NHTSA Complaint #11010996 — 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

ON JULY 15, 2015, MY WIFE AND I BOUGHT A NEW 2015 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER XLE FWD FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. WE SPECIAL-ORDERED THE EXACT CAR WE WANTED. WE HAVE NOW OWNED THE CAR FOR 2 YEARS AND PUT ABOUT 12,000 MILES ON IT. BEFORE BUYING, WE TEST DROVE A HONDA ODYSSEY, A HONDA PILOT, A TOYOTA SIENNA, A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER, A NISSAN PATHFINDER AND A JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. AFTER TEST DRIVING EACH OF THE CARS NOTED ABOVE FOR LESS THAN AN HOUR I HAD A VERY STRONG HEADACHE. AS A RULE, I DON'T GET HEADACHES, SO THESE WERE OBVIOUSLY THE RESULT OF MY BREATHING THE AIR IN THESE NEW CARS. CAR INTERIORS ARE MADE USING PLASTICS, ADHESIVES, FIRE-RETARDANTS AND A LONG LIST OF OTHER MATERIALS, MANY OF WHICH OFF-GAS HIGHLY TOXIC CHEMICALS. SO WE FIRST TRIED TO FIND A USED HIGHLANDER, BUT COULD NOT FIND A RECENT MODEL YEAR 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, EVERYDAY 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, THOUGH AFTER TWO YEARS, I CAN STILL FEEL THE EFFECT OF THAT POLLUTED INTERIOR AIR. OUR GRANDDAUGHTERS ARE VISITING US THIS SUMMER AND, THOUGH I NEVER MENTIONED MY EXPERIENCE TO THEM, THEY BOTH HOLD THEIR NOSES WHEN THEY GET IN THE CAR, UNTIL THEY CAN ROLL DOWN A WINDOW. PLEASE ADD INTERIOR AIR QUALITY TO YOUR SAFETY RATINGS.