Give Toyota a break!

[Questor]

I can't believe how much of a frenzy there is because Toyota had some faulty throttles. Give 'em a break. They make some of the most reliable and durable cars on the planet.

[alsaqr]

I can't believe how much of a frenzy there is because Toyota had some faulty throttles. Give 'em a break. They make some of the most reliable and durable cars on the planet. 

 

+1

My wife owns an 09 Camry that has been recalled.  At first those cars were recalled because the floor mats were getting onto the accelerator pedal and causing problems.  IMO:  That is still the problem.  Yesterday I took a big non-Toyota floor mat from my wife's driver's side floor and threw it away.  Had removed it several times and told her not to use it, but she insisted. 

The sensationalistic and whiney far left media is having a conniption over this one. 
 
 

[wareagleguy]

I have three Toyotas in my drive way right now.  I have owned many others and I will continue to buy Toyotas.

[nodlenor]

I have two Toyotas but they are too old for the recall. By the time I'm able to afford one of the recalled ones they should have the problem solved.

[beerbelly]

WOW! If it was a ford you guys would be yelling, see american cars are nothing but junk!
                              Beerbelly                                       

[LONGTOM]

I don't care what brand it is, if there is a problem that serious then yes, make a big deal out of it.
Might just save someones life.

Just about all companies will have a problem with it's product from time to time, it happens.
The way they take responsibility and deal with it is the underlying factor.
Could have just as easy been another brand.
Would that have made a difference?
Not to me!


LONGTOM

[magooch]

I wouldn't trade my Tacoma for anything, even if the throttle were suspect--which it isn't.  What really gives me pause is that with all the engineers and technicians on Toyota's payroll, they are baffled with a throttle problem?  It just can't be that tough.  I do realize that everything is much more complicated than it needs to be.  Maybe it's time to start simplifying things.  Who really needs ten on-board cumputers, throttle control motors, even electronic (non-mechanical) throttles, or any of the rest of it?

[Questor]

Considering the number of recalls there have been on my 1999 Ford Explorer, I would think the news media should have whipped up a full blown panic to keep people from buying Ford products.

[Redtail1949]

what is interesting is their actions of halting sales of affected cars untill they get a handle on the fix. now i would just bet my last dollar that if Goverment Motors had the same problem they would let so many people get killed and hundreds of lawsuits be filed before they took action or even admitted a problem.

that seems to be the actions of the american car companys that i recall.

[Questor]

The problem is with American made throttles. The number of incidents is in the hundreds, out of millions of cars.

[kansasj]

I have owned 5 Tacomas and that is all I will every buy or drive!!   They rule!

[gstewart44]

I personally love Toyotas, have had one in the family since 1969.   they were and are great cars.    I do have a problem with their president getting out and saying that there is "no defect" in the Lexus and Toyota autos other than improperly installed floor mats".   

Fact is several people have died from these cars speeding out of control.    In one fatal crash the mats were in the trunk.   Now there is a recall of over 1 million vehicles.   

the statements issued last November were just a PR deflection so as not to kill sales, but peoples lives were affected.   

I believe when something is wrong you own up, be honest then get to work fixing it.   

[rockbilly]

Ouestor.  After retiring from the military I went to work for Toyota.  When I took the job I had little or no respect for that “Jap Junk.”  After a while I came to admire the reliability and quality of the vehicles.  Not only were they very reliable, they held their re-sale value better than any vehicle on the market.  Shortly my wife traded her car (Cadillac) for a Toyota, then I bought the first 4x4 vehicle that came to the dealership for me (used as a demonstrator and wrote off the majority of the purchase cost), both vehicles served us well. I made a deal with each of my children, work; save your money and after graduation I will pay half of the purchase of a car, each bought a Toyota.  That was 1977-82.  The wife and I still have two Toyota products today a couple of the kids still drive them.

That said, sometime over the past few years the quality of the Toyota has deteriorated somewhat.  I think they still make a good product but quality control seems to be lacking as compared to the past.  Every manufacturer will experience problems from time to time, design flaw, faulty quality control, bad parts from a sub-contractor, etc.,  that’s just business.

Did you know that consumer confidence is higher for several American cars than for like Toyota products. As for trucks, the Chevrolet 1500 is rated as a better truck than the Toyota Tundra, and a lot less expensive.

