2010 Toyota Highlander Body & Structure Problems

WHILE USING THE TAILGATE CLOSE BUTTON ON THE KEY FOB,CAR SHUT OFF AND PARKED, A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD WHILE THE DOOR WAS CLOSING AND THE DOOR JAMMED, SLIGHTLY OPENED AND IMMOVABLE. HAD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A CERTIFIED TOYOTA REPAIR FACILITY TO GET THE CLOSING SERVO DISCONNECTED SO THE DOOR WOULD SHUT. MANUAL OPERATION OF THE DOOR IS THE ONLY WAY TO OPEN AND CLOSE AT THIS TIME. NOTHING WAS BLOCKING THE DOOR AS IT WAS CLOSING AND COMPLETE REPAIR APPEARS TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE. BACK DOOR HINGES APPEAR TO BE SLIGHTLY OUT OF LINE BUT DOOR WILL CLOSE MANUALLY. T-SB-0038-15 ADDRESSES A PROBLEM SIMILAR TO THIS BUT THE DOOR WOULD OPEN - IN THIS CASE IT WOULD NOT UNTIL THE TOYOTA SERVICEMAN REMOVED THE SERVO.

POWER LIFT HATCHBACK DOOR NOT COSED ALL THE WAY. VERY DANGEROUS.

IN LATE 2012, TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB RELATED TO THE REAR POWER LIFT GATE. INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO REPLACE THE HINGES, MOTOR UNIT, ETC... IF EVIDENCE OF FAILURE. LIMITATIONS WERE 3 YR 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. EXPLANATIONS FROM THE DEALER WERE THAT THE HINGES FOR THE BACK HATCH WERE UNDER MANUFACTURED FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR CAUSING THEM TO TWIST/WARP AND PULL AWAY FROM THE DOOR AND/OR FRAME. THIS ALSO CREATED UNDUE STRESS ON THE MOTOR ASSEMBLY UNIT OFTEN TIMES LEADING TO FAILURE. I HAD SERVICE PERFORMED IN EARLY 2013 AS RECOMMENDED BY THE TSB. I AM CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING THE IDENTICAL ISSUES AS STATED ABOVE BUT WORSE. THE DOOR NO LONGER OPERATES BY USING THE POWER LIFT FEATURE ON THE KEY FOB. THE DOOR IS AGAIN WARPED CAUSING THE GRINDING AND CLICKING NOISES WHEN YOU OPEN IT MANUALLY. THE MOTOR HAS FAILED AND I AM AFRAID MY ACTUAL DOOR IS WARPED. I HAVE SPOKEN TO MY DEALER AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE WORK WAS COMPLETED AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO FOR ME. THIS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO BE LESS THAN EFFECTIVE. I DO NOT FEEL THIS IS A CAR MILEAGE ISSUE. IT IS SIMPLY A MANUFACTURING ERROR THAT HAS YET TO BE RESOLVED. TOYOTA FAILED TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. AFTER RESEARCHING MY PROBLEM I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN VERY LARGE CLASS ACTION LAW SUITS RELATED TO THIS VERY ISSUE. MANY TIMES THESE DOORS ARE NOT CLOSING AT ALL CREATING A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE.

WHEN THE SERVICE MANAGER FROM COPELAND TOYOTA IN BROCKTON, MA AND I LOOKED AT THE TRUNK HINGES TOGETHER IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE TRUNK NOT CLOSING WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE WAY THAT THE HIGHLANDER WAS MANUFACTURED VERSUS DUE TO ANY FAULT OF OUR OWN. THIS ISSUE HAS LEFT MY CHILDREN AND I WITH A DRAINED BATTERY ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, WHICH IS NOT ONLY INCONVENIENT BUT A SAFETY ISSUE GIVEN THE RISKS INVOLVED WITH BEING STRANDED IN UNFAMILIAR TOWNS. THE MALFUNCTION AND INOPERABILITY OF OUR TRUNK DOOR LEAVES MY FAMILY AT RISK OF DANGER. HOWEVER, I WAS QUOTED $3,600 TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE BY A THIRD PARTY BODY SHOP THAT COPELAND TOYOTA USES. HOWEVER, THE REPAIR EXPENSES SHOULD NOT BE PAID BY MY FAMILY BUT RATHER TOYOTA SINCE THE ISSUE IS A DIRECT RESULT OF FAULTY MANUFACTURING. TO THIS POINT, I RECOGNIZE THAT I AM NOT ALONE, THERE ARE SEVERAL VIDEOS AND ENDLESS COMPLAINTS OF SEVERAL TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE (NEWER MODELS AS WELL). HERE ARE A FEW VIDEOS THAT YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF VIA YOUTUBE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=9Z7EOPHQR0S I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT OWNERS OF TOYOTA HIGHLANDERS BE CONTACTED TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE.

