a completely different vehicle. The video was a pisser to make....turned a 1 hour job (for the initial door - the other 3 flew by in about 30 minutes) into a half day job while I tried to video and note each step. I may have somehow skipped mentioning this? Dunno....sorry about that. Hope it helped in general.
You're awesome man thank you so much! Saved me $650 at the dealership, paid $100 for the actuator on amazon, $15 for the panel removal plastic kit, $5 for the bit. Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback ! This makes me feel great, and glad that I took the time to document it for others that are looking to make this easy repair and save some money. Glad it worked out well for you.
Oh.... I see you got an actuator for $100 on Amazon..... was it an OEM Toyota Actuator?? Mine cost me $226. Dorman makes one that they *say* fits the 2014 Highlander, but many users say that it in fact does NOT fit or work for the vehicle. Apparently, Toyota makes 2 different actuators; one for USA built Highlanders, and one for Japanese built Highlanders.... I verified this by calling Dorman before ordering my actuator.
really great video, very articulate, but i missed the crucial step in reconnecting the lock cylinder linkage to the upper back left corner of latch assembly :(
I just posted a thank you note for video, and some tips... but I forgot to indicated where I got my part. AISIN DLT-119 OE Replacement Door Latch/Lock Assembly with Actuator (Left Front Driver Side) is the part I purchased from Amazon - $85 / and I read other posts saying this is the exact same part and manufacturer as was supplied to Toyota.
Thank you so much for the step by step! Worked like a charm sir! You're a hero to many of us who refuse to pay outrageous prices for something that is this easy! Thank you for taking the time to do this step by step! 👍👍
Thanks for showing how to do this. I did get Toyota to pay for one door out of warranty but now both door locks on other side are going on my 2015 Highlander. This should have been a recall but thanks again for posting!
I agree! I felt that it should have been a recall as well, and since Toyota essentially told me to 'go pound sand' after ALL 4 of my doors failed within about 4 months of the end of my warranty, I feel kind of good about depriving their dealers of thousands of dollars of repairs that should not have needed done in the 1st place. I am very happy that consumers could save a great deal of money and use for something else in this crazy world.
Yes no joke this video is super helpful and it makes it changing the actuator easy. Literally quoted over 500 for the dealership to do it. The part alone was 330. I bought the Aisin DLT part and it worked wonderfully. 130 on amazon. Saved soooo much. Very helpful video
Thank you for the very informative video. $80 for the part off Amazon, ~40* minutes start to finish and the door locks again! (*20 minutes lost trying to figure out where the little rubber seat on the window sill above the lock - part 19541 - belonged. It fell out while removing the panel and wasn't immediately clear where it belonged on reinstall). Great video.
Phenomenal video. Pay attention to notes when it says to disassemble the light on the underside of door before pulling panel off. Could break the housing. You can shove the light through the front of panel and disassemble before removing whole panel
Thanks -- just replaced the front passenger actuator on my 2016 Highlander. Super easy thanks to your video. This problem is definitely frustrating, and a real security risk if you have your garage door remote programmed into the car. You have to pay really close attention that the doors actually locked, especially when you are in the house and using your key fob to lock your car parked in the driveway. This problem seems like a cash cow for the dealership service departments, glad I could deprive them of that opportunity (at least one time anyway...)
Outstanding video! Extremely helpful. Add another $500+ and several hours you saved someone. Mine was a 2015 Highlander with a broken door latch cable that snapped within the actuator housing. This removal and replacement process works for that issue as well. Thank you for filming and posting!
Thanks for this video! I just replaced this today following the instructions on the video. Awesome! Ironically, the HARDEST part was reconnecting the small lamp in the bottom of the door. Excellent job, thanks again!👍
Awesome instructions! You saved me about $400. I found the part on line for about $75 and your video and detailed instructions got the job done in about 30 minutes. Would have been quicker if that bottom light wasn't such a pain to deal with. Thank you!
Thanks for this, couldn’t find many videos on actuator replacements. I had this issue with my 2004 Kia Cerato, and the actual pull cable is broken and had to jimmy rig something to pull the handles open, but now the lock is not staying in the unlocked position and caused the door to stay locked. Can’t open the door and so have to hop out via the passenger side, lol. I suspect it’s the actuator no longer responding. But can’t open the door now to remove the screws to the actuator.
Absolutely spectacular. Excellent step-by-step instructions. My son and I just finished the front passenger-side door and it works perfectly. Thank you for this video and for saving me a bunch of money!
Thanks for the great video, just replaced drivers side, passenger is next, then rear left. Unbelievable for a 2015 to have this problem and Toyota won’t admit to a manufacturer defect
Great video, EXCEPT it leaves a few things out that are critical. That may be why the thumbs down. The way he installed it will produce the problem I had with my HL. Here are some tips - from experience of course. @ 8:21, it might be better to pop the light out from the front to unplug it @8:10 when popping those clips out there is a high possibility they will pop out of the slot they are in on the panel and you won't notice it. They may end up on the floor or in the folds of the panel. Best to look for them at this point and make sure they are all in the panel slots. @8:53 when removing the door panel, there is a plastic part under the top left edge of the panel that will likely fall out. When it does, you may step on it and break it (I did not, but close) since you may not notice it fall. When putting it back in it may take a few minutes to figure out how it goes back in. I suggest you observe this as you are pulling the panel off to prevent the above issues. HERE IS THE BIG ONE!!! @19:08 he gets into a discussion about getting that rod into the hole. The problem I was fixing was that a previous fixer must have also watched this video because he pays no attention to the rod coming from the key lock mechanism. This is the only door with a key. Mine was no where near the hole it must be in, so, the key did not work. The hole is on the other side of that mechanism picture. It is a 4 prong plastic spline and it has somewhat of a shroud 1/2 way around it, apparently to help you guide it in. That rod must go in first and it will be totally by feel. The mechanism at that point will be close to its final position. You must then drop it no more than about 1/4", otherwise, the lock rod will come out. Then push the lever the "hole" is in down as far as it will go so you can move the rod into it. Now you can move everything to final position insuring the lock rod has not fallen out and that the key locks and unlocks the door. Since he apparently paid no attention to that, his key lock will not be functional.
Mmmmm....hard for me to recall because it was quite some time ago and I am just catching up on many of these comments. I feel that I tested everything b4 popping the panel back on fully, but just don't remember. Maybe I missed something.....but pretty sure I tested the key.
You are Awesome! I just followed your steps and took my time and successful installation! It barely took me 45 minutes taking my time! Thank you so much!!!
Fantastic! Glad to hear it went well for you. Did you have any trouble getting the 'lock rod' from the door down into the circular nylon retainer latch of the door actuator? To me, that was the most worrisome part of the whole operation because if you don't get that rod correctly installed and then put the door panel back on and lock and shut the door, you are really hosed... lol. It isn't difficult to get the rod back into the actuator, but you have to be certain to remember to do it.
Excellent video, very thorough! You appear to be the first to show on the 3rd gen Highlander and this door lock issue seems to be a very common problem. I just got a 2015 and looks like I have to do this already, so this helps a bunch. Again, great job!
Thank you for the kind words. I could only find one video that demonstrated door removal only, but nothing on replacing the power door lock actuator replacement..... so thought I would give it a whirl and video tape the process to help others that found themselves in the same EXPENSIVE predicament. Filming the process extended the job time by twofold, but I really wanted to help others save some money. The job is quite easy - I am not a mechanic - just a regular Joe. Since videotaping this, I have replaced my Passenger Side Rear Door power door lock actuator. That one is even easier than the front doors.... now, I am having some very intermittent problems with the Front Passenger Door locks..... ugh.... my first Toyota and I have had more problems than with some GM vehicles I have owned. I have actually NEVER had a power door lock fail on any other vehicle - some I have owned 10 years - until I bought a Toyota.
