Body flex Corolla cross.

[Dave9]

My grand caravan doesn’t experience this and it is a much larger and longer vehicle, also a torsion beam in the back.

This is simply a very cheaply made car. This day and age, with CAD design, the use of high strength steel in strategic places, reinforced crash areas, etc. This should not be happening to the extent where the doors or hatch cannot be closed.

Except no, in this day and age, all logic flies out the window in order to increase fuel economy because reasons!

CAD isn't making better vehicles (I mean in some cases of course yes there are improvements but not to the extent where it's all about cramming more into less). It's making them lighter and more difficult to work on for fuel economy. Meanwhile, those in power who support this, fly around on jets that waste more in a flight or two, than I do all year.

 

[KrisZ]

Except no, in this day and age, all logic flies out the window in order to increase fuel economy because reasons!

CAD isn't making better vehicles (I mean in some cases of course yes there are improvements but not to the extent where it's all about cramming more into less). It's making them lighter and more difficult to work on for fuel economy. Meanwhile, those in power who support this, fly around on jets that waste more in a flight or two, than I do all year.

I love a good rant the complexity of new vehicles, but this isn’t it.

Other makes, even other Toyota models don’t do this.
This is simply a poorly designed and cheaply made vehicle. But since it’s a Toyota, it will be hard to accept such a notion, I understand.

 

[Dave9]

^ Yes, and modern construction and design methods, including weight reduction, resulted in Toyota feeling this design was acceptable. It has happened across many vehicles, even if not revealed in this specific scenario of curb vs hatch alignment. I remember back in the day, I could sit on the roof of my car at a drive-in movie theater. Today I can barely lean up against some without denting them.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Sounds typical of Unit body - a frameless box of air out back. What I used to call the wife's relatively lightweight Subaru Forester.

My Ecosport feels solid as a bank vault on the road but it's almost 3300lb dry and its quite short. Maybe I will give that flex a try later this week on my car, but I have the old gate-style rear "hatch" door.

Like the old Doctor joke:
Patient, "It hurts when I do this" Doc replies,
"Well DON'T do that!"

 

[IndyIan]

In my case all the doors also close perfectly. It's the tail gate that tvists.

Maybe try the other rear tire on a curb? You tailgate maybe not perfectly centered and it doesn't take much to jam it the one way?
If it does the same on the other side, that does sound a bit flexy for how short and solid that car is? My one Mk1 Focus wagon would creak a bit from the tailgate, when twisted like that, but my latest Mk1 doesn't? Its old, long, and lightweight though.

 

[shDK]

Maybe try the other rear tire on a curb? You tailgate maybe not perfectly centered and it doesn't take much to jam it the one way?
If it does the same on the other side, that does sound a bit flexy for how short and solid that car is? My one Mk1 Focus wagon would creak a bit from the tailgate, when twisted like that, but my latest Mk1 doesn't? Its old, long, and lightweight though.

I did try doing it on the other side too. And that caused no problem.

I believe you might be right regarding the tailgate adjustment. I can see the lock is positioned a bit to the right(making it engage further to the left) I was at the dealer today and he will try to adjust the tailgate when the car is going in for a campaign in 2 weeks.

 

[The Artillerist]

Yes, bodies have flex, it's not uncommon for a door to not close properly if one wheel is jacked up or parked on a curb.

Actually, it is uncommon in this day and age. OP’s case is an outlier, I would think.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

My old renegade was a unibody and never had issues opening doors or anything with it flexed out off road or teetering on 3 wheels. Never noticed that issue on any of my uniframe or unibody Jeeps or Land Rovers. Must be a Toyota quality thing.

 

[Dave9]

^ Those were specifically engineered for more structural rigidity for off-road use. The Cross, even Toyota themselves state about the AWD, "When the road gets rough, drive on with confidence. Corolla Cross’s available All-Wheel Drive (AWD) intelligently gives you the extra traction you need to take on the road ahead."

 

[HoosierJeeper]

^ Those were specifically engineered for more structural rigidity for off-road use. The Cross, even Toyota themselves state about the AWD, "When the road gets rough, drive on with confidence. Corolla Cross’s available All-Wheel Drive (AWD) intelligently gives you the extra traction you need to take on the road ahead."

You'd think any quality vehicle would be able to open and close doors on a non-level surface...we're not talking about taking a Corolla down the Rubicon trail...

 

[Exhaustgases]

Sounds like a massive rust out issue to me.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

This post reminds me of an "oh crap" situation from my earlier days. I watched a tow truck driver pick up a late 70's Camaro with an aftermarket "T" top option. He was using a Holmes wrecker equipped with a towing sling. As he lifted the front end off of the ground we watched the passenger side T Top pop out of it's location. Then we heard a loud creaking noise. The body developed a sizable kink in the roof panel just behind the passenger side door window. Ouch......the tow truck driver was beside himself and immediately set the car down and got on the 2 way radio mounted in the cab.....he was pretty distraught as I recall.

 

[bullwinkle]

Roof is where a lot of the unibody strength is-I used to have a Shadow convertible (aftermarke)-I’ve never had a car make more groaning & squeaking sounds over anything uneven, the body twisted incessantly.

 

[TomYoung]

This is a new, very well-designed car and I would look for an alternative explanation. It is also a Toyota, one of the last bastions of automotive quality. Either your car has a factory defect or damage. I am thinking the car is rigid enough not to flex as you have described.