Is Toyota Quality Slipping?

There's always some who have bad experiences... it jsut amazes me how hard some places will stretch to find them.

I love how most of the complaints they listed in the article were particular to the service department... "they can't duplicate the problem", "they can't find the problem".

Other complaints are from people who are disatisfied with something they noticed on the car before they bought it! "irregular paint drips that were on every car in the lot", "i hate this truck, from it's 20 inch wheels to the lowered seats with no storage room beneath them". why'd you buy the car?

And of couse the crowning statement, "false advertising by Toyota in stating there was 50 miles per gallon on the highway and 60 miles per hour in the city driving my Toyota Prius hybrid." Um, toyota doesn't claim the numbers, the EPA does! Also, there are plenty of people that actually get those numbers or better!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Oct 11 2006, 04:13 PM) [snapback]331338[/snapback]</div>

It's probably not that hard to find a problem with a Toyota anymore, as they are now the 'recall king'.

 

A lot of the things mentioned are Toyota dealer problems just like we hear about almost every day on this site. If Toyota wants to make an improvement they could start by offering/requiring some training at the dealer level.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Oct 11 2006, 03:24 PM) [snapback]331344[/snapback]</div>

Sounds a bit like a certain medical device manufaturer that got a ton of recalls in the past year. thing is, their products had the same or lower failure rate than the competition, they just got more publicity about it and recalled devices willingly in their pursuit for higher quality.

I'm not saying the same is necissarily true for Toyota, but it definately puts a different spin on recalls - high quality parts means you tolerate a smaller number of failures before issuing a recall?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Oct 11 2006, 03:24 PM) [snapback]331344[/snapback]</div>

It seems to me all auto manufacturers have recalls, and it's a good thing. My Honda Odyssey had a recall for the transmission. I'd rather visit the dealer and get a problem fixed for free than pay for it out of pocket later or worse yet, have an accident due to the problem. No brand seems to be immune to recalls.

But, at least I don't have to drive a GM vehicle:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls/arecalls_auto.htm

If Toyota is the "king", GM is surely the Borg Queen!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)#Borg_Queen

 

DH complains about how he has to do mostly boring maintenance work and there aren't enough diagnostic jobs to entertain and challenge him.

i tell him to go get a job at the local ford dealer if he wants diagnostics.

we both laugh.

yeah there have been some issues with some of the newer models... but any time you introduce a major redesign (and sometimes the year before since they tend to experiment with parts) you're going to run into more problems than the second, third etc year of production.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 11 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]331416[/snapback]</div>

What about the Toyota execs doing jail time for covering up the steering recall which impacted around a million cars (just the Prius over here, thankfully). Does that TYPE of recall make a big difference?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Oct 11 2006, 05:22 PM) [snapback]331466[/snapback]</div>

Fact of Fiction?
You got a source?
Last I heard there was an investigation in progress.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasalsa @ Oct 11 2006, 08:43 PM) [snapback]331473[/snapback]</div>

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/...&ID=5856093

Now technically, yes, you're right... they're under 'criminal investigation'. Does the fact that they haven't been found guilty yet make it better?

Best Quote:

 

Why is anyone getting bent out of shape over a headline grabbing article designed to solicit clients for slimy ambulance chasing law firms?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prianista @ Oct 11 2006, 01:00 PM) [snapback]331331[/snapback]</div>

Nice dissection of this article over at Prius Group:

http://www.priusownersgroup.com/

George

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prianista @ Oct 11 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]331331[/snapback]</div>

Deborah's an idiot if she paid $8000 more for a Prius because the salesman told her to. And the guy who bought the truck he doesn't like -- where did they find these people? It just defies the laws of logic. And what's the point of surveying people 3 months after they bought the vehicle? Ask them 3 years later, 6 years later, when they've really had time to get to know the vehicle (and its repair needs).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prianista @ Oct 11 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]331331[/snapback]</div>

This is the same Deborah in Louisville that complained this time last year. I remember long discussions on Edmunds about the 'scandal' of her paying $8000 over MSRP!!!! Then her displeasure.

On the first matter... If she is dumb enough to pay $8000 over MSRP when others at that time were paying at most MSRP or even lower ( DC area ) she has no leg to stand on. This is one dumb shopper.
Secondly I will challenge her to the following. I will take her Prius in exchange for mine for 30 days. If at the end of that period if I haven't been able to attain 50 mpg minimum... then I will pay for all her gas for the following year.

It may be that someone dumb enough to pay an $8000 premium when noone else is, may not be smart enough to drive/own a technologically advanced vehicle.

 

If she's dumb enough to pay $8,000 over MSRP, then maybe she's just plain dumb and can't calculate a simple math problem like MPG. :blink:

 

Yawn. Yet another ridiculous article from consumeraffairs.com. It's not even halfway humorous, anymore. They just take the same formula, the same "research," the same interviews from the same people, and repeat.

C'mon ConsumerAffairs. I know you're desperately fishing for phony lawsuits, but at some point you have to realize you're beating a dead horse and move on...

 

DEBORAH IS DUMB! TOGETHER EVERYONE..............
DEBORAH IS DUMB.........