[SHOOTALL]

I agree give them a chance to fix it . We run 2 yoda trucks at work and to be honest they don't hold a candle to Dodge , Ford Or chevy as a work truck . The metal in the bed is so weak a ladder rack with any load will tear the bed. When loaded it gets the same bad milage and the ride just plain sucks stump water . And they will not carry as heavy or big size load as the others . My daughter had a yoda car and it was trouble all the time. Sorry I just don't see the draw .

[alsaqr]

Toyota has identified the problem and is working on it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/ap_on_bi_ge/toyota_recall

Toyota dealers in the U.S. have been swamped with calls from concerned owners but had few answers as the recalls snowballed. Elkhart, Ind.-based CTS Corp., which made the parts, is cranking out redesigned gas pedal assemblies that fix the problem, which is caused by condensation around an arm attached to the pedal and springs that send the pedal back to the idle position.

[Swampman]

Remember when GM motor mounts were breaking causing the throttle to hang wide open.  I love my Toyotas.

[Questor]

I heard an interview this morning with a man from Edmunds, the car rating people. His characterization of Toyota today is that they grew too fast in recent years and this has compromised their careful study of the individual cars they build.  Hopefully it's a temporary thing. We need good brands of cars like Toyota. It puts pressure on the slackers to improve their products.

[SHOOTALL]

Did ya'll know Consumer Guide gave Toyota a pass on test since they had been rated high in the past ?

[SHOOTALL]

That was reported a couple years ago , don't know anymore .

[nodlenor]

 I heard on Fox news at noon that GM has the same problem on some of their cars.

[alsaqr]

Remember when GM motor mounts were breaking causing the throttle to hang wide open.

Yep, i sure do.  At the time I was working part time at an auto parts store in southern MD.  That new motor mount had flanges on the two steel parts that prevented it from coming totally apart in the event the rubber broke. 

[Foxxtrot]

They (Toyota) have enough honor and balls to do the right thing for the consumers that lay down hard earned money for their vehicles. Even though they didn't screw up the part, they have taken full responsibility for the vendors and the product as a whole.

My question to you is......would GM do the same thing or just let it ride out in court after a large number of accidents?

[beerbelly]

Yep the Jap cars and Chinese junk has most Americans working for a lot less money than they used to. The jap cars were the beginning of the end of manufacturing in this country.
                                               Beerbelly

[Swampman]

American Trade Unions forced Americans to turn elsewhere for quality automobiles.  $25,000.00 for a gas guzzling piece of crap was more than most of us could afford.

[LONGTOM]

I have never owned a Toyota so I can't speak about them but our family has been GM for over 5 generations and so far we have never had a bad one.
Until just a few years ago we averaged over 100,000 miles a year pulling livestock trailers.
I have probably loaded a GM truck heavier than most.
I used to pull a 54' drop deck flatbed that weighed 9700 lbs empty to NC and load it with 24000 lbs of plywood and did it for several years with a 1 ton dually with a stock 454 and a 4 speed transmission.
I have never blown a motor, replaced a clutch or a trans the whole time I did this.
With the weight of the truck with three gas tanks holding over 150 gallons of gas and the weight of the trailer & load I was grossing just a tad over 41000 lbs and could run about any speed you wanted.
My drivers license back then can attest to that. 
Try that with some of the other brands.
We did with 2 different Fords which lasted less than 40000 miles before the trans and clutch let go in 1 and the rear let go in the other.
Wouldn't have a Dodge.
I also tried an INTERNATIONAL.
Was a piece of junk from day on.
Sorry but I love my Chevys!!! 


LONGTOM

[mbopp]

So what company hasn't had a recall at some point? Toyota's gas pedal problem is so infrequent they're not really sure what causes it.

GM's "fix" for the motor mounts was to add a cable between the engine and "A" arm to keep the engine from torquing over if the mount let loose. And 12+ years ago GM had a gas pedal recall. I know, as a dealer tech we got .3 hrs flat rate to change them.

Beerbelly - back in the mid-'70's the yen took a big hit against the dollar and the riceburners had to jack up their prices. Rather than hold the line the Big 3 also raised prices on their small cars. The college kids who bought Honda Civics (CVCC's) and Toyota Corollas later bought Accords and Camrys, and now drive Lexus' & Accuras. Now their kids are buying Hondas and Toyotas.
After WWII there was a guy named Deming who preached that market share would go to the company that made quality products over cheap prices. The American car industry (which had 99% market share) laughed him out of Detroit so he went to Japan. They listened to him, even to the point of creating a Deming Quality Award.

