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

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy appropriately. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Nalley Toyota of Roswell to help opt for if your vehicle is protected to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how several miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2021 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 threatening problem that could cause threatening damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A persistent glow mostly means something less threatening but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in threatening trouble and service is imperative instantly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2021 Toyota Highlander, we exceptionally suggest not to drive the car and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most normal reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your catalytic converter is detrimental or going detrimental. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2021 Toyota Highlander’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function 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 of Roswell offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with each Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2021 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 added problems from overheating.
  • Your 2021 Toyota Highlander has a vacuum leak. Each Toyota Highlander has a vacuum system that performs a wide mixture of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower bad 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, immensely if they’re exposed to energetic heat or extreme annoyed.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, accepted as the O2 sensor, measures the deposit of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your automobile will be less effective 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 2021 Toyota Highlander's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to represent the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A detrimental O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • One of the most commonplace and copious cause is that your 2021 Toyota Highlander gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2021 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 detrimental fuel cap? If your gas cap is old 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 immediately after you put gas in your 2021 Toyota Highlander, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or added item can wreak havoc on your 2021 Toyota Highlander if it’s not installed well. These aftermarket elements and accessories can dump the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the automobile from starting. If these issues sound accepted, bring your Highlander to Toyota and have our company of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed well and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, immensely aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM elements first place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get low work and damage caused by low installation work corrected.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2021 Toyota Highlander is each imposing. 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 a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our contemporary service coupons and specials.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are basic for your 2021 Toyota Highlander. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your automobile. 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 detrimental or old, you will experience low 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, first-rate to more expensive repairs.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Toyota Highlander is what determines how much fuel is basic to run your engine efficiently by measuring the deposit of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to actual changes, like altitude. If your Toyota Highlander is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a detrimental mass airflow sensor.

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

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not appropriately tightened to a more unhealthy failure like a harmful catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it exemplary to get the fitting code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is frequently between $88 and $111. The exemplary news, Nalley Toyota of Roswell offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help select the cause of your check engine light.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2021 Toyota Highlander is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few contrasting 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 car. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored car performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2021 Toyota Highlander. Some of these include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can represent a variety of particular things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2021 Toyota Highlander, contact Nalley Toyota of Roswell. Contact Nalley Toyota of Roswell today! Our Toyota service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is twinkling.

2021 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light

A flashing light indicates that the problem is perilous and if not taken care of at this moment may result in major damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2021 Toyota Highlander starts flashing, that means that the problem needs hasty attention and your Toyota should be brought in at this moment. This twinkling light usually indicates a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously boost the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where wear and tear is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can altogether be the cause. A bad, classical or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is shining, please contact our team of automotive experts at Nalley Toyota of Roswell at this moment by calling 7707637398. If the problem is ignored or you continue to commute, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a exceedingly expensive repair.

2021 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are frequent potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several well-known causes including something as helpful as a loose gas cap. Different well-known reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, 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 needed 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 serviced.

Every 2021 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 normal systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control team. If the electronic control team detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light flashes telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what altogether is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Toyota of Roswell provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Qualified Service licensed.

2021 Toyota Highlander Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that microscopic 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 acknowledged as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Highlander. There are hundreds of other codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a microscopic patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you available knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, primary and basic vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of careful OBD codes, there are also hundreds of careful reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is hard for someone who does not have many of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Toyota mechanic. Call Nalley Toyota of Roswell at 7707637398 now or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a active concern, you risk damaging your car additional by not repairing the issue right away.

Is it safe to drive your 2021 Toyota Highlander with the check engine light on?

This question is not very authentic because it any depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be dependable to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady 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 treacherous problem. If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a treacherous issue and it is recommended to service your Toyota Highlander shortly. Call the consultants at Nalley Toyota of Roswell by dialing 7707637398 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and bring your 2021 Toyota to our certified mechanics as soon as realistic.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2021 Toyota Highlander will commonly 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 impartial, 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 2021 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 of Roswell so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Check Engine Light Service 2021 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 small because you have small 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 2021 Toyota Highlander checked as soon as achievable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing profound damage to lavish engine components.

When your 2021 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 handy, 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 of Roswell. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you prefer that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an professional professional to pick the issue and repair it.