Toyota Kluger Problems

There are many SUVs that would fit within your budget. I would suggest you try a Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Isuzu MU-X, Jeep Grand Cherokee.

We've asked Toyota a few times to clarify timing on the new-generation Kluger (Highlander), but they're keeping quiet on when we can expect it.

An insider's guess would be that it should be on sale here mid-2020, but nothing is confirmed just yet. 

Stay tuned to our news section for more info as it comes to hand. 

We would need to know what the trailer and its load weighs to give you any meaningful suggestions. You could look at most of the one-tonne utes with diesel engines, also SUVs such as the Toyota Kluger.

Normally, I would recommend the Kluger, but with 225,000 km on the clock already it’s not so cut-and-dried. If the Kluger has a good service record and is in good condition then I still think I would go that way. The Freemont is more of a gamble in my view. Should you decide on the Freemont you shouldn’t have problems getting parts for it.

It has remote opening, not closing.

How do you know how many litres are in the tank when it’s “running on fumes”? Unless you drain the tank, you don’t.

In terms of reliability and common faults there is little difference between Mazda, Honda and Toyota. They are all good, reputable brands building cars of a good quality with few reliability issues. Choose the one that best suits your family needs.

I haven’t heard of this one before, Brooke, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in other Klugers, rather that other owners don’t find it as annoying as you clearly do. I have to agree with the dealer, though, in that conditioning the leather regularly would keep it supple. Chances are that the harder the leather becomes (with age and UV radiation) the more likely it is to squeak. Conditioning the seats will ensure they don’t split, too. Perhaps there’s a conditioning product that is designed specifically to stop squeaking leather, although from what I can see on most labelling, the majority of them already claim this as one of the product’s qualities.

I can understand why you might not want to spend all your time in the car with one seat folded down (Klugers are usually bought for their passenger-carrying abilities, after all) but perhaps carefully placing a soft cloth or old towel between the offending bits of leather really would do the trick. But here’s a tip that has been proven to work in the past: sprinkle a little baby powder on the offending sections of leather. It seems to work for leather shoes, so perhaps it will work in a Toyota.

It isn’t something that has appeared on our radar, but I can’t believe that Toyota wouldn’t be able to fix it. You should consult Toyota’s customer assistance people and lodge your concerns with them.

 The top-of-the-line Grande did, but the GX and GXL didn’t.