DW's Toyota Venza was just added to the recall list. The car's a year old and has been back to the dealer ZERO (0) times for warranty work.
Middle DB buys Toyotas with 100K on them and rolls them up to 200K.
Dad was a Big 3 pickup guy until he got his Tundra. He loves it.
Youngest DB says if Toyota made a 3/4 ton Diesel he'd trade his Duramax on one.

Contrast that with my '04 GM (my first new GM) that has a stack of paperwork from warranty issues. And that doesn't count the repairs I made myself. The last straw was the transmission that went at 62,000 miles and GM said "sorry, out of warranty." Sister-in-law has an '03, same model. My brother & I share notes on what we fix on them.

Sis had a new Chevy Vega - fill it with oil and check the gas. And the fenders rotted out in 2 years. Another Toyota owner now.

Dad had one of the '80's GM Diesels. Paid a premium for the engine option then took a bath at trade-in time on it.

Mom's Buick Roachmaster wasn't technically a buy-back but the dealer gave her what she paid for it on a new one a year after she bought it. No "B" bodies anymore, she had to go to a Lincoln now.

[Oldshooter]

Dad had one of the '80's GM Diesels. Paid a premium for the engine option then took a bath at trade-in time on it.

Been there done that got the Tshirt. I was almost arrested(the leo was called) at the dealership when I went to trade it in on one that would keep running!  NOMOREOBAMAMOBILESFORME!

IF anyone has an older Toyota 4x4 that they wanna sell let me know!   

I have a Ford " police interceptor" , a honda civic, and a ford F2fitty in my drive way right now. I'd be happy to have a toyota sitting there beside em. I have an old chevy hub cap on the range that i shoot at occasionally!

I know men that fought japs in the Pacific that wont drive a jap automobile! I'm trying to let bygones be bygones. Rather have a jap truck than a Detroit "watchamacallit".

[Graybeard]

I gave up on GM in the '80s after two straight lemons.

First was an '82 Olds Delta 88 Royale which seemed to stay at the shop more than at my house. The dealership treated me like dirt. They not only couldn't fix it they wouldn't make any arrangements for me to borrow something to drive while it was in the shop. I kept it less than a year tho I don't recall how much less then traded it on an '83 Chevy Silverado. WOW was that one a junker.

The first problem was the brakes failed at less than 300 miles on it and the bad part is I had a load of rocks in the bed and was coming down off the tallest mountain in the state. I got down but there were some really harrowing times on some of those curves where I had my doubts. Some part failed that they replaced and got them working again. Then the transmission went out with less than 3000 miles on it and it took them about a month to fix that one.

To the credit of the dealership I bought the truck from they took care of me each and every time the truck was in the shop and that was often. I was given a truck to drive the entire time they had mine for the transmission and no matter what was being repaired they loaned me a vehicle or if I requested it took me to work and fixed it that day when they could. I'd then hitch a ride from work to the shop and get it.

Still they never got it right and in the year plus I owned that truck on one day and ONLY on one day did it run right. All other times if you pushed the gas pedal rather than just going forward it immediately bogged and almost died then eventually began going forward. One lousy day in the entire time I owned it did it not do that.

As soon as the '85 model year Ford's came out I bought a new Bronco which might have been the single best truck I've ever owned. It had no problems at all and I wish I had it to this day. I traded it tho on an '88 Bronco to get fuel injection rather than the carburator it had expecting better gas mileage. That one had lots of problems but mostly on things I had added after it left the factory. I think I had them add on around $12,000 in after market goodies before I took delivery and every single one of them failed multiple times. What Ford did to it was fine but man those add ons failed one after another on me.

Still they eventually got all that worked out and it was a good truck I kept a long time. My last Bronco was a '92 bought used in '94 and kept until I bought my 2005 Toyota Tundra. Matt bought it from me then and drove and abused it for quite awhile before finally selling it back to the same dealer I had bought it from in '94.

I've had excellent service over the years from Ford and still like Ford trucks and cars but their trucks got UGLY and their prices got too high so my last two new trucks now have been full size Toyotas.

[PartsMan]

I think it is such a shame that this has to be a huge story.
The sue happy people of this country are killing it.

Turn off the ignition, pull the hand brake and call a dealer.
It's not rocket science. They will fix every car in good time.

[rex6666]

BUY FORD and be happy
f150 last 4, 180k - 200k when traded no problems, dealer treats me swell
no bailout money just keep building cars and trucks for the AMERICAN PUBLIC