Your thoughts? Thanks for years of your advice and humor! — Carol
Carol: I think Toyota must have been reading your mind, Carol. Or eavesdropping on your Alexa. Because they just came out with a vehicle that sounds like it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
It’s called the Grand Highlander. It’s a seven-passenger SUV (two captain’s chairs in the second row, and a bench seat for three kids or misbehaving in-laws in the back) that comes with a very good, optional hybrid drivetrain.
It actually offers two hybrid drivetrains: a regular, fuel-saving hybrid, and a hybrid that emphasizes extra power. You want the plain old Hybrid, not the so-called Hybrid Max.
You can get it with all-wheel drive, if you want. And despite the fact that this thing hauls seven passengers and a bunch of their stuff, the Grand Highlander Hybrid gets around 35 miles per gallon.
And in my experience at the garage, Toyotas, in general, have been very reliable, and Toyota hybrids have been very long lasting.
You should be able to get a well-loaded one for $60,000, Carol. In fact, for 60 grand, you should be able to buy the car and get loaded yourself.
I’d recommend the Grand Highlander Hybrid Limited trim, which comes with all the luxuries that I know you deserve — a power tailgate, a heated steering wheel, and fancy sound system so you can rock out with the grandkids. Or without them. Enjoy.
Dear Car Talk: On a very cold day, I left my 1996 GMC truck in a parking garage. When I came back, I found that I had lost all my accessories.
No radio, no power windows, no heater blower, no interior lights, etc. Also, the brake warning light was on. The truck did start, and the headlights and brakes worked, so I was able to drive home.
The next day, I went to start the truck, and everything worked again. The situation has never reoccurred. What do you think happened? — Bill
Bill: Well, this will involve a lot of guesswork, Bill. Just like all my other answers. I’m going to assume that the very cold weather was a factor. We all know about shrinkage, right?
My guess is that some electrical contacts shrank in the cold and ceased to make contact. That’s what interrupted your power. Which contacts were they? Well, I think we can rule out a fuse or a relay, because there are simply too many things that stopped working. A fuse or relay could explain one or two of those things but not all of them.
We can also rule out something universal — something that would affect every electrical connection in the truck. Why? Because the truck started. So, for instance, it could not have been the negative terminal of your battery, because the starter motor needs more power than all of those accessories combined.
So, it’s got to be something general, but not universal. And I’ve got two guesses. The first is your ignition switch. It’s possible that some contacts in the switch were affected by the cold. That could cut off power to your accessories while allowing the truck to crank, and, on many cars, allowing the fuel pump to run.
The second possibility is that it was one of the major wiring harnesses that go between the passenger cabin and the engine compartment. They’re mounted on the firewall. And if one of those got cold enough, or got cold enough combined with some age-related corrosion, some of the metal contacts could have failed to maintain contact.
If you’ve got nothing better to do this weekend, start the truck and turn the radio up so you can hear it from under the hood. Then shake and manipulate all the wiring harnesses on the firewall. You may find that jiggling one of them results in the radio cutting in and out. If so, you’ve found the problem. Then you can either replace that harness or start a campfire underneath it next time this happens.
Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.
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