At some point, if you change your mind and want to get away and enjoy some of that lovely AZ weather in the outdoors with something easy and simple that you can tow nicely with your current vehicle, you might check out the Nucamp TAG. 

Best of luck to you.

Go big or stay on the porch... That's how we roll...

I would add that an individual should be at least conversant with the terms and issues. Those who have been on this forum for any amount of time know that we get these kinds of questions all the time. Usually of the form: "I just bought an R-pod XYZ. It's empty weight is 2800 lbs. Can I tow it with my Yugo Cumquat that is rated for 2801 towing capacity?"

And we go downhill from there...

I agree that any vehicle you want to put a WDH on needs to be approved for that, as well as the specific hitch receiver. Don't care if its unibody or body on frame, either can be fine if designed for the application and not if they're not. Tacomas are body on frame but most only have a 3500 lb tow rating. 

Here is an interesting read for all you body on frame truck guys. Explains why SUV's (and the Honda Ridgeline) can do it while conventional pickups are more challenging:

https://jalopnik.com/mid-size-trucks-dont-need-frames-1785674405

I agree that FWD is not the best option for towing, and I wouldn't do it myself, but I stop short of telling others that they can't. 

I do think the best thing we can recommend to folks when selecting a tow vehicle and trailer combo is to use the GVWR of the trailer as a guide, not the empty weight, and use 15% of that figure for the tongue weight, not the "suggested" tongue weight or whatever the silly number in the trailer specs is. And to check all the limitations on both vehicles (axle ratings, GCVWR, tongue weight ratings, and to try to allow at least a little headroom on all these. I think the trailer loading calculator we've forwarded links to can be very helpful as well, particularly for the effects of the WDH. 

All this takes some time for new owners to digest but its really needed information for safety I think. Not understanding it is a lot like going flying without knowing your aircraft weight and balance are in the envelope, you can die if you screw it up. 

What really bugs me is how someone like the guy in mcarter's article can go to an RV dealer, buy an obviously oversized trailer for his TV, and then have them charge him to install a brake controller and a WDH on it, and then watch him roll out of the dealership with his new rig. IMHO in a fair world that guy should lose his business license, but I know that's not going to happen. As lostagain says, caveat emptor.  

I don't think I was advocating "American body on frame" at all, nor was I bashing Toyota. We have owned numerous Toyota (trucks though) over the years. They make fine vehicles.

I will say that if you are going to attempt to tow a significant trailer, then you should be very cautious about a FWD vehicle, and for sure you will want a WDH if that's what you're going to attempt. Further, I would caution about attempting to add a WDH to a unibody-type vehicle. I'm not saying that it can't be done, but it is an issue. Having both FWD and unibody is kind of like "two strikes".

So y'all need to get over this, its just the way this market segment is. I'm not biased toward Toyota, they have to earn my business every day. So far they have. But I do detect a bias against towing with anything other than good American body on frame trucks among some folks here. 

That's fine, but let's not scare off folks that choose to buy an rPod because they want to tow with a more car like vehicle that the feel meets their daily needs better.  That's OK too if done properly. Let's instead help them to be realistic about what their trailers really weigh loaded and what gear, like a wd hitch they need, how to set it up properly, and how to operate their rigs safely. 

They clearly often don't get that education from their RV or car salespeople. Might jeopardize a sale if they told them the truth, heaven forbid 

lostagain, the verbal misrepresentation argument is just a price negotiating tool, not something you can litigate. Getting things written into the sales contract is the way to go, for sure. These guys know that and will fight that tooth and nail. When I bought my used Highlander I did my mechanical inspection and noted that the coolant level was low, so I insisted that they repair that if it turned out to be a real problem. I had to start walking out the door to get that written in, and I had to write the language myself. Luckily there was no problem so I didn't have to try to enforce that contract clause...

The best way is to verify everything you think is important yourself prior to completing the deal. Just follow this sage old advice: is he (or she) a salesperson? Is his (or her) mouth moving? Then he (or she) is lying... And just walk out if you don't like the deal, you're not going to hurt their feelings. Most of the time they'll follow you out and drag you back in, their livelihood depends on their making sales. 

+1 to what lostagain says. Anything, ANYTHING that a sales person says without written backup becomes hearsay in a court of law or even a warranty claim. So when you hear something that the sales person says in the form of capability or whatever, make a note of it, and make sure it is mentioned in the sales documentation.

I would add, that regardless of what anyone says, I would never try to tow with a front-wheel-drive vehicle unless it was a light utility trailer or some such.

I've noticed in the last couple years a trend in business to be less and less honest.  What we call in the legal biz "sharp practices" (i.e. cheating) is getting more and more common and the recourse you have is getting less and less.  This is true with even the large companies that used to value their reputations. Now they just say tough luck, we're a big company and we can do what ever we want to you.  Few have the resources to fight them. We are returning to the days of Caveat Emptor, so watch out.

You'll find that everyone has their favorite tow vehicle, its kind of like sports teams. Heck, we even like to argue about the pros and cons of rDomes on here. 

Despite some of the opinions expressed here, plenty of folks happily tow rPods with Highlanders and similar vehicles. Others wouldn't tow a tiny yard trailer with anything smaller than a 3/4 ton pickup. And most folks wind up changing vehicles as they gain experience, so what you're going through is not that unusual. 

I really don't think there is anything for Toyota to explain, and neither do millions of other Highlander owners, lots of whom tow and some of whom are on this forum (besides me). I think I would have noticed if my front wheels had departed the pavement, and I have about 100 lbs more tongue weight than that guy claims he did.  So all I can conclude is that either he was lying or he was way overweight because he tried to pull a huge trailer (way bigger than an rpod) and/or he had something wrong with the way his wd hitch or brake controller was set up. Either way, just another guy looking for a handout who doesn't want to take personal responsibility for his actions. World is full of them.