Great to hear - - that makes me feel good about taking the time to do the video.... glad you saved Big Money..... how many actuators have gone out for you, and what year vehicle do you have? Was it a 'build' within the first 6 months of being released?
tgilldesign I have a 2015 highlander and so far just one actuator has gone out. My wife has a 2015 Corolla that has had 2 actuators go out. Your video has given me the confidence to fix her car next. That’ll save me another 1k that would have otherwise went to the dealer. Thank you.
Thank you for creating this video. I just replaced the actuator on my 2015 highlander limited right rear passenger door and your instructions were fantastic! A couple of modifications are necessary for the rear door as there was a pink mechanism instead of the rod that needed to be connected to the actuator to get the door handle to work - but this only took a few minutes to figure out. My driver side door is starting to go and I am comfortable the replacement will go as smoothly as the one I just did. I ended up getting mine from rockauto.com and went with the AISIN brand as they seemed to have gotten good reviews and appear to be high quality. Thanks again! PS - the dealer had already replaced two of them under warranty (car is now out of warranty).
Thank you for your input, Scott. I no longer own my Highlander; replaced it with a Ford F150 Truck. I wonder if the 2015 is slightly different than my 2014 was, as I don't recall a 'pink' rod in my rear door catch. Interesting. Glad you were able to get it done and save some money. Curious what the cost of your RockAuto AISN part was? I could not find a 3rd party actuator that worked with my model for 2014 - - everything I read required an OEM part. Although AISN is the OEM maker of the actuators I had on my vehicle.... but I simply could not find one at a non-oem source such as RockAuto at the time. Thanks again for your input.
Great video! My issue is my 2016 Highlander Limited Platinum "manual key operated door lock" will not do anything to help unlock door. I will be using this vid to help troubleshoot my Toyota door lock issue. The one thing that I did not see in this video is any mention of how the door lock functions in conjunction with the door handle and door actuator. My HL is the Limited/Platinum, with "touch to lock/auto unlock" function with wire going to the door handle. No mention of this little wire in this video...
Nice video, I'm tempted to try. But I feel with my luck, it wouldn't end well. You would think eventually this would be recalled. Highlander is a nice vehicle, but if you noticed the door shake at impact when shut. The metal door jars, like thin metal.
It is actually quite easy..... I am no mechanic, and found it to be pretty simple.... Once you do one, the rest will go quite quickly..... yeah, I said 'the rest' because chances are they will all fail. I have had 3 go on mine already. Not that everybody has the poor luck that I have.... but, I probably won't be buying a Toyota again. I honestly had much better luck with, gulp.... GM.
Great job on the video! I am sure you will get quite a few views when other Highlander owners find out the replacement cost of the door actuator at the dealership.
Hahaha.... glad to hear it went well for you. I *just* ordered the final two door actuators (Driver's side Rear Door, and Passenger side Front Door) and will replace them, which means that I will have replaced EVERY SINGLE ONE of my Highlander door actuators that all failed within 50k miles. My first Toyota, and my last.... plan on selling it this summer. This would have cost me $2,000 if I had the dealer do it. I have a folder about an inch thick with a plethora of repairs - mostly under warranty, thank goodness.
tgilldesign We found a person on eBay who sells the actuators for $50. They are refurbished and he offers a lifetime warranty if you send the old one back to him. Worked like a charm! The only other cost for us was a $15 set of torx sockets.
Do you have a link? I wonder how he 'fixes' them? The plastic case which encloses the 'motor' is permanently bonded and fused together.... not sure how he would ever get one apart? I tried, and it shattered.
@@tgilldesign Excellent video! Would like to see the list of repairs you had to have done to your vehicle, so I can anxiously look forward to what will possibly happen to ours. Thanks again for taking the time to make your video.
Thank you for doing this video! I just had both front actuators go out on my 2014 after a few days of being intermittent. Not impressed with this! Hoping this is not a portent of what is to come! My 2004 Highlander had zero issues like this...
Thank you.... the repair is actually relatively easy.... once I did one door, and had it figured out as documented here, I did each of the other 3 doors that also failed in about 30 minutes for each door. Are you going to give it a try? Let me know how it goes for you and feel free to reach out if you have any questions that I may not have addressed. Good luck.
@@tgilldesign Thanks. Yeah I believe I am. Just have to buy parts and get a clear spot to do it. My garage is a disaster. I appreciate the detail you gave as it gives me the confidence I won't bugger something up!
@@tgilldesign I'm also trying to decide aftermarket vs OEM. Given the original crapped out in 5 years, it really makes me question the quality. Some aftermarket ones have lifetime warranties too. Thoughts?
Awesome video! Quick question. Just replaced the actuator but now the driver side window is not working. All the other windows are working fine. Any idea as to what is causing this?
Glad the video helped. As to your question about the driver's side window not functioning after the repair? Not sure... it should not have anything to do with the repair itself...my only question is that you re-seated the power window connector properly and fully.... you may have to remove the panel again and test that particular driver's side power window switch to see if it is getting 'power'.... hard to tell without looking at it. I suppose it is possible that it just failed too, as these actuators are junk.... I had to replace all 4 of mine within a few months of each other, and it seemed like when one went, another one followed shortly after.
How does the actual door lock (key tumbler) mechanism tie into this?? My actuator works but does not manually lock/unlock with the turn of the key in the door. THANK YOU
Hello Mr. tgilldesign, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your manual/valet key isn't working anymore if you followed the procedures you detailed in your video. Give it a try, if you still have the vehicle. Will to bet it will not open. Ensure you have the FOB a distance when using the manual key as the FOB will electronically open the door and not the manual key. Driver side has a special rod/gear that needs to be lined up much like the push rod.
Hi Moe - thanks for the observations.... not sure about the 'valet key' thing that you mentioned..... I may have missed something.... all I know is I replaced everything the way it was removed as far as I could tell. Never found a need for the valley key - never used it. I sold the vehicle not long after this video, so am not in a position to test your theory. Thanks for the insights - - this was done quite a while ago, so I can't quite recall if I did anything special for a valet key consideration..... maybe your comment will help someone else. I will say that 54 thousand views later, and probably hundreds if not thousands of people using this video to replace their acuators, I have not had one person comment that they replaced the actuator per my video and that it screwed up the valet key functionality..... not sure what that means.
@@tgilldesign 'valet key functionality' is the usage of the manual key that is hidden within the FOB. This key manually opens your door in the event your battery dies. If your car 12V battery (the battery that drives the locking and unlocking of the doors by way of the actuators) dies, then the only way to get into the car is buy using that manual key. See this video for the key I am referring to which gets pulled out of the FOB: ruclips.net/video/rGBEhq-Fx5w/видео.html One needs to use both hands (a finger from each hand) to guide the manual key mechanism into the actuator body. By the way, this video (actually another one like this on YT) helped me a great deal. Thanks.
Hi, great video and power door lock works perfectly. However, my mechanical key will not unlock the door. It wasn’t working before but I assumed it was because the actuator was out. It fits and turns without issue but for some reason will not activate the actuator. Any ideas?
Got this figured out. Not sure how this happened but when you use the manual key, a rod inside the door turns and activates the actuator. Somehow, the rod was not fully engaged so it was turning but not engaging the mechanism that activates the actuator.
