Highlander is a mid-size SUV owned by Toyota, and it is also a best-selling model in the market, which has gained many loyal fans in the industry because of its durability and high cost performance. In the first quarter of 2022, Highlander's cumulative sales were 26,954 units, with an average monthly sales of nearly 9,000 vehicles. In the field of SUVs, this sales performance is still remarkable. But in April, Highlander's complaint rate skyrocketed.
The complaint data from the car door shows that the Highlander complaint index in April 2022 was 835.35, up 2478.24% month-on-month. Meanwhile, in April, car doors received 229 Highlander complaints, up 208 from March. According to the complaint information, the engine/motor noise caused by the body resonance problem was concentrated by the owner of the car, which is also the culprit of the sharp increase in the complaint rate of Highlander in April. It is worth noting that the complaints about highlanders are mainly focused on the 2022 model, and the problem mainly appears in the 2.5L power version, as for the 2.0T power version, the problem is relatively less.
A car owner feedback to the car door that when the car was purchased in September 2021 and used to 6500 kilometers, the engine accelerated sharply at a speed of 0-65 kilometers per hour, and the driver's side of the car in the full speed domain under the cold car state continued to have abnormal noise due to resonance. The 4S shop suggested replacing the high-grade engine oil, but did not agree to it at the time of the first insurance. The problem of abnormal sound began to appear obviously after 5000 kilometers, and the trend is becoming more and more frequent and serious.
The body resonance problem caused by the abnormal sound of the Highlander engine is not unique, and until May 6, some car owners still issued complaints to the car door, which also shows that the problem is still fermenting and has not been properly handled. From the feedback of the owner, it can be seen that Toyota officials have not explained and compensated for the problem because of the large number of complaints from the owners.
According to online revelations, Toyota AMERICA released a recall for the 20-22 hybrid Highlander as early as the end of 2021 (including the Highlander xse version, that is, the prototype of the Crown-Land Release), and detailed how dealers should check this problem. As described in the announcement, the solution is to replace the new engine rear foot, the part number of the old foot is 12371-F0170, the part number of the new foot is 12371-F0210, and the replacement of the new foot can completely solve this problem.
Also a Highlander model, Toyota not only responded to the North American market but also triggered a recall, but also said that it would provide free warranty replacement for the owner. In the blink of an eye, Toyota's attitude towards car owners regardless of their demands is in strong contrast with the North American market. Such a sharp change of attitude has angered highlander owners. Toyota's approach prompted more Highlander riders to complain, forcing the problem to continue to ferment.
For Toyota manufacturers, whether it is a Chinese user or a North American user, it is the "God" of the enterprise. Then, the Chinese market and the US market should be equal, and Chinese consumers and American consumers should be equal. Toyota's differentiation of users in this way will obviously seriously damage the brand image of the company.
With the continuous rise of independent brands, if the joint venture brand treats domestic and foreign users differently in terms of product and service attitude, it is undoubtedly "lifting a stone and dropping it on its own feet". Moreover, now that consumers' awareness of rights protection is constantly increasing, I hope that Toyota's appeal to the owner of the Highlander can give a reasonable solution, and do not let the reputation of "Toyota that cannot be broken" continue to decline.