THE TAILGATE HATCH WAS UNABLE TO OPEN BY ELECTRONIC PUSH BOTTOM OR MANUALLY. SEEING THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THE CAUSE WAS A FAULTY ENGINEERING DESIGN TO THE TAILGATE BYTOYOTA. THE HINGE MECHANICS TO OPEN THE REAR HATCH DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR AND USE CAUSE ALIGMENT ISSUES AND THEREFORE, THE GATE OR WINDOW CANNOT OPEN PROPERLY. TO FIX PROPERLY A NEW DOOR AND HINGE SYSTEM WERE PUT ON WITH NO GUARANTEES THAT IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX BY THE OWNER. LOOKING INTO THIS PROBLEM MANY CONSUMERS WITH THIS HIGHLANDER HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA HAS REENGINEERED ITS NEWER MODELS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IN AN EMERGENCY TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THE 3RD ROW SEAT WITH THE DOOR STUCK IS A SAFETY ISSUE. TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM AS WELL AS REIMBURSE THE OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH THESE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES. *TR

APPARENTLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FROM MY RESEARCH AND MY DISCUSSION WITH THE DEALER. MY 2010 HIGHLANDER WITH 40K MILES HAS A POWER REAR DOOR. THE HINGES HOLDING THE DOOR ARE SPACED TOO FAR WHICH CAUSES STRESS ON THE MECHANICAL ARM AND BOLT THAT ATTACH TO THE DOOR. MY WIFE WAS IN THE VEHICLE AND PRESSED THE BUTTON TO CLOSE THE REAR POWER DOOR WHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD "POP". THE BOLT ATTACHING THE "ARM" TO THE DOOR STRIPPED AND CAME OUT OF THE DOOR. THE DEALER SAID MY FULL COVERAGE "BUMPER TO BUMPER" WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THIS AND GAVE ME THE PHONE NUMBER TO TOYOTA. I SPOKE WITH TOYOTA AND THEY INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE WITH THE DEALER. TOYOTA CAME BACK AND OFFERED TO SPLIT THE COST 50%. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE IN MY OPINION AS IT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING ISSUE AS WELL AS A SAFETY CONCERN. IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN BEHIND THE VEHICLE AND PRESSED THE POWER DOOR BUTTON, SHE COULD HAVE BEEN STRUCK IN THE FACE WITH THE METAL BAR WHEN IT PULLED ITSELF OUT OF THE DOOR. TOYOTA SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO WENT THE EXTRA STEP AND PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH THEM. THIS SHOULD BE BEYOND THE STANDARD 3 YEAR 36K WARRANTY AND ABOVE THAT, SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE DUE TO THE POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE. *TR

THE DRIVERS SUN VISOR HAS 2 STOP POINTS. ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE FULLY UPRIGHT IN THE RECESS OF THE HEAD LINER. THE STOP POINT HAS MOVED SO THAT THE UPPER MOST POINT THE VISOR WILL GO IS ABOUT 10% BELOW LEVEL AND RIGHT IN THE LINE OF SIGHT OF THE DRIVER. THIS CAUSES AN UNSAFE CONDITION IN THAT THE DRIVER CAN NOT SEE THE ROAD OR STOP LIGHTS. I HAVE RUN A RED LIGHT BECAUSE I CAN NOT SEE IT. I HAVE LOOKED ON ALL THE WEBSITES AND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR TOYOTA. NOT ONLY ON THE HIGHLANDER BUT ON SEVERAL OTHER MODELS. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL FOR WHAT EVER IS CAUSING THAT STOP POINT TO "DROOP". THE VISOR CAN NOT BE TAKEN APART AND TOYOTA WANTS $200 TO REPLACE THE THING. IT IS A RIP OFF AS THEY KNOW THE PART IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

THE FLARES THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THE FENDERS KEEP COMING OFF WHILE DRIVING. THEY HAVE COME OFF FOUR TIMES NOW AND POSE A SAFETY THREAT TO ME AND OTHERS ON THE HIGHWAY. I CURRENTLY HAVE THREE FLARES TAPED TO THE VEHICLE TO PREVENT THEIR COMING OFF WHILE DRIVING. IF THESE FLARES COME OFF IT IS POSSIBLE THEY COULD HIT OTHER VEHICLES ON THE HIGHWAY POSING A THREAT TO THEIR SAFETY. *TR