How much was the new actuator and where did you buy it? My wifes highlander driver, passenger and rear passenger went out. I appreciate the video it was very helpfull.
Hi Rudy - sorry to hear about your wife's actuator failures.... but I thought, 'If this is happening to me, it will be happening to others', so I made the repair video. Glad you find it helpful. I bought my actuators from the following link. But BE SURE to call them and get the proper part number for the affected door - - it is a little hard to navigate their site and I found a phone call worked perfectly in securing the right parts. Actuators run about $250 apiece, once you factor in shipping. Good luck. www.cheapestfactoryparts.com/oem-parts/toyota-lock-actuator-6903002380/?c=Zz1ib2R5JnM9cmVhci1kb29yJmk9ODQ3MDcxNTUmcj03JmE9dG95b3RhJm89aGlnaGxhbmRlciZ5PTIwMTQmdD1saW1pdGVkJmU9My01bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
You are very welcome - yes, the door removal gets you right to the door speakers, for sure! Good luck with your upgrade. PS - I have a Limited, and the subwoofer absolutely SUCKS ! It has vibrated with distortion since day 1 of ownership..... worst sound system I have ever had..... well, maybe the AM/FM 8 Track aftermarket stereo I installed into a 1969 Chevelle was worse.... LOL
Actually that's why I want to upgrade the speakers. The front driver side subwoofer was distorting and rattling even on songs that didn't have much bass. Front passenger side speaker was ok. Anyways, I did pull off the door panel yesterday. Mucked around with the subwoofer cone and turns out that the speaker frame was over tightened causing the subwoofer distortion and rattling. I could tighten or loosen the frame screws and hear the subwoofer distortion increase or disappear as I played really bassy songs. Problem fixed now. No more subwoofer distortion and rattle. I also went ahead and added additional padding between the speaker frame and door frame metal to further isolate vibrations. Subwoofer is sounding fine for now. It has more than enough bass for my ears. Thanks again!
dingmah - - are you referring to the 'subwoofer' in the rear hatch? I did not know there were any subwoofers in the 'doors' themselves.... I thought those were traditional speakers. I have the JBL upgraded system..... which is a black eye to JBL's legendary quality as this is probably THEE worst stock sound system I have ever experienced. Just bought a new 2017 Jeep Wrangler with an upgraded Alpine system and it makes the Toyota JBL system seem like a Kmart transistor radio. lol
The speaker in the door and in the dash are set up as a component system, where the woofer and tweeter are separated. So while the speaker in the door is not a "sub" woofer, it is just the woofer component where it only receives the low audio signals. Play a song and put your ear to the door, the vocals will be played much louder in the dash, and not much aside from the bass coming out of the doors.
Ahhh! Good to know - thanks for detailing that. I don't seem to notice the distortion/rattling out of my doors but distinctly hear it coming from the rear hatch. There was/is a pretty good thread on the Toyota Nation forum detailing what many owners were doing to mitigate that issue. Some fixes included removing the 'hatch' cover to access the sub, and then wrapping foam tape around the attachment points / frame of the sub where it came into contact with the hard plastic areas of the hatch cover (if I remember that correctly).... and also wrapping attachment points around the metal framework of the door where the speaker attached. Glad you were able to make improvements to your sound.
I could replace the actuator but my problem is troubleshooting which one is defective or if something else. The master door switch on the driver's side works but activated a few more times it won't open any doors. Then wait a minute it works again with the first push then stops with subsequent activation. The key fob does the same routine. Any ideas?
Great video. However, if I forget to put the metal rod into the actuator how do I open the door? Unfortunately I re-assembled the entire door and forgot to insert the metal rod into the actuator. Now, I CANT OPEN the door? Please help.
Oh no !!! Hmmmm..... at that point, I would definitely suggest taking it to a dealer. The only thing I can think of is accessing the inner door through the removal of your power door lock/power window cover ..... but that would still require a crystal ball and Houdini-like skills. I know it doesn't help now.... but like I suggest in the video; you always test the repair before putting everything back together..... that will expose anything you might have forgotten to do. Take it to a dealer..... or a locksmith. Let me know how you resolved this.
Not sure without removing the inside door panel and inspecting, but I would guess it is very similar. You will have to pop off your door panel, peel away the plastic dust cover, and take a look. I highly doubt it is much different, but you will undoubtedly have to find different attachment screw locations of your door panel which would probably be somewhat different than the Highlander, because they will have different interior door panel designs..... but it can't be any harder, I would think. You will just have to dive in and give it a shot.... this video may give you some similar and general overall guidance on many aspects of doing yours. Good luck.... just DO NOT SHUT YOUR DOOR WITHOUT ENSURING THE DOOR LOCK ROD IS PROPERLY SEATED IN THE NEW ACTUATOR ! Or else you will not be able to open your door from the inside or outside and will have to have the dealer fix it for you.
I can't thank you enough for this video and I hope it helps others in saving a small fortune from having the dealership repair the door actuators. I have a 2013 Tundra and this video applied perfectly to my fix. I was quoted $1150 to replace front driver and front passenger actuators and was mortified at the cost. I declined the repair and had to eat the $114.95 fee to diagnose the problem. I then Googled the parts for my truck and went to WWW.CARPARTS.COM and found new actuators for $30.72 per actuator. $70 total including shipping and I watched your very detailed video and then proceeded to replace my actuators. 45 minutes later and both were replaced and the doors reassembled. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for taking the time to make and share this video. You saved me a lot of money....
Awesome! Glad it helped you - - feedback like this makes me really glad I took the time to document this. Pay it forward someday and make someone else smile! :-)
Hi Ken - the OEM replacements worked flawlessly for me from the date and time of this video, until I sold the vehicle last summer (2018). I did not do all 4 actuators at the same time, as they failed at different intervals.... but I would say I fixed them all within about 3 month time span. Unfortunately, I cannot speak as to how they are holding up now, as again, I sold the vehicle. I can say this: When I did own the vehicle, I routinely asked Highlander owners of the same year (2014 model) at grocery stores, parking lots, dealership while getting oil changes, etc if they had their power door locks 'go out/fail' and I literally NEVER came across another Highlander owner that had an issue with them. I knew there must be other Highlander owners with door lock issues, however, because I couldn't believe I was the only guy - which is why I made the video and took it global so that others might benefit from it. Which, based upon almost 20k views and several appreciative comments, must have been the case. If you are experiencing the issue and happen to replace with an verifiable 3rd party part that fit and worked - please post it int he comment section for others..... The OEM parts are expensive, even at discounted 'online distributor' prices.... so, saving the next guy some major bucks could significantly reduce the pain of doing the repair.
If you read the 'overview description' written under the video, it does tell you why I replaced them..... 2 completely failed literally just after the warranty expired, and then a few months later the other 2 doors began to intermittently fail.
I just did a similar repair on my Tundra. However, now the key will not unlock the door. I can still use the remote though. Does the top part on the back side of the actuator go to the key lock? Do you have any suggestions?
