I have a 2016 Highlander Hybrid Platinum that had a very unfortunate meeting with a large deer on 24 April of this year. Also unfortunate is the fact that we had it towed to our local dealer, who STILL HAS IT SEVENTEEN WEEKS LATER. We’ve been told every story they can think of. As of a week ago last Monday, they discovered that they needed a new master cylinder. I understand that hybrids can be difficult to work on, but, come on, seventeen weeks? Is there a mechanic here who can comment?

 

Sorry to hear of your incident.

This isn't about hybrids. It's about hitting a large deer. Personally, I would have pushed to have the car totaled and replaced unless I was confident the damage was as minimal as could be expected.

In this case, the schedule issue arose from the owner's expectations. The owner is trusting that a dealership will behave professionally and that the overworked and underpaid personnel responsible for the details can manage it and aren't burned out. Nor will those same burn-outs properly counter management directives to set this type of work aside for more profitable work.

15 weeks ago, you should have demanded a sit down with the OWNER to establish a repair schedule and agreed to something in the 6-8 week time frame as the process is iterative and parts availability can be an issue on newer vehicles requiring special shipments. Every delay resulting in a milestone miss should have prompted another meeting with the owner.

If I'm incorrect, and you've engaged the owner frequently, I suggest a call to Toyota corporate to establish if this experience meets Toyota's commitment to customer service and satisfaction.