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Corroding 2012 Highlander wheels

4K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  gross7777 
#1 ·
I'm new to this forum and am interested if others have experienced this problem. Our 2012 Highlander had corrosion around the center medallion of the wheels after only 7 months and 7000 miles. Toyota took photos and replaced all wheels. With 14000 miles and 7 months later, the new wheels are doing the same. Toyota claims "harsh weather" and refuses to replace. Car is washed, garaged, and put a total of 3400 miles on during the winter. Attempts to call and speak to a customer supervisor have been unsuccessful as he as been "away from his desk". He does not return the call within the 24 hours period. I have been dealing with this problem for 5 months and with Toyota, over the phone since July 1, 2014. I am disappointed in this treatment and wonder if anyone else has experienced this. Thank you
 
#3 ·
Reply



So you seem to be OK with this defect. I am not! I take good care of my cars and expect them to last. This is obviously a problem that Toyota has and wants the customer to deal with.....are you aware of what a set of wheels cost? This car sits next to a Subaru that is five years old and is our ski car. It gets lots of "harsh weather" and the wheels are fine. Toyota care doesn't even have the courtesy to return calls in a timely manner. There are lots of choices out there and after 5 months of time and effort, this is the last Toyota I will own!
 
#6 ·
Highlander Wheels




This is a 2012 Limited with 19" wheels. Friends with the 17" and the Hybrid Limited (which has a different style of wheel) here in Old Forge, are not experiencing problems. Going back to my first statement. This has happened in 7 months and 7000 miles.....both times. This says to me there is a problem with the clear coat or some other manufacturing of the wheel. I also feel that if Toyota replaced them once (which they did) they acknowledge that there is a problem. Unfortunately, they wish for me to be responsible for their defect now. I find this unacceptable in such a short period of time. The car has been well taken care of.
 
#8 ·
Yea it's a problem with all Toyota wheel's in fact i'm powdercoating my Tundra rim's today and changing the color out to a slight darker silver.

Highlander wheel get any worse I'll do that as well but the certer cap's i've noticed issues too oh well out of coverage now i'll repaint it much better vs Toyota .
 
#10 ·
Regarding the paint issue, that goes back to the first generation Highlanders as well (my '06 included).

From what was discovered and posted on here, Toyota's paint formula was changed due to environmental issues and government regulations. From that point on the factory paint was always problematic.
 
#12 · (Edited)
The paint was changed out a long time ago early 90's however let's get down to the logistics right now. Toyota paint is pretty thin the clear coat is holding up but because the coat's from the factory are from Toyota mil thickness are thin it's not holding up well. Paint problems are better now it's not near the problem it used to be .longevity and taking care of paint to protect it is a must. I have a Toyota supra white on my Tundra that's hold up very well of coarse i've had it from New and wax it every 3 mo's.

I just dropped off my Tundra Oem rim's and talked with my friend who is doing it. He mentioned they do a Lot of Toyota/ Lexus /Infiniti rim's and guess what they all share the same manufacture Toyota buy's there rim's from. Toyota doesn't make the rim's this is a supplier based issue but Toyota has been aware sometime now on problems. It's just too bad Toyota hasn't asked the supplier to change the method to Powder-coating vs paint number one it lasted longer and doesn't have near the issues. If I recall my Old 2000 Tundra center cap's had flaking going on as well.
 
#11 ·
And Toyota's handling of blistering wheels over the last decade (yes, they've had blistering wheels going back that far on the Tacoma) has varied. Some don't get them replaced at all, others get new wheels, and yet others get them refinished by Toyota. Since Toyota has problems with the finish standing up to the weather, I think having Toyota pay for refinishing is a smarter move for the customer because they'll probably be done right.
 
#13 ·
Toyota wheels suck plain and simple. My Tacoma was already peeling when I bought it in 2011 (it's a 2009) and now the finish has flaked off for the most part. I had the same corrosion on my Sport rims after using them for half a winter.. I switched to a separate set of steel wheels the following winter. I have a 2008 Honda Civic that i purchased used and the previous owner didn't use winter rims. The wheels are in great shape with the exception of one which has some minor bubbling around the edge where it was curbed. I switched to a set of Steelies in the winter and it hasn't gotten any worse.

If you're going to own a Toyota with alloys you might as well get a separate set for the winter because they'll look like crap after just a few winters..


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#14 ·
Plan on going higher than the dealer. I'm having issues with the paint on my 2013 Highlander Limited. The dealer is blaming it on "environmental factors" so I'm going higher. My Highlander is also garage kept, washed/waxed regularly (not by me, admittedly), and the issue was initially pointed out to me by an expert in collision repair!
 
#18 ·
I have an 08 Highlander.
The centers of my wheels were also corroding at a very
early mileage/age. Thanks to this forum, I was able
to get all 4 19" wheels replaced by the dealer.
The problem has not returned...
 
#20 ·
I have a 2013 Limited with 19" rims and just noticed the corrosion. Purchased new and I'm now at 32,000 miles. It's not around the center cap it's actually near the outside of the rim but not on the edge. Strange place for it to corrode.

I understand the salty roads in Minneapolis are harsh but I've not had this type of issue on any car before. Especially not a newer model with low miles.
 
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