Hmmmm... that is odd. Not really sure without looking at it. Seems to me that the 'key' and the 'power door lock fob' activate the same 'rod' that goes down into the small hole catch that I mention in my video is crucial to have installed correctly. Without that 'rod' being inserted into the hole of the actuator mechanism.... the door wouldn't unlock at all. That is why I am confused as to how the key won't operate it, while the power key fob will?! You must have not corrected some sort of 'rod' coming from the door handle key mechanism to the new door actuator..... but again, that should be the same one that would allow the door to lock/unlock both manually and remotely. I wonder if the Turndra uses a different setup???
tgilldesign I figured it out. You have to remove the key lock piece then replace it after the actuator is replaced. Otherwise it just pushes the rod on the key lock to the side instead of it fitting back into the actuator.
tgilldesign I figured it out. You have to remove the key lock piece then replace it after the actuator is replaced. Otherwise it just pushes the rod on the key lock to the side instead of it fitting back into the actuator.
Content is still helping people!!
You detailed video helped me replace my failed lock actuator. Saved hundreds!!
So cool to hear this video helped!
@@tgilldesign ... 3 of 4 replacements complete.. still saving $$$
I’m late to this video by years but just want to say thank you sir! You saved me a pretty penny (avoiding the stealership) and made me look like a rockstar to my wife.
hahaha....I never thought this video would enhance relationships.... I need to write a book: 'Your guide to a better marriage thru DYI Auto Repair.' lol..... glad this helped out..... it is definitely very satisfying to do it yourself and see it work at a tremendous cost savings.
After doing some routine maintenance at Toyota, which cost me $1800, they told me that it would be another $600 per door to fix my actuators. I had two that weren’t working, with the driver’s door being the most aggravating. Toyota service also told me that l “have a third one going out.“ I have no idea which door that might be. Anyway, I watched your video, ordered my first actuator as a test, and installed it successfully. I’ll be ordering the second actuator now. Thank you for the assist. I have a 2015 Highlander. I love the Highlander - Toyota service, not so much.
Awesome! Glad the video helped - and that you were able to save some serious money doing it yourself. These actuators are apparently a major reliability issue with Toyota....hence the tens of thousands of views and many comments.
Thank you for making this video - I ordered the part and started doing the swap and noticed that the reason my actuator wasn't working was simply because the connection got dislodged, perhaps to hard slamming of the door but all I had to do was reconnect the connection of the door actuator to the door again and everything worked fine. The door no longer did the crazy 7-8 beeping sounds when you opened the door. So to everyone out there perhaps check the connection before you go order yourself the part, the removal of the panel is 3 screws and should only take about 10-15mins and it all snapped back together pretty easily.
Glad your fix was easier than anticipated.
Excellent video. This helped my wife out tremendously. Now in the line to pick up the kids from school she no longer has to reach over and unlock the door. Thanks for taking the time to help us do it right the first time.
If you're replacing this on the driver side, do yourself a favor and REMOVE THE LOCK CYLINDER before you install the new actuator! Look up a video on how to do this but it's dead simple and only requires loosening one screw. Don't make the same mistake I did and try to angle the actuator around the key rod and seat it back in by feel when you can just pull the rod out and stick it straight back in after the actuator is in position. For some reason every one of these instructional videos fails to mention this and it would have saved me a ton of time and frustration.
Great video. Just completed the drivers side going step by step with this video. Passenger side tomorrow. Thanks again!
2015 Toyota Highlander Limited. Thank you for the great and detailed video. As others have commented don’t forget to seat the key lock mechanism into the actuator not shown on the video. I did miss it at first but I was able to go back and correctly seat it with little wasted time since I knew what I was doing thanks to the video on all of the other steps. Greatly detailed and good camera work in the tight spots. Glad I tackled this project myself thanks to your video. 01/01/23 Happy New Year!
Glad it helped!
I replaced my driver side actuator on my 2015 Highlander, tested (almost) everything, and buttoned it up. A couple months later I realized my valet key wasn't working so I prepared to open everything up to see what I missed. Thankfully, I stumbled onto the comments here and was able to fix it in 10 minutes! Thanks!!
Replaced mine today and went step by step on this video and it was perfect! Thank you and you saved me $1100 that Toyota quoted me!!! Yikes!!! I replaced it in a little over an hour. Completely worth the time…thank you!
Glad it helped! The first one takes the longest just because of the unfamiliarity involved. Once I dis the first one and figured it out, the remaining 3 doors I had to do took about 30 minutes each.
Thank you. Repaired my 2016 Highlander in under 2 hours using a $50 part. Dealer wanted $800 for the repair. I think 2 hours of my time was worth $750. Very thorough.
Awesome! I am happy to know that I 'stuck it to the man' and deprived the Toyota machine thousands of dollars in repair revenue for these weak OEM parts.
@trikpark where did you go for the part?
@ Amazon
@trikpark thank you!
This video was very clear and articulate and easy to follow for someone like me with limited auto knowledge. This video saved me $1500 from the dealership as I had 3 doors that needed the actuators replaced. I was able to follow these instructions and complete the task easily. Thank you for posting this! 🙏
Awesome! Comments like this make the production time invested into this video worth the effort. Thank you, and I am thrilled it was helpful.
Procedure works good for a 2015 Highlander Limited Platinum. Our door lock system works correctly 95% of the time, but more and more often the drivers door would not unlock with key fob and we would have to enter from passenger seat and unlock drivers door from inside. While most small electric actuator motors suddenly stop working 100%, ours was gradually going bad. I have no idea why anyone would give this video a thumbs down - it was very helpful to me. I am in my mid 60's and have done 99% of my own repair work for 45 years. It's great to have videos to show you specific steps and tips, and I sincerely appreciate tgill taking the time to shoot and post this. A couple of comments / suggestions: The video "perhaps" is a bit too detailed in that if you don't know which direction to tighten / loosen bolts, that probably means your experience level and ownership of necessary tools will not be enough for you to do this repair yourself. I found the most difficult part was getting that metal rod down into the actuator. I paid close attention how it was inserted before I removed my old actuator, but still a bit of a challenge when reassembling. You will need to push that bracket out of the way towards the front of the door, and slide the actuator in behind the bracket. Lower the actuator and inch or so from where the 3 bolt holds line up, insert the rod, raise the actutator up an 1" to get the bolt holes lined up, and start one or two bolts into the hole. Then, take a look and feel inside to make sure that rod is still inserted. I had to do this step 3 times to keep the rod inserted and get the bolt holes lined up. I also found the first little plastic tab you have to pop open, that is hinged, has a very small gap and I had to use a small blade screwdriver instead of one of my plastic door panel tools to get it open. Also, while mentioned in text in the video, take the courtesy light out of the panel bottom early on before popping the panel off. Once again, narrow gap, small screwdriver to get the plastic lens to pop out so you can disconnect connections.
I missed the bottom door panel courtesy light initially and sort of broke part of the attachment clip...haha....but got it to insert good enough upon reassembly to hold well....that was why I had to add the addendum to the video....
Thank you so much for posting this! My dealer quotes me $450 for this repair. I found this video and did it myself with absolutely NO problem and I am NOT a handy guy. You made it really easy to understand. Thanks again!
Awesome! Knowing this has helped so many people made the time it took to create it worth the effort! Glad it worked out for you and saved you some bucks.
Thanks for the video. The passenger door lock went out on my 2017 Highlander. I found the part on Amazon for $80 and installed in around 45 minutes. The dealer wanted $800 to replace it not kidding. The part I took out is exactly the same manufacture on Amazon. The dealer wanted $300 for the same part.
Glad it helped
PS - the people that gave this video the 'thumbs down/dislike'..... must be Dealership Service Department Managers upset that they are losing repair opportunities.... LOL. Step-by-step, this video gets the job done, accurately and without issue.
This is very true. I’m about to change out my third actuator that went bad next week Thanks to you.
