Q for owners: do you have lots of play at top/back of rear doors and vent windows (triangle pieces)?

[mideastbeast61]

Can I ask a dumb question. On both rear doors, is there a lot of play towards the top/back of the rear doors and vent windows (triangle pieces)? Mine does on both sides and I was curious if this was normal.

 

[Vincenzo]

It’s an Easter Egg

 

[mideastbeast61]

It’s an Easter Egg

so you do or don’t have the same?

 

[brumey]

When you say “play” do you mean movement, like the door is loose on the hinge? Or are you referring to a gap? I am happy to look once I understand.

 

[JR1]

I really don’t understand your question. I checked the area on my Sport and I don’t see any problems.

 

[Vincenzo]

so you do or don’t have the same?

Mine is at the port as we speak. No gots yet

 

[mideastbeast61]

My gaps and everything are fine. The vent window on both rears doors seem to have a lot of play along with the top outer portion of the door itself. Attached a few photos below to show what I’m referring too. Happy to further explain if I’m not making sense

 

[brumey]

So the term "play" you using for the small vent windows is the movement up/down/side to side in the frame and/or in and out when pressing on it. Based on that, I went looking for problems......

I checked both sides and found the small windows on each rear door to move in the frame. It does not seem to be the windows but the rubber mounting the windows is in. That moves between 1/16th" to 1/8th" side to side, up and down and even pressing and out, you see movement. Seems like the glass is in a rubber shrouded frame which has some movement? The movement is not just the top edge but in all directions.

Maybe by design to allow temp changes or maybe just crappy design?

I am not sure if this will result in a problem like a leak (water or wind) but I agree, its a little worrying. If this is normal, I'd like to hear the reasoning behind that design that allows movement.

The last think I want to do, if have the dealer's service department screw with it and make it worst.

 

[Hacksaw]

I just checked on mine. If you're standing outside the vehicle, repeatedly press your thumbnail on the glass at the rearmost lower apex of the triangle window. There is some "give" to it, on this same window on both sides of the vehicle. Almost seems like you could take a plastic trim removal tool, wedge it under the rubber insulation, and pop that window out. Hope not. I don't know why this isn't a rigidly-glued-in fixed window.

 

[zgreen]

Can I ask a dumb question. On both rear doors, is there a lot of play towards the top/back of the rear doors and vent windows (triangle pieces)? Mine does on both sides and I was curious if this was normal.

Well, you couldn’t be more right. So weird! There definitely is movement on the smaller windows. Not sure why, but it’s there. Thanks for pointing it out!

 

[mars001]

If this is a Tesla, it would be automatically classified as "within specs.". Not sure about Toyota

 

[Mr.H]

I also noticed my windows had some give yesterday when I was drying off vehicle after washing it. Very odd in my opinion .

 

[mideastbeast61]

Anyone have any updates on this? Wondering if anyone doesn’t have it! Maybe a TSB in the future

 

[Hacksaw]

Anyone have any updates on this? Wondering if anyone doesn’t have it! Maybe a TSB in the future

They had to go to an extra effort to do this quasi floating window so I'd say odds are good it is on purpose, for a reason, and probably not subject to a TSB unless it leaks or proves to be an easy way to break in.

Just a random thought but plausible reason: maybe during some rough off-road testing and body-twisting or getting air on a dirt road and landing hard, this odd-shaped triangular window shattered when it was rigidly mounted initially. The upper "point" is probably a weak spot for shattering from a jolt compared to the other windows.

But we're never going to find that out. Heck, we're nearly a year past the first leaks from the stupidly-routed rear brake line on the Tacoma, still no fix kits to dealers, and still no information on it, other than to say that on newer builds, the fix appears to be to just shorten the brake line, to give it more space to the inner wheel.

 

[LLL1990]

They had to go to an extra effort to do this quasi floating window so I'd say odds are good it is on purpose, for a reason, and probably not subject to a TSB unless it leaks or proves to be an easy way to break in.

Interesting point. If they all are doing it then it's intentional and it had to be designed that way. Why is a mystery unless Toyota decides to address it but it could be for the reason stated.

Also modern vehicles are sealed very tight and you have to close doors with some force to get them to fully close. The window design could regulate air pressure inside the vehicle, meaning it allows air pressure to pass through when a door is closed. Or it could reduce the buffeting sound when you ride with the front windows open for the same reason.