I bought my Highlander new from Toyota of Sanford in December 2019 and it's been great until Sunday, November 23rd. I parked in the driveway for 5 hours from 12-5 to install garage shelving. Apparently my Highlander suffered solar convergence resulting in $2,762.91 damage. I need to repair it quickly too as the service advisor mentioned the weatherstripping pulled away on the roof which will leak into my headliner. What can I do here? Happy to share pictures and quote.
What parts melted?
"Solar convergence" is an excuse Toyota has been using for the inferior quality plastics they have used on some models. Usually it is trim, such as the mirror housings, that soften and melt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYoYAwgZhw
You could check at https://www.nhtsa.gov/ for any relevant recalls. (There do not seem to be any applicable TSBs.)
Another possibility is contacting Toyota corporate and see if they are willing to help. There may be a "secret" service campaign if the problem is widespread, and even if not they might be willing to defray some of the cost. You could also get a quote from a body shop which might be less expensive. (Dealers are usually the most expensive option.)
What can I do here?
The only thing you can do, it would seem to me. Toyota is the only party you have hope of getting anything from (have you tried insurance?). You can beg them, but you're out of warranty so probably out of luck. Mostly likely you'll just have to fix it out of pocket and take it as a learning experience.
I have a case with Toyota corporate but they called this afternoon and said it's the sun that damaged the car and not a defect.
That is utterly ridiculous. I have cars here decades old that have sat outside most of that time, have been exposed to plenty of sun, and do not have anything like that kind of damage. Bad paint yes. Melting parts, no way. Even weatherstripping is still in decent shape. I have to wonder what Toyota's excuse is.
If this is a widespread problem I'd say a class-action lawsuit would be in order but unfortunately with those usually the lawyers are the only ones that come away with anything substantial.
Can you share a few pics with us? https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/postid/183035/Happy to share pictures and quote
@ejnordby thanks, I remember reading something about reflective sunlight deforming molding a few years back.. wow.. Hopefully your collision/comprehensive insurance will cover this for you.. but for Toyota to deny this as being a defect, that's just complete bs by them.
Appreciate the help Chuck / MountainManJoe. Drivers door pillars, passenger door pillars, driver's side roof spoiler, and liftgate wing and SiriusXM antenna cover all need replaced. The driver's side roof spoiler warped so much it pulled the weatherstripping out from the roof. I have a case with Toyota corporate but they called this afternoon and said it's the sun that damaged the car and not a defect. They advised not to drive the car as it's not safe with water intrusion. Insurance initially said melting plastic is not covered and is a manufacturer defect unless caused by fire. It indeed has been a learning experience MountainManJoe. But after discussing with Toyota corporate the solution is to drive and park the Highlander outside only after the sun has set.
@ejnordby funny that only Toyotas melt in the sun. 🙄