10th Mar 2010, 23:51

I own a 2008 Toyota Sienna and the paint has chipped on the hood really bad. Had to have it repainted at 18,000 miles. I also, own a 2007 Avalon and have had the same problem. When I asked the dealer about it, they claim this was the first they have heard about this problem and just recommend the 3M film. What a joke!

11th Mar 2010, 08:22

I had a 2003 Highlander and had the same problem with the paint chipping on the hood. I am considering purchasing another 2010, but am concerned it will do the same after reading this blog. I thought maybe Toyota would have improved the paint quality.

Texas.

3rd Aug 2010, 22:47

I just recently purchased a 2010 Toyota Highlander, silver in color.

I noticed after about the first 5000 miles, which was the first oil change, that it looked like the paint was chipping on the back bumper all the way down to the black. I asked about it, was told it looked like a scrap, well I knew I had not had anything in the back end to scratch it off.

So at the next oil change I took it in and pointed out more chipping and I was told that it's rock pecks and every car gets them.

Well now in the front corner of my hood that meets the headlight, it's peeling. I noticed bubbles in the door today. That's where they told me it would start if there were a paint issue. Well it didn't start there, but it's there now.

I was told that there is an issue with the white paint but not the silver. But they have issues now. It's not fair and it should be made right. If they don't I will never buy another Toyota. I will stick with Ford like I should have done in the first place.

4th Aug 2010, 18:17

Before buying our excellent GM SUV, we test drove a brand new Highlander V-6. It had defective brakes and interior trim pieces literally falling off. We would never dream of actually buying one of these dangerous and poorly built vehicles again. Domestics are safer, more reliable and much more comfortable to drive.

5th Aug 2010, 11:07

I really think you are just a Toyota hater. GM lovers would never waste time going and driving Toyotas. I drove the Highlander V6 4X4 and it was so far out of GM's league it was laughable. It outperformed GM SUVs in every category from acceleration to handling to smoothness... by a lot! What about an American SUV has ever been safe? Try checking the stats on that before making claims. Import SUVs are far safer than any domestic. I traded the GM junk for Toyota and I'll never look back. Now I can save $1,000s instead of dumping it into GM "quality".

24th Aug 2010, 14:12

I have a silver 2010 Highlander and the back bumper does scratch very easily. I rented a Hyundai Santa Fe and had no issues, even though I was dragging the luggage in and out of it. I guess Toyota quality is not what it used to be. We brought it up to the dealer and they would not do anything about it.

25th Aug 2010, 08:51

Why should the dealer cover it if you are dragging things in and out of the back causing it to scratch? They designed these with nice painted bumpers, rather than the old rubber truck bumper coverings, so they look better. If you use it for lots of luggage and stuff, get the clear applique for the bumper. We have that on our RAV4 (it came with it already on) and it keeps the bumper perfect. Please tell me what company uses a great paint process that doesn't chip or scratch easily. My Ford Focus has major orange peel in it in many areas. It also scratches easily, and has chips all over it at only a year old.

25th Aug 2010, 13:30

We test drove 8 SUV's. Of the 8, the worst was the Saturn Vue. The most poorly built was the Highlander (trim pieces falling off, bad brakes) and by far the most powerful, smoothest and best built were the Chevy Trailblazer and GMC Envoy (which we bought). We weren't averse to buying a Toyota until we saw how poorly they were built. We did NOT test drive a Honda due to the huge amount of publicity about their transmission problems.

25th Aug 2010, 14:38

A Trailblazer smoother than a Highlander? I think not! I traded my TB in for a RAV 4 and even that is much smoother. The TB had more power but the RAV 4 is smaller and lighter so at 6 HP less it is MUCH quicker and more responsive then the TB ever was.

Funny, because we traded our TB in because the front end differential failed and the tranny was soon to follow. You could smell burning fluid every time you drove it... and this after we had the fluid changed out.

We really wanted the Highlander but the RAV 4 was enough for us and we didn't feel the extra $2K was worth it right now. I did not notice anything wrong with the brakes. Perhaps the one you drove had been sitting a while and the brakes were dragging due to rust buildup on the rotors? This can happen and does happen to any vehicle that sits. I test drove a Ford Fusion and it shook violently when driving it, because it had been sitting for a long time and the tires had flat spots. It totally turned me off though, so I know how you feel. As far as pieces falling off... What exactly was falling apart on that truck? We saw nothing of the sort when we drove one. In fact, I was very impressed at how tight and quiet it was compared to the TB. I thought the interior was very well done actually. Even our RAV 4 which is more entry level as SUVs go is super tight and quiet.

I've always had such great luck with import cars and trucks, so I am not worried about having the RAV 4. I got real tired of stupid, annoying things breaking on my TB, and it still had only 90K miles on it when we traded it, 85% of which were highway miles.

25th Oct 2010, 16:16

"Hybrid and electric cars have become very important in the world, offering long-term benefits, the new 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has excellent tools for improving fuel efficiency and equipment.

http://www.greenautozone.net/2010-toyota-highlander-hybrid-review.html"

Yes, but at what cost to the environment? Where are all the spent batteries to be recycled when they are worn and no longer able to hold a charge? I like Hybrids, and think we need a new direction for autos to head in for efficiency. However, I can't help but feel this is yet another thing we've come up with and went crazy producing, without really considering what things will be like in 50 years as far as waste goes.

The other thing that is kind of disappointing is the actual mileage you get. These vehicles should be in triple digits by now. They used to make a Honda CRX that got 55 MPG on the highway... that was over 20 years ago. It was a regular gas engine. So why, 20+ years later have we not found ways to get normal gas engines to beat that number? A hybrid gets 40 MPG and people praise it for its technological advancement. We haven't even caught up to 1980's technology yet... mileage wise!