NHTSA Complaint #10862622 — 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

WE RECENTLY TEST DROVE SEVERAL NEW CARS. AFTER BEING IN EACH OF THE CARS FOR LESS THAN AN HOUR, WE HAD VERY STRONG HEADACHES. AS A RULE, WE DON'T GET HEADACHES, SO THESE WERE VERY OBVIOUSLY THE RESULT OF BREATHING THE AIR IN THESE NEW CARS. CAR INTERIORS ARE MADE USING PLASTICS, ADHESIVES, FIRE-RETARDANTS AND OTHER MATERIALS, MANY OF WHICH OFF-GAS HIGHLY TOXIC FUMES. I FOUND NO AGENCY WHICH CURRENTLY TESTS VEHICLES FOR THE PRESENCE OF THESE TOXICS. WE TEST DROVE A USED TOYOTA HIGHLANDER AND WE DID NOT GET A HEADACHE IN THAT VEHICLE, BUT WE COULD NOT FIND A USED ONE THAT WAS EQUIPPED THE WAY WE WANTED. SO WE ORDERED A NEW ONE. AFTER WE TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAR, I DROVE IT HOME, WITH ALL THE WINDOWS DOWN, THE MOON ROOF OPEN AND THE VENTILATION FAN RUNNING AT FULL SPEED. I THEN PARKED THE CAR IN OUR DRIVEWAY AND LEFT IT IN THE SUN ALL DAY, EVERY DAY FOR A MONTH. I HAD THE WINDOWS DOWN JUST SLIGHTLY AND A SMALL FAN IN THE CAR WHICH STIRRED THE AIR. I ALSO PUT A LARGE TRAY OF ACTIVATED CARBON IN THE CAR, CHANGING THAT MATERIAL EVERY FEW DAYS. AT NIGHT, I MOVED THE CAR INTO OUR GARAGE, ROLLED DOWN ALL THE WINDOWS AND HAD AN EXHAUST FAN RUNNING, WHICH CHANGED THE AIR IN THE GARAGE SEVERAL TIMES AN HOUR. AFTER A MONTH OF THAT ROUTINE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT GETTING A HEADACHE. ALTHOUGH I CAN STILL FEEL THE EFFECT OF THAT POLLUTED INTERIOR AIR, IT IS TOLERABLE AND IMPROVING WITH TIME. WE NOW KNOW THAT THIS OUT-GASSING PROCESS NEVER ENDS; IT ONLY LESSENS OVER TIME; AND, CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY STILL BELIEVE, IT IS ALSO KNOWN THAT LONG EXPOSURES TO EXTREMELY SMALL DOSES OF TOXIC MATERIALS CAN BE MORE DAMAGING TO HUMAN HEALTH THAN A LARGE, SHORT EXPOSURE. GIVEN THESE FACTS, I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT OUR GOVERNMENT ADD PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AIR QUALITY TO ITS SAFETY RATING PROTOCOL. THE AUTO MANUFACTURERS CERTAINLY AREN'T GOING TO DO THIS OF THEIR OWN ACCORD.