Driver's door problem

I have a 2020 Tundra Crewmax with a problem with the driver's door that has been bugging me since I bought the vehicle last year. All y'all know that when you close your doors that the latching is smooth and effortless right? A toddler can operate the doors because they take so little pressure to close. I know this because my 2011 Crewmax had perfectly operating doors for the 10 years I owned it. So the problem is that the driver's door on this vehicle does not close and latch correctly - it takes extra pressure from your hand (or a minor "slam") to close and latch. What bugs me even more is that when you open the door it "pops" open. This is especially noticeable when the inside handle is operated. Obviously the door is under pressure/tension. Back in the day, when I worked as a carpenter, when a door did this, we called it being "hinge-bound" and the butt hinges and/or the door frame needed adjusting.

When I pointed this problem out to the salesperson at the dealership the day I bought it I was assured that it was a problem with the weatherstripping (EXCUSE 1) and that when I brought it in for 5000 mile service they would check it out to make sure the weatherstripping was okay. My first mistake was driving away in my new truck without insisting that they fix it first. Of course, when I took it in for 5000 mile service, it was still a problem. At the time, the dealer didn't have another new Tundra on the lot so the service manager said I should come back later when they had another truck to compare it to.

A couple of months later I dropped in to have it checked by the service manager again. He compared the way my door closed to another Tundra whose doors closed perfectly and then he said it must be a problem with the cabin vents (EXCUSE 2) because if they aren't working then the cabin pressure isn't released properly. I laughed out loud and rolled down the window and nothing changed when I opened and closed the door. He told me to call Toyota and "open a case" with them which I did later.

A few weeks later, I took the truck to a couple of body shops. The first guy said the front fender and door were misaligned and pointed out how the cracks between the body parts weren't even. I couldn't see what he saw but he did tell me that the only way to fix it was to remove the front fender and start bending and pounding on things to bring it in to proper alignment. He also said he wouldn't guarantee that he could actually fix it. So I brought it to another body shop and they guy said that it was a problem with the weatherstripping (here we go round in circles). He said to insist that Toyota replace the weatherstripping. I went back to the dealership and told the service manager what the body guy said and he reached over and pulled all the weatherstripping off the door. When we operated the door, it still had the same problem even without weatherstripping. Then he proceeded to tell me a story about how he had to repaint a plastic grill on another Toyota because the owner thought that the paint colors weren't even. He said, "That guy was really picky. Your door operates just fine and besides that, Toyota won't agree to fix it because it doesn't effect the operation or safety of the vehicle. You will have to go through a lengthy appeals process and it's not worth it for you or for our dealership." Basically, he said I was being picky. (EXCUSE 3 - it's not my problem.)

Any one had the same problem with a door? Anyone have any suggestions on where to go from here? Thanks.

 

Did you buy it new? Sounds to me like it was hit before.

 

That sucks. Sounds like a binding/pressure on the hinge issue to me too. Have you checked the hinge area for scrapes/wear spots? Contact Toyota, don't take some sleazy salesman's word that they won't do anything about it. Maybe take it to a different Toyota dealer and have them look at it. Then maybe contact the owner of the dealership you bought it from, write up the story you told us above, give it to him, tell him you'll be posting it on facebook, youtube and every other media platform you can find including the local newspaper and does he have anything he'd like to add to it.

 

It had no miles on it when I drove it off the lot. I opened a "case" with Toyota and they were really helpful. I'm taking it to another dealer but I have to drive 2-1/2 hours and take a ferry ride to get there.

 

That’s horse shit. Absolute joke that they’d try to avoid fixing it. Please share your experience and the dealership information in this thread:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/dealership-experience.45850/

It may not seem like it would be effective, but it will pop up in Google searches for that dealership. I know for a fact that at least two dealerships I’ve posted about there saw what I wrote. They both contacted me thanking me for the kind words.