2014 Toyota Highlander

I NOTICED A BAD SMELL FOR MONTHS AND COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. RECENTLY I NOTICED WATER COMING IN FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SEATBELT. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD ME BRING IT IN IMMEDIATELY. THEY FOUND MOLD AND SAID IT WAS DUE TO THE MOON ROOF LEAKING. THE CARPETING WAS REPLACED BY PROFESSIONALS SINCE THEIR EMPLOYEES COULD NOT BE EXPOSED TO THE MOLD. I HAD THE CAR FOR OVER A YEAR AND DROVE IT WITH MY ASTHMATIC CHILD DAILY. NO ONE HAS YET TO ADDRESS THE HEALTH HAZARD THIS IS. NOT TO MENTION THE MOLDING AROUND THE DOORS AND SEVERAL GUARDS AND PIECES NO LONGER FIT PROPERLY AND ARE SLIDING ALL OVER THE FLOOR AS I DRIVE.

PURCHASED VEHICLE 5/26/14. AT FIRST HAD A POPPING NOISE FROM RIGHT REAR BREAK; TOOK TO DEALERSHIP STATING COULD FIND PROBLEM, SO LIVED WITH IT. AT 10,000 + MILES DEALER FOUND FRONT BREAKS WARPED, SO HAD THEM REPLACED. AROUND SAME 10K + MILES DEALER HAD TO DROP ENGINE TO REPLACE LEAKING OIL FOUND AROUND TIMING COVER AREA, STATING FACTORY INSTALL DID NOT ALLOW PROPER SEALING. ON 7/22/15, @ 12,748 MILES NOTICED OIL LEAK SAME AREA, AND INFORMED BY DEALER THAT ENGINE HAS TO BE DROPPED FOR THE 2ND TIME TO REPAIR OIL LEAK. ABOVE DOES NOT INCLUDE OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS REPLACING MIDDLE ROW CUP HOLDER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEAT RECUSHION. SOUNDS LIKE I PURCHASED A 2014 HIGHLANDER LIMITED CONSIDERED A LEMON. MY THREE PREVIOUS CARS - '06 AVALON; '02 4RUNNER; & '90 4RUNNER NEVER HAD EXTREME ISSUES, SUCH AS THE 2014 HIGHLANDER.

AUTOMATIC/POWER LIFTGATE DOES NOT CLOSE ALL THE WAY. STARTS - THEN STOPS HALF TO 90% CLOSED. REQUIRES MANUALLY LOWERING TO CLOSE. HAPPENS 75% OF THE TIME. TOYOTA DEALER RELUCTANTLY ACKNOWLEDGED A SERVICE BULLETIN AND SAYS THEY WILL REPLACE MOTOR BUT IT TOOK SOME PUSHING TO GET PAST THE SERVICE DESK AND TECH WHO SAY, "WE COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG". I SAID NOT GOOD ENOUGH ANSWER AND, LO AND BEHOLD, THE SENIOR CSR LOOKED IT UP ONLINE AND CONFIRMED THE MALFUNCTION IS NOT UNCOMMON AND IMMEDIATELY OFFERED TO REPLACE THE POWER LIFTGATE MOTOR.

