Problems Continue for Toyota

Good.

 

+1...why is this "good"?

 

I have a leased Toyota Highlander that's going to be turned back in 4/2010. I just got the paperwork for the turn in...no more than 4 paint chips allowed per panel or else they consider that "beyond normal wear and tear". Huh? I have probably a dozen little chips on the front from errant rocks and such that have struck the vehicle while it was on the highway. They used to say that any dings or scratches could be no larger than an area the size of a credit card. Now they cannot be larger than 1". I didn't know Toyota was having problems but it makes sense now.

FWIW I will never, ever lease another vehicle unless I own a company that has fleet needs. Live and learn. I'd rather just throw my money into the fireplace, I guess.

RMX

 

gotta protect that residual somehow...

years back I leased a Jetta that had stone chips all over the front and they didn't say a word when I turned it in. probably helped that it was pouring rain that day

leasing makes sense in certain situations but for the most part, no thanks.

 

Not a fan of Toyota as I am also not a fan of all Japanese cars.

And it is not because I dislike the Japanese, but because as I am an American, I do not like how the Japanese export low quality cheap cars to sell to us Americans to take them away from buying American cars, and Toyota is on the top of the list of doing that.

As you know, the American car companies are failing, and that as a lot due to the Japanese car companies. So it is nice to see Toyota finally having problems.

I also don't like how they decided to make a car to compete in a luxury market (Lexus), and they did that buy slapping an "L" on the back and adding some wood trim. The people that actually compare Lexus to Mercedes, Audi, and BMW should be ashamed of themselves.

I have never owned and never will own a Japanese car.

Just my opinion and I apologize if I insulted anyone.

 

really? Americans would rather buy foreign crap instead of home-grown quality? are you stuck in 1957?

 

Toyota now make cars in America ... thus employing your fellow Americans by giving them a job.


Anyway I not at all happy with Toyota's miss-management of the throttle stuck issue. Blaming matts when the real fault is the inability of the driver to be able to turn the car off. No car manufacturer should produce a car that takes that primary control away from the driver, ie. you should always be able to hit say a kill switch. The matts being too long just highlighted the real issue and Toyota have done nothing. You apparently can hold the Start button in for 3 seconds to kill the engine but that is rediculous!!

I will never own a car now with a Start button instead of a proper ignition key.
Pete

 

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I recently leased a nissan Murano for my daughter, it was time to turn it in , it was no problem, it was chipped and scratched in a few places , even had a small dent, like dime sized, the most important thing to the check out guy was all the door jambs, as long as all the doorjambs were good including the rear hatch, there were no extra charges. He said chips and scratches + a small little dent is normal . Boy was I lucky.

 

American car companies are failing due to the absolute garbage they were selling during the 1970s and 1980s. They had a high repeat customer rate and instead of improving quality and trying to do the best they could, they chose to sit on their asses, spread the profits among their top managers and sell their loyal customers crap. That is far from the Japanese companies' fault. In 1982 I special ordered a brand new Trans Am. Damn thing took something like 6 months to be built and delivered. I had so many issues with that car that I lost count. Even though the car was under warranty, every single repair was a never ending fight with the service manager. Their definition of customer service was insulting at best. Traded it in on a 1985 Trans Am. More reliable than the 1982 but when the problems started, it was a repeat of the old car - always fighting with the dealer to get things fixed. That were under warranty!! In 1987 I decided to try an Acura Integra. The only issue I had with that car in the first 50K miles was that the tape deck stopped working. Dealer replaced it immediately, no questions asked. That's the reason American car companies, well, GM and Chrysler, are in trouble today.

 

what's a tape deck?

 

Toyota is the best car company of all times IMO. I have had more Toyotas go 300,000 plus miles than any other kind of car or truck. More people have held on to their cars longer with less repairs because of Toyota than any other company in the history of the automobile industry.

They've raised the bar to a new level and we've all benefited from that.

If i had to choose one car for my girlfriend to drive alone in across the country it would be a Toyota.

My passions always get me in expensive messes with German and Italian cars but i always have a Toyota on hand for daily driving.

 

The Japanese export high quality cars, not low quality (actually, many are built domestically). That is why they are where they are today. Capitalism is our system - competition improves the breed; may the best man win. I agree with you that it is painful to watch the U.S. grasp on the automotive market weaken, knowing that they are capable of maintaining that grasp if only they would put forth the effort, but they have not put forth that effort; not at all. Sadly, their current situation is of their own making.

As for "cheap", any Japanese automobile is significantly more expensive in purchase price than its domestic equivalent where I live. The only way they might be considered to be cheap is to consider that their longevity justifies the higher price, but that logic seems incongruous with your statement.

 

It was the iPod of the 70s and 80s

 

Do you live in an alternate universe?

 

If it weren't for Toyota the American cars would still be as bad as they were in the past. Every American car i've rented or driven in lately has still felt sub par to the Toyotas and Nissans. Every American car i've had to deal with in the last 15 years has been crap (ex wife's mustang, mother in-laws caddy, girlfriends' father's jeep).

You look at a Camry and think it looks dull (it does) but when you open the doors and drive the car and work the controls you're left with the impression that the car is solid. The last few American cars i've driven i felt the exact opposite way about ( dodge caliber, ford fusion, F150, Mustang). They look ok but the fit finish and materials all seem like their pieced together almost like a prototype or a kit car.

 

"As reported in the law enforcement investigation, the floor mat in the Saylor
accident was not only improperly secured, it was incompatible and incorrect for
the vehicle. The recall recently announced addresses the fact that incompatible
floor mats, or multiple floor mats could be installed and that the remedy must
address that possibility."
- http://autospies.com/images/users/Agent00R/LA_Times_questions_and_Toyota_answers.pdf

Or put the car in neutral.

 

What he said.

Toyota raised the bar with respect to quality, and is a serious motorsports participant all the way up to F1. While Camrys and Corollas are some of the most boring things on the road, Toyota has been a good competitor and achieved success by selling great products. You can't argue with that.

While I don't want a Prius, I hope they can get the brake technology sorted.

 

Rented a 2009 Ford Escape last summer. It had only 16,000 miles and the transmission was slipping worse than a drunk on ice. Biggest piece of crap I've ever driven.

However, I've owned two Oldsmobiles that were reliable as a sunrise.

The American car companies still have their work cut out for them. The Asian car companies are always raising the bar higher and higher.

 

lets hope you're not crossing the street when a prius tries to stop.

 

The truth comes out. Toyota sucks (always has). Hope they go under.