general problems of the 2006 Toyota Highlander

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that the vehicle should get 35 miles per gallon in the city; however, it only gets 21 miles. He called the dealer and was advised to call the Toyota manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that they appreciated his input and comments. The contact feels that a recall should be issued. The failure mileage was 31,000.

First startup in mornings. Sometimes vehicle fails to start on first attempt. Second attempt it starts but for several miles after, a strong odor of gas in cabin area. Must roll window down to allow ventilation. Wife first complained about this issue and I assumed it was because she was depressing the accelerator while trying to start vehicle. It was not until I attempted on several occasion and the same thing happened.