Suspending Sales? Wow!

ziggy29 said:
I'm glad I'm not the only cynic with this floating around in the back of my mind. There has been a fair bit of saber-rattling in Washington about this, and I can't help but wonder just how appropriate it is given the obvious *vested* public interest in seeing GM gain market share at Toyota's expense now that we "own" much of GM.
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You're not the only cynic.
 
lets-retire said:
You have to admit though Consumer Reports gave them a pass and rated them highly, because of the overbuilding.
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Or perhaps because they had fewer issues reported by their readers?
I always have to laugh when people seem to treat CR as an opinion piece (yes, they have editorials too).
They use statistics to rate products. The stats they use are the number of complaints people report on their surveys.
Sure, not perfect, but at least it has some semblance of objectivity.
 
Here's another view of what went wrong at Toyota:

Toyota: Too big, too fast - The Globe and Mail

I agree with this comment by a reader:

I do not ever "recall" an automotive "recall" being brought up by the US Gov'ts department of transport head in congress. There have been hundreds of recalls by car manufacturers..and fewer by Toyota than anyone else. Suddenly, when the US Gov't is an equity owner of GM the government gets "a boil"...seems like a bit of a conflict to me.
​
 
Zathras said:
Or perhaps because they had fewer issues reported by their readers?
I always have to laugh when people seem to treat CR as an opinion piece (yes, they have editorials too).
They use statistics to rate products. The stats they use are the number of complaints people report on their surveys.
Sure, not perfect, but at least it has some semblance of objectivity.
Click to expand...

Toyota had fewer problems reported because they over built their cars. It isn't necessarily a bad thing. Only when Toyota started to trim down the extra support did the cars' quality starting slipping.

It was a few years back when CR came straight out and stated they hadn't looked at Toyotas, like they should have, because their reputation was so high. Toyota built that reputation when they were over engineering their cars. Once they started looking to save money they scrimped on the extra support parts and quality started dropping. Unfortunately they neglected to tell CR what they had done and CR wound up with egg on their faces.
 
Toyota is still a great brand, but in their rush to be the number one automaker, it appears some QC issues reared their ugly heads. I like how Toyot execs would always downplay their wish to be number one.....:)

Also interesting, in interviews of the top folks at Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, their biggest competitor in the future that they are ALL concerned about? HYUNDAI!!!
 
FinanceDude said:
Toyota is still a great brand, but in their rush to be the number one automaker, it appears some QC issues reared their ugly heads. I like how Toyot execs would always downplay their wish to be number one.....:)

Also interesting, in interviews of the top folks at Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, their biggest competitor in the future that they are ALL concerned about? HYUNDAI!!!
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When I was shopping for a new car last month, my two top picks were the Toyota Camry and the Hyundai Sonota. The Hyundai offered a very compelling alternative to the Camry but, in the end, I can honestly say that Toyota won my business because of their stellar reputation. With the current debacle, however, I think Toyota should be very, very worried about Hyundai. I am not crazy about the look of the 2011 Sonata though...
 
Three words: Federal Pacific Electric.

(FPE did recall industrial panels but no recall was ever issued in the US for residential panels. They went out of business anyway.)
 
FIREdreamer said:
When I was shopping for a new car last month, my two top picks were the Toyota Camry and the Hyundai Sonota. The Hyundai offered a very compelling alternative to the Camry but, in the end, I can honestly say that Toyota won my business because of their stellar reputation. With the current debacle, however, I think Toyota should be very, very worried about Hyundai. I am not crazy about the look of the 2011 Sonata though...
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Also Kia I think is an emerging threat to Toyota. Much like Tiger Woods, Toyota had a such a sterling reputation that this is fall from the pedestal is going to hurt a lot. Their handling of the situation has been poor. Prior to seeing their apology ads I would have said awful.

Yesterday's WSJ had a pretty damaging article.
Secretive Culture Led Toyota Astray

Is not a headline you want to see ever, and in this climate where public trust of large companies is only slightly better than Congress, particularly damaging.
 
eridanus said:
Three words: Federal Pacific Electric.

(FPE did recall industrial panels but no recall was ever issued in the US for residential panels. They went out of business anyway.)
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Oh yeah, the flaming electrical panels.
 
Yeah!!! I found out that my 2010 Camry is not affected by the sticky gas pedal or floor mat recalls! After crawling under the dashboard, I discovered that I had bought one of the few North American-made Camrys equipped with a Japanese-made gas pedal and the floor mats had already been swapped out before I bought the car.
 
FIREdreamer said:
When I was shopping for a new car last month, my two top picks were the Toyota Camry and the Hyundai Sonota. The Hyundai offered a very compelling alternative to the Camry but, in the end, I can honestly say that Toyota won my business because of their stellar reputation. With the current debacle, however, I think Toyota should be very, very worried about Hyundai. I am not crazy about the look of the 2011 Sonata though...
Click to expand...

Interesting, I LOVE the look of the 2011 Hyundai. I think we may be on the brink of some good car designs again.........

