Toyota

[westsideduck]

What a bunch of Lying bastids! First they blamed the acceleration problems on floor mats, that's been proved wrong, You hear about the guy in San Diago yesterday? I'm just discusted by all this, People are dying and how about that guy whos been in jail for murder for years, his toyota slammed into the back of someone and killed a few people and nobody beleived the poor guy when he said he couldn't stop! If you're driving a Toyota you are taking a BIG chance with your life, the lifes of your family members and the lifes of others on the road. The lawsuits are piling up and I truly hope they get shut down completely. Recalled cars that have supposedly been fixed have even accelerated!

And what are you supposed to do if you want to get rid of your death trap, who the hell is going to want it, just try trading it in and see what the dealer tells you. In a way I feel sorry for the owners of these cars who will not be able to get rid of them if they wanted to but on the other hand they should have just bought American in the first place.

gary

[zapcosongs]

...... but on the other hand they should have just bought American in the first place.

gary

Gary, I agree with what you said about the bastards at Toyota. I hope heads roll when we manage somehow to get to the bottom of this. I drive a Corolla and recently got a recall notice. I'm not bringing the car in until I'm confident that they know what's wrong and how to fix it. In the meantime, I'm really at a loss. I have two kids.....

Regarding the "should have just bought American" sentiment that you expressed: I respect you a lot, Gary, but I think you're off the mark. First of all, my Toyota was made in the USA. The Ford I was considering was made in Canada. GM and Chrysler were in bankruptcy when I purchased my car, and I didn't want to buy from a company undergoing government-driven reorganization. More importantly, if you believe in the free markets (which I do), it's pretty understandable - and a good thing, ultimately - that folks chose to spend their cash on the best quality machines they can get for their hard-earned dollars. For decades, the Big Three were building inferior cars and carrying too much white-collar deadweight. Now, our auto companies are financially viable and are building vehicles that are second to none - in part because American consumers demanded quality and value that they could only find in offshore brands. My two cents. - ed

[Marty]

...should have just bought American in the first place.

gary

I agree with buying American , but that may be a touch strong.

On the other hand, my 2005 ford has been fantastic

[westsideduck]

I realize I may have come across a little strong but this has realy got me going, It's the coverups that are killing me. I know Toyota owners are in a pinch right now and I hope there will be a way out for owners who want to ditch thier Toyota for something else whether it be American or German or whatever. Anyway I have been a long time GM guy and have started buying Fords because they didn't take the gov money and worked things out for themselfs and are building IMO a quality vechile at a competitive price.

gary

[Jim P]

Well, I suppose I can say that my wife and I are the unproud owners of two Toyotas: a 2001 Camry and a 2010 Rav4. While I'm not concerned about the Camry since it was apparently produced before the electronic accelerators were routinely installed, I do fear for my wife who drives the Rav4. When we bought the vehicle a few months ago, the Toyota dealer assured us that the problems were repaired and that we wouldn't have any issues. However, upon reading more and more about the electronics issues, I've become quite worried, to say the least. Both my wife and I agree that we would've never bought the Rav4 if we had known about the number of crashes that have occurred.

Regarding the notion of buying American, I agree with with Zap. Heck, some Toyotas are actually what you could call "more American-built" than many so-called American cars, so it's essentially a wash, IMO. In defense of Toyota, though, prior to buying the Camry, my wife and I had three Fords where the transmissions blew out on all three of them. Prior to that, we had a Chevy and a Jeep that also needed costly repairs. I won't even go into the Dodge Aires we had; it was a "lemon" in every sense of the word. For those reasons alone, I decided to buy the Camry in early 2002, and I have yet to have a single repair done other than routine maintenance, even after 163,000 miles. Still, I'm now regretting the thought of having encouraged my wife to buy the Toyota Rav4. I'd just feel horribly sick or worse if anything would ever happen to her in that car.

[Deuce]

OK, Let's talk lemons for a minute.

In 1974 I bought a Toyota Corolla Wagon. It was my first brand new car. I owned it for almost exactly 18,000 miles. Doesn't seem like a lot, does it? During that year plus, it was in the shop way more than it was on the road. I endured 2 major valve jobs during that time and countless other problems. I've NEVER been so unhappy with a purchase of any kind as I was with that Toyota. I've never considered buying another.

Just my little story.

Take care.
Deuce

[Jim P]

Yeah, I had one of those old Toyotas myself, and while it ran quite well, the body was almost entirely rusted out at about 50,000 miles. Even the driver's door had so many pieces of rusted metal in it that it sounded like a baby's rattle every time I'd open or close the door. On the other hand, I really can't say anything poorly about my Camry. It's by far the best vehicle I've ever owned. Still, the thought of that new Rav4 doing the "runaway" thing scares the crap out of me.

[pico peachy]

I drive a 2007 Camry, it's officially part of the recall, I received my notice recently. At the risk of sounding immature and reckless, I don't plan on doing anything about it until my next oil change which is done at the dealership. All the media attention doesn't sway me from the fact that I have driven almost 50K miles on my Camry with no issues (yes, I know the recall has to do with a 'wear over time' issue) I just don't buy all the fear that the media is selling.