WE PURCHASED A 2014 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED ON AUG 9, 2014. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 150 MILES THE PERSON IN THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT EXPERIENCES SEVERE BACK AND DISCOMFORT IN THE AREA OF THE TAILBONE. THERE IS SOMETHING VERY HARD TOWARDS THE BACK OF THE SEAT. I COMPLAINED TO THE SELLING DEALER AND THEY RECOMMENDED COMING BACK WHEN THE ZONE REP WAS IN AREA. I RETURNED A WEEK LATER AND MET WITH THE ZONE REP. SHE HAD ME SIT IN ANOTHER HIGHLANDER LIMITED AND ASKED IF IT FELT DIFFERENT, IT DID FEEL THE SAME. HER REPLY WAS "DIDN'T YOU SIT IN THE CAR BEFORE YOU BOUGHT IT?" I TOLD HER MY WIFE SAT IN THE BACK SEAT AND I DROVE, SALESMAN SAT IN RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTOMOTIVE UPHOLSTERY SHOP WHERE THE REMOVED THE LEATHER SEAT COVER AND DISCOVERED THE METAL SEAT HEATER MODULE AND WIRING DIRECTLY UNDER THE LEATHER AND ON TOP OF THE FOAM. THE SHOP CUT ABOUT 1/2 INCH INTO THE FOAM AND BURIED THE MODULE AND PLACED THE CUT OUT FOAM ON TOP OF IT. THEY ALSO DID THE SAME FOR THE SEAT BACK. I REQUESTED DEALER TO REIMBURSE ME THE $200.00 IT COST TO HAVE THE ABOVE MENTIONED WORK DONE; THEIR RESPONSE WAS THEY WOULD REQUEST TOYOTA TO COVER THE COST. A WEEK LATER I LEARNED THAT TOYOTA REFUSED TO PAY FOR A MODIFICATION THEY DID NOT APPROVE AND THEY FELT THE PLACEMENT OF THE MODULE WAS NOT A DEFECT. I THEN ASKED THE DEALERSHIP TO REIMBURSE ME AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID TOYOTA WOULD NOT AUTHORIZE THE EXPENSE. I TOLD HIM I WORKED FOR A GM DEALERSHIP AND SAW MANY MODIFICATIONS THAT WERE APPROVED BY GM. HIS RESPONSE WAS "CHEVROLET HAS TO ACCOMMODATE CUSTOMERS IN ORDER TO SELL CARS AND TOYOTA DOESN'T HAVE TO BECAUSE THEY SELL CARS AS FAST AS THEY ARE MADE. AND, WHEN TOYOTA SELLS TWO MILLION CARS AND ONLY A FEW HUNDRED CUSTOMERS COMPLAIN ABOUT AN ISSUE SUCH AS MINE TOYOTA ISN'T CONCERNED ENOUGH TO MAKE OR REIMBURSE A MODIFICATION;" UPON LEARNING THIS IS THE ATTITUDE OF TOYOTA, I WILL NEVER PURCHASE A TOYOTA AGAIN. *TR

WHEN DRIVING ON THE FWY, INTERMITTENTLY DEPENDING ON THE WIND OR HOW THE DOOR WAS SHUT FOR THE RUBBER SEAL TO MAKE A SOLID CONNECTION, THERE IS SIGNIFICANT WIND NOISE THAT BREACHES THE SEAL AND MAKES EXCESSIVE NOISE. THIS IS MOST NOTICEABLE IN THE DRIVERS SIDE AND IS WHERE I MEASURED FOR SOUND LEVELS. THE CLOSER I BRING THE METER TO THE WINDOW BY THE SIDE MIRROR THEN MORE NOISE IS RECORDED. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AT ALL, EVEN AT 70MPH. OTHER TIMES, AND OFTEN IT THERE IS A WIND NOISE COMING INTO THE CABIN. WITH TOYOTA'S CLAIM FOR IT BEING SUCH A QUIET CABIN, THIS NOISE IS NOT RIGHT. I TEST DROVE WITH THE TECH MANAGER AT MY DEALER AND HE TOO NOTED THE PROBLEM. HE ORDERED A NEW DOOR SEAL. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE DOOR SEAL, AND I DIDN'T HAVE IT INSTALLED. HOWEVER THERE WAS A WINDOW FRAME BLACK PLASTIC PANEL THAT WASN'T PROPERLY SEATED, AND THIS WAS REPLACED. NOT SURE IF IT FIXED THE PROBLEM, AS ITS TOO EARLY TO TELL. THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF REPORT FROM OTHER OWNERS ONLINE WITH THIS ISSUE. SO FAR I KNOW OF ONE OWNER WHO RETURNED THE CAR DUE TO THIS EXCESSIVE WIND NOISE. *TR