I recently purchased a brand-new 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum Hybrid Max from Landers…read moreToyota. My salesperson, Allen, was polite, and the service department got my OEM tow hitch installed on time. To be clear, this review is not a ding on the sales representative, but it is clear that dealership management and corporate do not stand behind their product or respect their customers.
From the start, the buying process was frustrating. I basically had to beg management to provide accurate numbers until about 24 hours before signing papers. To make matters worse, they even put a completely different VIN on the original buyer's order, leaving me to wonder if they were hoping I wouldn't notice so they could switch vehicles, or if they simply didn't care enough to get basic details right the first time.
Upon taking delivery, I discovered the vehicle was loaded by Gulf States Toyota (exclusive distributor) with non-OEM, aftermarket accessories. This distributor covers all Toyota dealerships in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
The body side moldings, running boards, passenger floor mats, and cargo mat are all third-party knockoffs rather than genuine Toyota factory parts, despite being listed directly on the window sticker right alongside factory options. They even tacked on a "mandatory" $75 fee for a cheap set of USB cords, yet failed to even provide the basic screws for the front license plate bracket. The car drives fine, but it's sickening to look at knowing how it was cheapened out.
When I brought this up, management refused to remove or replace the aftermarket moldings, claiming a "risk of paint damage" for basic 3M tape removal. Instead of stepping up to replace the non-OEM accessories with authentic Toyota equipment, management placed the entire financial burden on me to fix it. I've ultimately decided it's not worth spending hundreds out of pocket at a collision shop to undo their choice, but the total lack of support was ridiculous. Toyota Corporate was equally unhelpful, hiding behind distributor policies instead of stepping in.
To top it all off, instead of calling me to pick up my registration paperwork, they mailed it four hours away to my military home of record address. When I asked for help getting it shipped back, management completely refused to assist, forcing me to drive eight hours round-trip just to retrieve my own paperwork nearly a month after the sale.
They willingly chose to lose a customer over games, distributor nonsense, and complete administrative laziness. This was my first Toyota, and because of this experience, it will easily be my last. What a shame.
The attached photo shows the third party exterior moldings and running boards so other buyers of Toyotas within the Gulf States region may beware. OEM side moldings are attached at the bottom of the door. OEM running boards are all black.