Also check that you didn't have my problem which was simply the connection got dislodged and just needed to be pushed snuggly back into place. For me it was the power connection (video at 11:15) that was dislodged.
Maybe, some people dislike everything even Mother Teresa had a lot of dislikes. Haters going to hate.
@@kimchee94112haha so true. There are just miserable people out there that would hit the dislike button on their own life if that was possible.
I agree.
I'd like to add an important note if replacing the DRIVER'S side actuator that was not discussed, and this is VERY important: There is a relatively short horizontal upper post or rod for lack of a better term that comes out from the lock tumbler in the door handle and mates up with the actuator. So, when installing the new actuator you have to ensure the vertical rod is properly inserted into the actuator (as discussed at 21:00 ). That you have to do first. Then, as you continue to raise the actuator into place, you have to guide the horizontal rod from the tumbler into the proper mating area on the actuator. There is a rounded raised lip around the mating area that will help you guide the rod into place. You have to do all of this by feel. The trick though is that you have to verify that the vertical rod remains properly inserted in the lower part of the actuator while you're guiding the upper horizontal rod into place. It's kind of tricky. The lower vertical one came out like 3 or 4 times on me while I was wrestling with the upper one. It's not hard, just tricky and requires a little trial and error. If you don't get that rod properly in place (like mine was when I took ownership of the vehicle), the door key will NOT unlock the vehicle at all. So, if your remote control battery dies, the only way you'd be able to get into your truck would be by using your key in the back hatch. But, great video! Thank you for your effort. You saved me a lot of trial and error.
Roger, thanks ! I had to call AAA to open my car. The video does not mention what you stated. I had to take it apart twice because I could not figure out what I did wrong. I then looked through the comments to see if the video did not cover something. Luckily, I saw your comment. I went back ( for a third time) and took the door cover apart. I found the rod that you mentioned. Got it to work.
@@mauriciotrejo-garcia5552 I love that! Thanks, and glad it helped!
Thanks for detailing this....I may have missed noting that. I am pretty certain I connected everything you noted.....but it has been quite a while ago now and I just don't recall. I sold my Highlander shortly after this video and bought a completely different vehicle.
The video was a pisser to make....turned a 1 hour job (for the initial door - the other 3 flew by in about 30 minutes) into a half day job while I tried to video and note each step. I may have somehow skipped mentioning this? Dunno....sorry about that. Hope it helped in general.
This is one of, if not, the best diy videos for car I’ve ever watched👍🏼🤟
You're awesome man thank you so much! Saved me $650 at the dealership, paid $100 for the actuator on amazon, $15 for the panel removal plastic kit, $5 for the bit. Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback ! This makes me feel great, and glad that I took the time to document it for others that are looking to make this easy repair and save some money. Glad it worked out well for you.
Oh.... I see you got an actuator for $100 on Amazon..... was it an OEM Toyota Actuator?? Mine cost me $226. Dorman makes one that they *say* fits the 2014 Highlander, but many users say that it in fact does NOT fit or work for the vehicle. Apparently, Toyota makes 2 different actuators; one for USA built Highlanders, and one for Japanese built Highlanders.... I verified this by calling Dorman before ordering my actuator.
really great video, very articulate, but i missed the crucial step in reconnecting the lock cylinder linkage to the upper back left corner of latch assembly :(
Omg, thank you so much, great detail from start to finish. So easy to follow. I couldn't have done it myself. So glad I watched your video
You are so welcome!
Thank you. Followed this for the driver rear door. Thanks to your tips and overview of the process, took me about 25 minutes on my 2015 highlander.
Excellent!
I just posted a thank you note for video, and some tips... but I forgot to indicated where I got my part. AISIN DLT-119 OE Replacement Door Latch/Lock Assembly with Actuator (Left Front Driver Side) is the part I purchased from Amazon - $85 / and I read other posts saying this is the exact same part and manufacturer as was supplied to Toyota.
Thank you so much for the step by step! Worked like a charm sir! You're a hero to many of us who refuse to pay outrageous prices for something that is this easy! Thank you for taking the time to do this step by step! 👍👍
Thank you for the kind words! Makes the time spent all worth while.
Glad you found this video helpful, and glad it helped you save some big bucks !
Thanks for showing how to do this. I did get Toyota to pay for one door out of warranty but now both door locks on other side are going on my 2015 Highlander. This should have been a recall but thanks again for posting!
I agree! I felt that it should have been a recall as well, and since Toyota essentially told me to 'go pound sand' after ALL 4 of my doors failed within about 4 months of the end of my warranty, I feel kind of good about depriving their dealers of thousands of dollars of repairs that should not have needed done in the 1st place. I am very happy that consumers could save a great deal of money and use for something else in this crazy world.
One of the best detailed videos on doing this procedure I've seen. Thank you very much!!
Glad it was helpful!
Yes no joke this video is super helpful and it makes it changing the actuator easy. Literally quoted over 500 for the dealership to do it. The part alone was 330. I bought the Aisin DLT part and it worked wonderfully. 130 on amazon. Saved soooo much. Very helpful video
Glad it helped
Very thorough video with articulate and comprehensive instructions. The time and effort you put in to making this is greatly appreciated!
Thank you !
Thank you for the very informative video. $80 for the part off Amazon, ~40* minutes start to finish and the door locks again! (*20 minutes lost trying to figure out where the little rubber seat on the window sill above the lock - part 19541 - belonged. It fell out while removing the panel and wasn't immediately clear where it belonged on reinstall). Great video.
Can you please share the link for the part you got from Amazon. I need to replace 2.
@@jimbush80528 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076C1NJ6R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
@@jimbush80528 This worked on the passenger front door 2016 Highlander XLE
Thank Man!!! You saved me over 600 bucks! Only thing different on my 2014 Sequoia is there are two 10 mm blots to remove in the door frame.
Phenomenal video. Pay attention to notes when it says to disassemble the light on the underside of door before pulling panel off. Could break the housing. You can shove the light through the front of panel and disassemble before removing whole panel
Yep...I learned that the hard way as I was making the video....😂
Thanks -- just replaced the front passenger actuator on my 2016 Highlander. Super easy thanks to your video. This problem is definitely frustrating, and a real security risk if you have your garage door remote programmed into the car. You have to pay really close attention that the doors actually locked, especially when you are in the house and using your key fob to lock your car parked in the driveway. This problem seems like a cash cow for the dealership service departments, glad I could deprive them of that opportunity (at least one time anyway...)
Fantastic - thank you for watching and glad it helped.
Outstanding video! Extremely helpful. Add another $500+ and several hours you saved someone. Mine was a 2015 Highlander with a broken door latch cable that snapped within the actuator housing. This removal and replacement process works for that issue as well. Thank you for filming and posting!
Great video! It made the process very simple on my 2014 Highlander! THANK YOU!!!
You're welcome!
Thank you my man, excellent detailed video, just replaced a 2015 passenger side actuator with this video
Glad it helped
Thanks for this video! I just replaced this today following the instructions on the video. Awesome!
Ironically, the HARDEST part was reconnecting the small lamp in the bottom of the door.
Excellent job, thanks again!👍
Very cool! Thanks for the feedback and glad it helped out.
Awesome instructions! You saved me about $400. I found the part on line for about $75 and your video and detailed instructions got the job done in about 30 minutes. Would have been quicker if that bottom light wasn't such a pain to deal with. Thank you!
Awesome! Glad the video tutorial helped you get the job accomplished! Thank you for reporting back.