I agree with buying American too but don't feel like there is a such thing a true American car anymore, aren't some parts always assembled overseas?

This does suck for Toyota owners and I feel for them...I, on the other hand, leased mine so I will just be returning it to Toyota next year. Thinking about a Ford truck, not because I dislike Toyota now but because I want a cheap truck and a friend's dad works sales for a local Ford dealership and is internet savvy. I don't want to spend all day at a dealership again.

[Aussie]

Don't know that too many conclusions can be reached, particularly since there will undoubtedly be many more Toyotas on the road in the USA than there are in AUS, but Toyota have indicated that there have been no acceleration issues with the Australian built vehicles - and I've not been able to find any reports or references to any incidents from other sources (and I've done my research since my daughter drives one). Australian vehicles have totally different floor mat arrangements and the accelerator pedal assemblies are sourced from a different manufacturer than the USA models. I understand though that the relevant electrnics components are the same.
cheers, Robbie

[resonator]

I just joined the forum , so I'm coming in late on this one. I owned a small commercial printing company and had to call on my commercial customers every day. I was driving a Toyota Celica at the time and was worried that some of my customers would not like me driving a foreign car. I researched all the USA auto's and Buick was rated very high at the time. I bought a new 1995 Buick Park Avenue. In the eighteen months I owned the Buick, the headliner came loose, the chrome covered plastic trim peeled off, the driver side electric window quit stop working, I had to have the fuel pump and alternator replaced and the dashboard rattled from the time it was a month old. I traded it in on a new Toyota Avalon and have bought Toyota's ever since. My wife drives a Avalon, my son drives a Prius, My daughter is on her second Corolla and I'm driving a Tundra. We have not had one single problem with ANY of them. The only Toyota we have that was not built in America is my son's Prius. The way I look at it is Toyota employees thousands of people in this country. So, I'd call it "Buying American" the same as you would GM, Ford or Dodge. There are a lot of people in this country who have investment in Toyota stock and it has been a good investment where GM and such has tanked.

I talked to a guy who owns thirty-two auto dealerships in three states. He has almost every brand dealership. I asked him which auto mfg. was the most reliable. He said all you need to do is look at the Parts department and their inventory and turnover. He said with out a doubt, Toyota is the most reliable. Second was Honda and Ford was the best of the USA autos.

As far as the accelerator sticking problems for Toyota, there's not as many as you think. Some of the people who came forward and said they had this happen to them were trying to get money from Toyota. Like the guy in the Prius going 90 plus MPH down the freeway and couldn't stop the car. Turned out he hadn't made a payment in months and wanted Toyota to give him a new car for FREE! There are others doing the same. As far as the cover up, do you really think Ford, GM and the rest are forth coming when they see issues developing? Not until they have to like all the rest.

[Sprinter 92]

[zapcosongs]

Taxpayers will probably have to bail them out eventually, just like GM ;+) - ed

[Sprinter 92]

Taxpayers will probably have to bail them out eventually, just like GM ;+) - ed

The Japanese taxpayers can bail them out. I don't care if Toyota survives.

Sprinter 92

[replyman]

I thought they already were... Oh, G&L guitars and basses are awesome!!!!!

[sirmyghin]

I suppose there is some Irony in Toyota Camry being the car with the most components and whatnot manufactured in the USA. When looking at 'buy american' and other such silliness, often assembly isn't the only factor. Buy Quality, is a much better assessment, regardless of where it comes from.

[zapcosongs]

The Japanese taxpayers can bail them out. I don't care if Toyota survives.

Hey, I know where your bread is buttered, and I'm happy to be a stakeholder - especially given the alternative.

Toyota will survive and improve to continue to push us to build better vehicles. Amen to that! - ed

[rockworthy]

I just heard something on NPR the other day that said that going by the information on the cars "black box" it seems as though it's coming down to driver error in most cases. Toyota had nothing to do in the selection of which units got tested. Dont shoot me, I'm just the messenger.

[Boogie Bill]

So, I know I'm going to need a new van, probably sooner than I really want to pay for it. I need a van to haul around my band gear. My choices come down to the Honda Odyssey, the Toyota Sienna, or the Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Caravan twins. Kia also has a van but it's not in the same class as the Honda or the Toyota; and the VW Routan is a re-badged Chrysler.

The Mopar twins have terrible reviews and repair histories in "Consumer Reports", while the Odyssey and Sienna are at the top of the list. The Odyssey is probably more fun to drive, but the Sienna has a load floor for band equipment that is a little more friendly for that purpose. I don't think the Sienna has been linked to any of the recalls.

All things considered, which would you buy?

Bill

[StratsRock]

Just my opinion but I would go with the Odyssey. I just think they drive and handle better. I also think the interior trim and ergonomics are better. You already know their excellent history of reliability and dependability. Good luck on your search!