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Why would a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander owner come into a Nissan dealer and trade in their brand-new SUV, with only 3,300 miles, for a 2025 Nissan Rogue? 

It is a question a Nissan salesman named Kyle on his dealer's TikTok video (@puyallupnissan) wants to know, and then I'll answer it here in this report.

Kyle says, "Someone traded in a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander with only 3,300 miles and then bought a 2025 Nissan Rogue. I've looked at many Highlanders through the years, but I've never seen anyone trade in a Grand Highlander like this brand new one," he says, with a puzzled look. 

Bill Korum's Puyallup Nissan, located in Puyallup, Washington, is where this strange car deal went down. Kyle, who works for the new car dealer, wonders why a new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is sitting where they park the new vehicles that have just been traded in. 

Imagine coming into the car dealer where you work, and you typically walk the lot and check all the new trade-ins. You take your daily walk because you want to be the first to know about the best models before the other salespersons can sell them. 

You are paid on commission, and it's a competitive business. You spot a new white Toyota Grand Highlander sitting in the recently traded-in parking lot. The new trade-ins are parked here where they can be inspected, reconditioned, cleaned up, and quickly put on the front line to sell.

You check it over and put it on your mental list because you might have a customer call inquiring about it, and you could make a quick sale. 

Let's pick up Kyle's story. 

Kyle walks around the Toyota 3-Row SUV and says, "It looks good on the outside, and it's almost brand new. It's a non-hybrid model, and maybe that's the downside to this one: the gas mileage?" he wonders.  

"Let's get inside and look. It has captain chairs in the middle row, a big panoramic sunroof, and a third row much bigger than the standard Highlander, which is why they call it the Grand Highlander." 

Kyle walks around and opens the front door to check it out. 

"It's a bland interior, as he points out the grey seats that don't have much appeal. However, it does have red stitching on the gear shift lever. Oh, no, it doesn't he says with disappointment; "That's a red string that someone put around the gear lever."

He opens up the glove box.

"Let's see if we can find the original window sticker that will show the MSRP. He pulls out the owner's manual and says here it is. So last year, in late 2024, whoever bought this paid $56,627 for this Grand Highlander, and I doubt it had any rebates or dealer incentives from Toyota on these."   

"This does not have the best fuel economy, so that may be why they traded it in on a Nissan Rogue. 

As he puts the owner's manual and window sticker back into the glove compartment, he says, "Let's put all this back in here for the next customer who buys this."

He finds the keys in the center console. 

"Now, let's start this Grand Highlander to see that large touchscreen display." He looks at the mileage on the car, and he is shocked, saying, "I can't believe it only has 3,342 miles; I'm shocked because this is a brand new car, and everything looks great."

"Let's step back outside and, more importantly, find that Nissan they upgraded this new vehicle for. So, they took their 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander and traded it for a brand new 2025 Nissan Platinum Rogue," he says, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Is There Something Wrong With the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander?

I recently wrote a report on the Grand Highlander stop sale, which you can read here.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Recall and what buyers need to know.

In September 2024, Toyota issued a recall notice for the Grand Highlander, and the model was taken off dealership floors for months while a fix was developed for a defective front curtain shield airbag. 

The NHTSA report said the front curtain shield airbags did not remain fully inside the vehicle if they deployed when the front windows were rolled down. This safety issue led to Toyota issuing a stop-sale notice to its dealerships in June 2024. 

When the stop-sale on this vehicle was implemented, Toyota dealers could not sell any new Grand Highlanders in their inventory. 

Some 111,000 2024 Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid produced between June 2023 and June 2024 were recalled. 

Why did this customer trade in their Grand Highlander with only 3,300 miles on the 3-Row SUV?

This Grand Highlander owner likely purchased this new model before Toyota issued the stop sale and recall. When the owner discovered their brand vehicle was on the recall list and heard about the massive stop-sale, they were understandably concerned about the car's safety. 

Conclusion:

So, instead of dealing with Toyota's problem, they decided to ditch the new SUV and bought a 2025 Nissan Platinum Rogue. The new Rogue's MSRP would have been around $40,000 compared with the Grand Highlander's $56,627 price tag. 

That's a significant downgrade, not an upgrade, as Kyle says in his TikTok video. However, the Highlander's safety issues spooked this Toyota Grand Highlander owner so much that they were willing to take a significant hit and traded in with only 3,342 miles on the new vehicle. 

Did Toyota adequately address the safety issue with the Grand Highlander?

The issue was detected, and Toyota implemented a fix for the Grand Highlander. 

We Want To Hear From You

Did you purchase a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander? If so, we want to hear your thoughts. Click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know about your experience.

Check out my 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander story: I Bought a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, It's a $60,000 Car, and My Navigation Doesn't Work, Now Toyota Says I Have To Pay More For Their App For It To Work

I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Denis Flierl