Thank you very much, it helps me very well
This worked very well. Following the instructions took about 45 minutes for me. Thanks!
Great! Glad the video helped!
Thanks for this, couldn’t find many videos on actuator replacements. I had this issue with my 2004 Kia Cerato, and the actual pull cable is broken and had to jimmy rig something to pull the handles open, but now the lock is not staying in the unlocked position and caused the door to stay locked. Can’t open the door and so have to hop out via the passenger side, lol. I suspect it’s the actuator no longer responding. But can’t open the door now to remove the screws to the actuator.
Absolutely spectacular. Excellent step-by-step instructions. My son and I just finished the front passenger-side door and it works perfectly. Thank you for this video and for saving me a bunch of money!
That is great! Glad it helped you.
This worked out great. 😊 Thank you very much for this video. Very easy to follow.
Thanks for the video is very helpful
Thanks for the great video, just replaced drivers side, passenger is next, then rear left. Unbelievable for a 2015 to have this problem and Toyota won’t admit to a manufacturer defect
Multi-year, multi model problem with Toyota and Lexus. Either poor engineering or a big source of revenue given as a gift to the dealerships.
Thank you for this video
You save me $2500 dollars
Awesome - glad it worked for you!! Not too bad a job once you have worked through one of these.... the next one will go quite quickly for you.
Great video, EXCEPT it leaves a few things out that are critical. That may be why the thumbs down.
The way he installed it will produce the problem I had with my HL.
Here are some tips - from experience of course.
@ 8:21, it might be better to pop the light out from the front to unplug it
@8:10 when popping those clips out there is a high possibility they will pop out of the slot they are in on the panel and you won't notice it.
They may end up on the floor or in the folds of the panel. Best to look for them at this point and make sure they are all in the panel slots.
@8:53 when removing the door panel, there is a plastic part under the top left edge of the panel that will likely fall out. When it does, you may step on it and break it (I did not, but close) since you may not notice it fall. When putting it back in it may take a few minutes to figure out how it goes back in. I suggest you observe this as you are pulling the panel off to prevent the above issues.
HERE IS THE BIG ONE!!!
@19:08 he gets into a discussion about getting that rod into the hole. The problem I was fixing was that a previous fixer must have also watched this video because he pays no attention to the rod coming from the key lock mechanism. This is the only door with a key. Mine was no where near the hole it must be in, so, the key did not work. The hole is on the other side of that mechanism picture. It is a 4 prong plastic spline and it has somewhat of a shroud 1/2 way around it, apparently to help you guide it in. That rod must go in first and it will be totally by feel. The mechanism at that point will be close to its final position. You must then drop it no more than about 1/4", otherwise, the lock rod will come out. Then push the lever the "hole" is in down as far as it will go so you can move the rod into it. Now you can move everything to final position insuring the lock rod has not fallen out and that the key locks and unlocks the door. Since he apparently paid no attention to that, his key lock will not be functional.
Mmmmm....hard for me to recall because it was quite some time ago and I am just catching up on many of these comments. I feel that I tested everything b4 popping the panel back on fully, but just don't remember. Maybe I missed something.....but pretty sure I tested the key.
You are Awesome! I just followed your steps and took my time and successful installation! It barely took me 45 minutes taking my time! Thank you so much!!!
Fantastic! Glad to hear it went well for you. Did you have any trouble getting the 'lock rod' from the door down into the circular nylon retainer latch of the door actuator? To me, that was the most worrisome part of the whole operation because if you don't get that rod correctly installed and then put the door panel back on and lock and shut the door, you are really hosed... lol. It isn't difficult to get the rod back into the actuator, but you have to be certain to remember to do it.
Thank you! Your methodical approach gives me the confidence to try this myself next week!
Excellent video, very thorough! You appear to be the first to show on the 3rd gen Highlander and this door lock issue seems to be a very common problem. I just got a 2015 and looks like I have to do this already, so this helps a bunch. Again, great job!
Thank you for the kind words. I could only find one video that demonstrated door removal only, but nothing on replacing the power door lock actuator replacement..... so thought I would give it a whirl and video tape the process to help others that found themselves in the same EXPENSIVE predicament. Filming the process extended the job time by twofold, but I really wanted to help others save some money. The job is quite easy - I am not a mechanic - just a regular Joe. Since videotaping this, I have replaced my Passenger Side Rear Door power door lock actuator. That one is even easier than the front doors.... now, I am having some very intermittent problems with the Front Passenger Door locks..... ugh.... my first Toyota and I have had more problems than with some GM vehicles I have owned. I have actually NEVER had a power door lock fail on any other vehicle - some I have owned 10 years - until I bought a Toyota.
Brother, thank you. Most useful video I have ever watched on RUclips and I got to keep about 500 bucks that would have otherwise went to the dealer.
Great to hear - - that makes me feel good about taking the time to do the video.... glad you saved Big Money..... how many actuators have gone out for you, and what year vehicle do you have? Was it a 'build' within the first 6 months of being released?
tgilldesign I have a 2015 highlander and so far just one actuator has gone out. My wife has a 2015 Corolla that has had 2 actuators go out. Your video has given me the confidence to fix her car next. That’ll save me another 1k that would have otherwise went to the dealer. Thank you.
Thank u very much ur video helped me n saved me lots of money. Great methotic video.🙏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👌✅✅✅✅✅✅100%
Thank you for creating this video. I just replaced the actuator on my 2015 highlander limited right rear passenger door and your instructions were fantastic! A couple of modifications are necessary for the rear door as there was a pink mechanism instead of the rod that needed to be connected to the actuator to get the door handle to work - but this only took a few minutes to figure out. My driver side door is starting to go and I am comfortable the replacement will go as smoothly as the one I just did. I ended up getting mine from rockauto.com and went with the AISIN brand as they seemed to have gotten good reviews and appear to be high quality. Thanks again! PS - the dealer had already replaced two of them under warranty (car is now out of warranty).
Thank you for your input, Scott. I no longer own my Highlander; replaced it with a Ford F150 Truck.
I wonder if the 2015 is slightly different than my 2014 was, as I don't recall a 'pink' rod in my rear door catch. Interesting.
Glad you were able to get it done and save some money. Curious what the cost of your RockAuto AISN part was? I could not find a 3rd party actuator that worked with my model for 2014 - - everything I read required an OEM part. Although AISN is the OEM maker of the actuators I had on my vehicle.... but I simply could not find one at a non-oem source such as RockAuto at the time.
Thanks again for your input.
Great video! My issue is my 2016 Highlander Limited Platinum "manual key operated door lock" will not do anything to help unlock door.
I will be using this vid to help troubleshoot my Toyota door lock issue. The one thing that I did not see in this video is any mention of how the door lock functions in conjunction with the door handle and door actuator. My HL is the Limited/Platinum, with "touch to lock/auto unlock" function with wire going to the door handle. No mention of this little wire in this video...
The rear door should be the same right ? I have a small problem with my rear door handle.
Thanks! I'm going to use this vid to pull the panel and replace my speakers and add sound deadning mat. Thanks again!
Nice video, I'm tempted to try. But I feel with my luck, it wouldn't end well. You would think eventually this would be recalled. Highlander is a nice vehicle, but if you noticed the door shake at impact when shut. The metal door jars, like thin metal.
It is actually quite easy..... I am no mechanic, and found it to be pretty simple.... Once you do one, the rest will go quite quickly..... yeah, I said 'the rest' because chances are they will all fail. I have had 3 go on mine already. Not that everybody has the poor luck that I have.... but, I probably won't be buying a Toyota again. I honestly had much better luck with, gulp.... GM.
