Body problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander

The paint is malfunction , and is available for inspection upon request.

Hello, to whom it may concern: my 2012 Toyota Highlander color pearl white VIN [xxx] ) has a repaint recall before Nov 2024. I was told at the dealer that I have to contact the Toyota dealers until I get the opportunity to get it paint. I was told that I had to contact any Toyota dealer until I get a date of acceptance. Thinking that it was not fair to delegate the responsibility on myself I made a few calls until I did get an appointment to get my SUV painted. The recall period is almost over (Nov 2024) I was told and I will put a claim on Toyota corporation for not making sure all the vehicles are completely painted. I will also put a lawyer to help me get across my claim if I am not informed from Toyota the date that they will work on my SUV with the repaint recall. Respectfully, [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On March 19, 2019 around 9:30pm (dry road condition � no rain), my husband and I heard a loud explosion outside while we were driving on highway (I-70) going approx. 70 mph. It sounded like a tire blew out or a gun shot. My husband didn't feel the car was wobbly so we assumed the tires on our car are ok. We were driving on left lane and there was a semi-truck next to us but we didn't see anything happened to the truck and it was moving normal too. However, after that loud explosion, we both noticed the noise coming from the top of the car (noise similar to when the car window is open). I then opened the cover (shade) of the sunroof and saw the sunroof was shattered so quickly closed the cover (shade) back up. Fortunately, the cover was closed when the sunroof shattered so we didn't get hurt from broken glasses. We have no idea how that happened as we didn't see any objects were flying towards us.

The seal coating on the roof paint clear coat is under current warrantee and the dealer wants not to cover it. Instead they want to not use the policy ,but charge me $1000 for them to paint it. This I consumer fraud.

Sunroof leaking undercarriage rust.

While driving on the freeway at 75 mph I heard a very loud popping noise in the roof of the vehicle. When I pulled off on a side road at 45 mph, the sunroof exploded, sounding like a shotgun was fired over my head. The cover to the sunroof was open and tiny shards of glass fell into the car and I was picking them out of my hair all day. It was very distressing as I didn't know if someone was shooting at me so I kept driving until I was out of the area. When I felt safe, I stopped the car to inspect the damage and that's when I saw the sunroof glass protruding upwards. There were no other cars around me and nothing overhead. In the attached picture you can see the glass of the sunroof protruding upwards, which could not be the result of an impact from outside of the vehicle. When I took the car to the Toyota dealer, the service manager said he'd heard of it happening before and admitted it was a structural defect, yet Toyota would not cover it. He suggested I submit a claim to my insurance, which I did. This is a known issue that Toyota needs to rectify.

Rear lift gate opened as I was driving down the highway. Dangerous. Now the door does not work as it is supposed to. I was told directly by another owner that the door does not always lock when closed. What about grandchildren and pets. I cannot use my car as intended. It is a safety concern as I have no idea if or when it will repeat.

This event happened when my Toyota Highlander 2012 (se v6 4wd) was parked and turned off. I pressed the remote control button to automatically open the car hatch door. The door was open and stay up. However, when I was putting some grocery bags inside the car, the door came down without any announcement and hitting my head. I had head ache for a couple of days. After this happened, the back door does not stay up. I brought the car to the dealer two days after the incident happened. I am still waiting for a decision from Toyota customer experience center and without my car (3 weeks and counting). I am claiming a car replacement from Toyota. This is the fifth incident with this car (five car repairs by the dealership under Toyota guaranty) during its first year of ownership (a brand new car). Really disappointed from Toyota car quality. I am afraid that next time would be a fatality or another serious injury with irreversible consequences.

Over the course of a few weeks we noticed a significant smell in our car. We have rubber floormats, so did not notice that there was a drainage problem in our a/c condenser. The blockage caused drainage to back up into the body of our vehicle and mold started to grow all over the inside of the vehicle on the carpet underneath the rubber floormats. We later learned that the blockage was caused by a spider web in the a/c condenser drainage tube. I took the car to the dealer and they called Toyota and learned it would not be covered under my extended Toyota care warranty and any costs would have to be paid out of pocket. I just learned that similar model year Toyota vehicles, including the avalon and camry, are under recall due to problems that result from spider webs blocking the a/c condenser drainage tube. This is clearly a design defect that covers more than just the avalon and camry models, but the recall did not cover my Highlander. We have an infant son and the growth of mold could have severely impacted his health and breathing.