The new Taurus isn't bad looking at all

The new La Crosse is sweet

I LOVE the Hyundai Genesis sedan

The 2011 Sonata is compelling, but might be too small for me. I am looking to get a litle bigger car when I replace the Accord

One of my clients is selling his 2005 M35X next year when he moves to Florida. Apparently, he thinks his S class Mercedes is good enough to use as a "daily driver" for he and his wife....:ROFLMAO:.......I have first dibs if I want the vehicle, crrently with 27,000 miles on it..........:)
 
FIREdreamer said:
Yeah!!! I found out that my 2010 Camry is not affected by the sticky gas pedal or floor mat recalls! After crawling under the dashboard, I discovered that I had bought one of the few North American-made Camrys equipped with a Japanese-made gas pedal and the floor mats had already been swapped out before I bought the car.
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Glad to hear it! My Venza has aftermarket mats that were installed by the distributor, and that cost me a few hundred extra. They seem completely bonded to the floor and won't budge. But I don't know anything about the gas pedal.

My Solara was sitting in my driveway during Hurricane Katrina, and for years that drastically lowered its potential resale value. It was even listed as being in a flooded area by Carfax, in a list that was free to the general public. :rolleyes: Had I tried to sell it in 2006, I would have got little to nothing for it according to the news media. But by the time I traded it in, nearly five years after the hurricane, I got a reasonable KBB price for it. That is only right, because it may have been in a flooded location but it was never flooded.

I expect the same will be true with my Venza. By the time I am ready to sell it, the recalls will simply be legends told by grandfathers to their grandchildren! :LOL:
 
I am not concerned about falling residual values (I paid cash, so no risk of being upside down). I intend to keep my Camry until the wheels fall off. That's what we've done will all our cars.
 
FIREdreamer said:
I am not concerned about falling residual values (I paid cash, so no risk of being upside down). I intend to keep my Camry until the wheels fall off.
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Same here with all our cars so far (which aren't but could have been Toyotas--always thought they were and are great cars).

I remember the gas shortages in the 70s when the "rice burners" started taking over the market and how cheaply made they were back then. The Hyundais and Kias may be poised to take over the Japanese market today--wonder what's on the horizon that will take over the Korean market in another generation. Perhaps this one:
 

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ls99 said:
Oh yeah, the flaming electrical panels.
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I bet that is what I had on my house... the inspector recommended that it be replaced and that was a requirement I had before we bought... glad to hear we got good advice...
 
Bestwifeever said:
Same here with all our cars so far (which aren't but could have been Toyotas--always thought they were and are great cars).

I remember the gas shortages in the 70s when the "rice burners" started taking over the market and how cheaply made they were back then. The Hyundais and Kias may be poised to take over the Japanese market today--wonder what's on the horizon that will take over the Korean market in another generation. Perhaps this one:
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In a generation, the Chinese might be eating the Koreans' lunch, who knows...
 
I'd love to see the American automakers regain their former glory. They are producing some awesome new vehicles which may help them do so. Though I know Japanese and Korean vehicles are typically reliable, I will ALWAYS buy American if I can.
 
Trek said:
I hope you're not predicting the next recall? :LOL:
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I would not be surprised if I did. I am starting to wonder if I don't jinx the brand of whatever new vehicle I buy. I bought a new VW in 2001 based on their "German Engineering" reputation and personal satisfaction with older (used) VW models I had owned in the past. Soon after, customer complaints about poor quality and reliability started to show up all over the web (Today VW has one of the highest complaint rate in the industry). Then I swear off VW and I buy a new Camry in January 2010 based on their stellar reputation and not a month later they stop production and recall millions of car for defects... Hum.

So, if you are a car manufacturer out there, I will be delighted to help you take down your competition for a small fee...;)
 
I knew it!

Beware the political factor with Toyota's stock - The Globe and Mail

Toyota's problems aren't as bad as J&J's were 27 years ago. But there's a twist: The company is being hounded by a government with an incentive to damage Toyota's brand.

Washington has invested $80-billion in GM and Chrysler. It owns almost two-thirds of the former. The administration would like nothing better than to see GM's and Chrysler's (and Ford's for that matter) market share and sales rise. First, it would create well-paying jobs. Second, the administration could brag about what a shrewd move the investments were financially. Toyota's problems are a gift from above for the politicians and the Detroit Three, and it's in their interests to milk it, which they have done and will continue to do.
 
Meadbh said:
Toyota's problems aren't as bad as J&J's were 27 years ago.
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?

I don't see any comparison between the Tylenol murders and the Toyota quality problems/response at all.

Someone slipped poison into Tylenol capsules. J&J had nothing to do with it - they were a victim, and they were generally praised for how they handled and responded to any perceived association between their product name and some serial killer who chose to use their product as a vehicle for his poison. Oh, 'vehicle' - maybe that's the link? ;)

Chicago Tylenol murders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some of our family lived on the same street as one of the victims. It was pretty scary that people were dropping dead, and for a while no one knew why. The super-sad part of this was that some of the family went back to the house after the funeral of the first victim, took the same Tylenol for their headaches, and then they died.

Toyota can't blame anyone but themselves for this - entirely different story.

I agree that the political implications bring the question of conflict of interest into this. Just one reason the govt should keep their nose out of it.

-ERD50
 
Today I got a letter from the local Toyota dealer and they sent me a coupon for a free oil change and an offer for up to an additional $4500 added to the blue book value of your trade in plus a $1,000 Toyota loyalty bonus . Should I be tempted ?
 
Moemg said:
Today I got a letter from the local Toyota dealer and they sent me a coupon for a free oil change and an offer for up to an additional $4500 added to the blue book value of your trade in plus a $1,000 Toyota loyalty bonus . Should I be tempted ?
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A LOT depends on what "book" they are using for those "blue book" numbers...........;)

Also, the "up to", DEFINITELY needs clarification..........
 
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