Great job on the video! I am sure you will get quite a few views when other Highlander owners find out the replacement cost of the door actuator at the dealership.
Thanks Sparklander !! Hope all is well with you!
Your the best! I was able to fix my wife’s car and save about $500 due to this video. I feel like I owe you a beer or something.
Hahaha.... glad to hear it went well for you. I *just* ordered the final two door actuators (Driver's side Rear Door, and Passenger side Front Door) and will replace them, which means that I will have replaced EVERY SINGLE ONE of my Highlander door actuators that all failed within 50k miles. My first Toyota, and my last.... plan on selling it this summer. This would have cost me $2,000 if I had the dealer do it. I have a folder about an inch thick with a plethora of repairs - mostly under warranty, thank goodness.
tgilldesign We found a person on eBay who sells the actuators for $50. They are refurbished and he offers a lifetime warranty if you send the old one back to him. Worked like a charm! The only other cost for us was a $15 set of torx sockets.
Tacticaltuperware - dang....just bought 2 more at a combined $460....where did you get them...can you post a link? Thanks.
Do you have a link? I wonder how he 'fixes' them? The plastic case which encloses the 'motor' is permanently bonded and fused together.... not sure how he would ever get one apart? I tried, and it shattered.
@@tgilldesign Excellent video! Would like to see the list of repairs you had to have done to your vehicle, so I can anxiously look forward to what will possibly happen to ours. Thanks again for taking the time to make your video.
Thank you for doing this video! I just had both front actuators go out on my 2014 after a few days of being intermittent. Not impressed with this! Hoping this is not a portent of what is to come! My 2004 Highlander had zero issues like this...
Thank you.... the repair is actually relatively easy.... once I did one door, and had it figured out as documented here, I did each of the other 3 doors that also failed in about 30 minutes for each door. Are you going to give it a try? Let me know how it goes for you and feel free to reach out if you have any questions that I may not have addressed. Good luck.
@@tgilldesign Thanks. Yeah I believe I am. Just have to buy parts and get a clear spot to do it. My garage is a disaster. I appreciate the detail you gave as it gives me the confidence I won't bugger something up!
@@tgilldesign I'm also trying to decide aftermarket vs OEM. Given the original crapped out in 5 years, it really makes me question the quality. Some aftermarket ones have lifetime warranties too. Thoughts?
the tip on prying the door panel clips was money. thanks
Glad it helped. I hope your repair worked out well.
Awesome video! Quick question. Just replaced the actuator but now the driver side window is not working. All the other windows are working fine. Any idea as to what is causing this?
Glad the video helped. As to your question about the driver's side window not functioning after the repair? Not sure... it should not have anything to do with the repair itself...my only question is that you re-seated the power window connector properly and fully.... you may have to remove the panel again and test that particular driver's side power window switch to see if it is getting 'power'.... hard to tell without looking at it.
I suppose it is possible that it just failed too, as these actuators are junk.... I had to replace all 4 of mine within a few months of each other, and it seemed like when one went, another one followed shortly after.
Make sure that no wires on the power window connector got pulled loose when you removed it from the underside of the actual / individual switches.
I don't know if it is NipponNenso, but ND moved a lot of manufacturing to China, reducing quality.
Great video, thanks for making it!
Thanks for watching - hope it helped you!
@@tgilldesign A second actuator went bad, so here I am watching your excellent video again. Thanks so much!
How does the actual door lock (key tumbler) mechanism tie into this?? My actuator works but does not manually lock/unlock with the turn of the key in the door. THANK YOU
Is this same way it would be done on 2013 ? I can find a good vid for 2013
Not sure...but likely very similar....
Thanks so much. This was VERY well done.
Thank you - were you able to successfully complete the repair?
Hello, is it helps also that finger touching not work?
Hello Mr. tgilldesign, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your manual/valet key isn't working anymore if you followed the procedures you detailed in your video. Give it a try, if you still have the vehicle. Will to bet it will not open. Ensure you have the FOB a distance when using the manual key as the FOB will electronically open the door and not the manual key. Driver side has a special rod/gear that needs to be lined up much like the push rod.
Hi Moe - thanks for the observations.... not sure about the 'valet key' thing that you mentioned..... I may have missed something.... all I know is I replaced everything the way it was removed as far as I could tell. Never found a need for the valley key - never used it. I sold the vehicle not long after this video, so am not in a position to test your theory. Thanks for the insights - - this was done quite a while ago, so I can't quite recall if I did anything special for a valet key consideration..... maybe your comment will help someone else.
I will say that 54 thousand views later, and probably hundreds if not thousands of people using this video to replace their acuators, I have not had one person comment that they replaced the actuator per my video and that it screwed up the valet key functionality..... not sure what that means.
@@tgilldesign 'valet key functionality' is the usage of the manual key that is hidden within the FOB. This key manually opens your door in the event your battery dies. If your car 12V battery (the battery that drives the locking and unlocking of the doors by way of the actuators) dies, then the only way to get into the car is buy using that manual key. See this video for the key I am referring to which gets pulled out of the FOB:
ruclips.net/video/rGBEhq-Fx5w/видео.html
One needs to use both hands (a finger from each hand) to guide the manual key mechanism into the actuator body.
By the way, this video (actually another one like this on YT) helped me a great deal. Thanks.
Hi, great video and power door lock works perfectly. However, my mechanical key will not unlock the door. It wasn’t working before but I assumed it was because the actuator was out. It fits and turns without issue but for some reason will not activate the actuator. Any ideas?
Got this figured out. Not sure how this happened but when you use the manual key, a rod inside the door turns and activates the actuator. Somehow, the rod was not fully engaged so it was turning but not engaging the mechanism that activates the actuator.
How much was the new actuator and where did you buy it? My wifes highlander driver, passenger and rear passenger went out. I appreciate the video it was very helpfull.
Hi Rudy - sorry to hear about your wife's actuator failures.... but I thought, 'If this is happening to me, it will be happening to others', so I made the repair video. Glad you find it helpful.
I bought my actuators from the following link. But BE SURE to call them and get the proper part number for the affected door - - it is a little hard to navigate their site and I found a phone call worked perfectly in securing the right parts. Actuators run about $250 apiece, once you factor in shipping. Good luck.
www.cheapestfactoryparts.com/oem-parts/toyota-lock-actuator-6903002380/?c=Zz1ib2R5JnM9cmVhci1kb29yJmk9ODQ3MDcxNTUmcj03JmE9dG95b3RhJm89aGlnaGxhbmRlciZ5PTIwMTQmdD1saW1pdGVkJmU9My01bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
Look for them on Ebay. You can find them for $50 bucks or less a piece.
That's what I have to do in my toyota.
Thank you so much for your video! It will help lots when I go to upgrade the speakers in the doors!
You are very welcome - yes, the door removal gets you right to the door speakers, for sure! Good luck with your upgrade. PS - I have a Limited, and the subwoofer absolutely SUCKS ! It has vibrated with distortion since day 1 of ownership..... worst sound system I have ever had..... well, maybe the AM/FM 8 Track aftermarket stereo I installed into a 1969 Chevelle was worse.... LOL
Actually that's why I want to upgrade the speakers. The front driver side subwoofer was distorting and rattling even on songs that didn't have much bass. Front passenger side speaker was ok.
