The first time this Highlander was parked for more than three days at the airport during a very hot spell, the AC did not operate until the car was operating for 5-10 minutes. No matter the setting, it would only blow hot air, almost as if the heater was set to it's highest setting, unbearable on a hot day in a hot car. This happened a second time under the same conditions, so I brought it to the dealer.
I was told this might be due to a power saver feature that avoids battery drain during long spells when the car is not being used. He thought that a system reset was being performed prior to it allowing the AC to resume functioning.
If this is correct, I'm not happy with this "feature". I've owned many cars, left them at the airport for long periods during hot spells and never came back to a dead battery and my AC worked instantly.
This only happens during really hot days AND when the car goes without starting for three days or more AND it's during the day with the sun baking the car. If it happens again this upcoming summer I'll be back to the dealer.
Update from Jan 23, 2018: This problem did not reappear during the entire summer of 2017. Not sure if that means it's gone or simply that I didn't subject it to the same conditions that caused it to happen.
The first time this Highlander was parked for more than three days at the airport during a very hot spell, the AC did not operate until the car was operating for 5-10 minutes. No matter the setting, it would only blow hot air, almost as if the heater was set to it's highest setting, unbearable on a hot day in a hot car. This happened a second time under the same conditions, so I brought it to the dealer.
I was told this might be due to a power saver feature that avoids battery drain during long spells when the car is not being used. He thought that a system reset was being performed prior to it allowing the AC to resume functioning.
If this is correct, I'm not happy with this "feature". I've owned many cars, left them at the airport for long periods during hot spells and never came back to a dead battery and my AC worked instantly.
This only happens during really hot days AND when the car goes without starting for three days or more AND it's during the day with the sun baking the car. If it happens again this upcoming summer I'll be back to the dealer.
Update from Jan 23, 2018: This problem did not reappear during the entire summer of 2017. Not sure if that means it's gone or simply that I didn't subject it to the same conditions that caused it to happen.
- joep-nj, Wall Township, NJ, US