Originally Posted By: dblshock
that first generation Excape is a rust bucket in this neck of the woods, rear quarters and rear gates..same with the Mazda 3, awful.
There was a Ford in that top ten list but that was an aboration, probably a rust bucket too.
Any generation Highlander won't show rust, fact 2000+ Toyota seemed to have delt with it effectively up and down the line. I'll stipulate they had issues prior.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Toyota/comments/2lnwq5/bought_a_new_highlander_rust_on_the_tailgate/
Quote:
Hey,
My wife and I decided to purchase a 2013 Highlander in October of last year, thinking a new vehicle would suit us due to warranty, high resale value of Toyota, and Toyota's reputation of reliability.
Within 5 months, we noticed red rust spots (car color is Blizzard Pearl) developing on the edges of the tailgate.
We've been to the dealership over 5 times trying to get this resolved and they have refused to cover the cost or repair.
From 2003 (for a 2002):
http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/highlander/4821-highlander-rust/
Quote:
I found a rust bubble on the right rear quarter of my 2002 bluestone highlander last week. I brought it to 1 dealer already and he said it wasn't covered under warranty...go figure... Does anyone know of a website that listed all cars that have been painted before delivery? Has anyone had to escalate an issue above the dealer level and if so, who would I contact.
Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, Jim
And from the Truedelta complaints list:
http://www.truedelta.com/Toyota-Highlander/body-problems-268
Quote:
2011 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
245-horsepower 3.5L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD
85400 mi
Rust on the tailgate. Car is less than 5 years but more than 100000 km dealer said nothing can be done.
Quote:
2010 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
16500 mi One of the end caps on the running boards fell off.
30000 mi Rust forming around tailgate rear wiper and below license plate. Toyota Rep said it was caused by scratches, but at goodwill would cover 1/2 the cost to repaint, should we choose to have it repainted
Quote:
2008 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
270-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic AWD
46000 mi
US $87 Plugged AC condenser hose caused water to seep in and drench front footwells. Dealer cleared the hose and wash/dry carpet.
54300 mi Door panel rusting at bottom. Dealer will not fix until rusted completely through. Will be covered until 5 year warranty expires in October.
55000 mi
US $104 Paint was wearing off on all exterior handles
11000 mi
US $30 Under the drivers side door arm rest cushion is a plastic support piece. This piece cracked. It supports the arm rest cusion from inside the arm rest.
Quote:
2008 Toyota Highlander 4dr SUV
209-horsepower 3.3L V6 Hybrid CVT AWD
66960 mi
€400 Factory default rust points hatchback below tailgate. Toyota would fix that for nothing in USA - but not in Germany...
And there are plenty of other complaints there that aren't about rust.
And another thread (from 2012 about a 2008):
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/52959-help-rust-spots.html
Quote:
Virtually all the rust on the vehicle is concentrated on the tailgate. (Please look at the attached photos.) All the spots are small (less than 4mm), and most are much smaller. There are two types: dots where the paint is actually bubbling and extremely small dots that look to be surface only. What is particularly puzzling is that there appears to be no associated chips or physical abrasion to the paint.The places where there is bubbling and rust breaking through from underneath started out just like the tiny surface spots you see. The paint just seems to be failing. As you can see, there is also rust and corrosion on the chrome.
But yeah, the Highlander is immune to rust......