Anyways, I did pull off the door panel yesterday. Mucked around with the subwoofer cone and turns out that the speaker frame was over tightened causing the subwoofer distortion and rattling. I could tighten or loosen the frame screws and hear the subwoofer distortion increase or disappear as I played really bassy songs. Problem fixed now. No more subwoofer distortion and rattle. I also went ahead and added additional padding between the speaker frame and door frame metal to further isolate vibrations. Subwoofer is sounding fine for now. It has more than enough bass for my ears.
Thanks again!
dingmah - - are you referring to the 'subwoofer' in the rear hatch? I did not know there were any subwoofers in the 'doors' themselves.... I thought those were traditional speakers. I have the JBL upgraded system..... which is a black eye to JBL's legendary quality as this is probably THEE worst stock sound system I have ever experienced. Just bought a new 2017 Jeep Wrangler with an upgraded Alpine system and it makes the Toyota JBL system seem like a Kmart transistor radio. lol
The speaker in the door and in the dash are set up as a component system, where the woofer and tweeter are separated. So while the speaker in the door is not a "sub" woofer, it is just the woofer component where it only receives the low audio signals. Play a song and put your ear to the door, the vocals will be played much louder in the dash, and not much aside from the bass coming out of the doors.
Ahhh! Good to know - thanks for detailing that. I don't seem to notice the distortion/rattling out of my doors but distinctly hear it coming from the rear hatch. There was/is a pretty good thread on the Toyota Nation forum detailing what many owners were doing to mitigate that issue. Some fixes included removing the 'hatch' cover to access the sub, and then wrapping foam tape around the attachment points / frame of the sub where it came into contact with the hard plastic areas of the hatch cover (if I remember that correctly).... and also wrapping attachment points around the metal framework of the door where the speaker attached. Glad you were able to make improvements to your sound.
I could replace the actuator but my problem is troubleshooting which one is defective or if something else. The master door switch on the driver's side works but activated a few more times it won't open any doors. Then wait a minute it works again with the first push then stops with subsequent activation. The key fob does the same routine. Any ideas?
Great instructions ! Thanks
Thank you Bob. Glad it helped - but I hope you never need to refer to it... lol. Have a great New Year.
wow, they still use Phillips screws?
Great video. However, if I forget to put the metal rod into the actuator how do I open the door? Unfortunately I re-assembled the entire door and forgot to insert the metal rod into the actuator. Now, I CANT OPEN the door? Please help.
Oh no !!! Hmmmm..... at that point, I would definitely suggest taking it to a dealer. The only thing I can think of is accessing the inner door through the removal of your power door lock/power window cover ..... but that would still require a crystal ball and Houdini-like skills. I know it doesn't help now.... but like I suggest in the video; you always test the repair before putting everything back together..... that will expose anything you might have forgotten to do. Take it to a dealer..... or a locksmith. Let me know how you resolved this.
I think this is a fake account and a fake review.... guy has NO content at all on his page, and does not reply. Troll.
Thanks for the video.
I am needing to do one on a 2011 Venza, does anyone know if it is basically the same steps? Thanks
Not sure without removing the inside door panel and inspecting, but I would guess it is very similar. You will have to pop off your door panel, peel away the plastic dust cover, and take a look. I highly doubt it is much different, but you will undoubtedly have to find different attachment screw locations of your door panel which would probably be somewhat different than the Highlander, because they will have different interior door panel designs..... but it can't be any harder, I would think. You will just have to dive in and give it a shot.... this video may give you some similar and general overall guidance on many aspects of doing yours. Good luck.... just DO NOT SHUT YOUR DOOR WITHOUT ENSURING THE DOOR LOCK ROD IS PROPERLY SEATED IN THE NEW ACTUATOR ! Or else you will not be able to open your door from the inside or outside and will have to have the dealer fix it for you.
Thanks allot... 2015 highlander actuator failed on the same side... like wtf...
I am amazed at all the failures they have with these.... Toyota needs to pay for these, but they won't of course. Good luck and I hope this helps you.
I can't thank you enough for this video and I hope it helps others in saving a small fortune from having the dealership repair the door actuators. I have a 2013 Tundra and this video applied perfectly to my fix. I was quoted $1150 to replace front driver and front passenger actuators and was mortified at the cost. I declined the repair and had to eat the $114.95 fee to diagnose the problem. I then Googled the parts for my truck and went to WWW.CARPARTS.COM and found new actuators for $30.72 per actuator. $70 total including shipping and I watched your very detailed video and then proceeded to replace my actuators. 45 minutes later and both were replaced and the doors reassembled. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for taking the time to make and share this video. You saved me a lot of money....
Awesome! Glad it helped you - - feedback like this makes me really glad I took the time to document this. Pay it forward someday and make someone else smile! :-)
Can you comment back if they are still working, etc?
Hi Ken - the OEM replacements worked flawlessly for me from the date and time of this video, until I sold the vehicle last summer (2018). I did not do all 4 actuators at the same time, as they failed at different intervals.... but I would say I fixed them all within about 3 month time span. Unfortunately, I cannot speak as to how they are holding up now, as again, I sold the vehicle.
I can say this: When I did own the vehicle, I routinely asked Highlander owners of the same year (2014 model) at grocery stores, parking lots, dealership while getting oil changes, etc if they had their power door locks 'go out/fail' and I literally NEVER came across another Highlander owner that had an issue with them.
I knew there must be other Highlander owners with door lock issues, however, because I couldn't believe I was the only guy - which is why I made the video and took it global so that others might benefit from it.
Which, based upon almost 20k views and several appreciative comments, must have been the case.
If you are experiencing the issue and happen to replace with an verifiable 3rd party part that fit and worked - please post it int he comment section for others..... The OEM parts are expensive, even at discounted 'online distributor' prices.... so, saving the next guy some major bucks could significantly reduce the pain of doing the repair.
Has any one changed front door glass on 2014 to 2019 highlander?
You didn't say why you are replacing it
If you read the 'overview description' written under the video, it does tell you why I replaced them..... 2 completely failed literally just after the warranty expired, and then a few months later the other 2 doors began to intermittently fail.
Why is it junk so soon? I’ll never buy this junk again
All my power actuators had failed shortly after the Toyota warranty ran out.... nice, huh? Toyotat wanted $2k to replace them.
This video is amazing! We found it too late though. How can we open the door if we didn’t put the rod into the actuator? HELP! 🥹🫠
You may want to ask the dealer.....I sold my Highlander shortly after making the repairs and doing the video.
I just did a similar repair on my Tundra. However, now the key will not unlock the door. I can still use the remote though. Does the top part on the back side of the actuator go to the key lock? Do you have any suggestions?
Hmmmm... that is odd. Not really sure without looking at it. Seems to me that the 'key' and the 'power door lock fob' activate the same 'rod' that goes down into the small hole catch that I mention in my video is crucial to have installed correctly. Without that 'rod' being inserted into the hole of the actuator mechanism.... the door wouldn't unlock at all. That is why I am confused as to how the key won't operate it, while the power key fob will?! You must have not corrected some sort of 'rod' coming from the door handle key mechanism to the new door actuator..... but again, that should be the same one that would allow the door to lock/unlock both manually and remotely. I wonder if the Turndra uses a different setup???
tgilldesign I figured it out. You have to remove the key lock piece then replace it after the actuator is replaced. Otherwise it just pushes the rod on the key lock to the side instead of it fitting back into the actuator.
tgilldesign I figured it out. You have to remove the key lock piece then replace it after the actuator is replaced. Otherwise it just pushes the rod on the key lock to the side instead of it fitting back into the actuator.
glad you figured it out.