Whenever anyone used to ask me what kind of car they should get or their kid should get, I used to say they couldn't go wrong with a Toyota.
I've never owned one, but they seemed to be very reliable cars with good resale value.
Then they started making them in America.
I'm not sure if Toyota just started making crappy parts, or if Americans just build lousy cars, but I stopped recommending them because they seem to crash a lot, and nobody at Toyota seems to know why, or how to fix them.
They make Toyota Tundra trucks here in San Antonio.
They too have had issues.
I'm not absolutely positive that American auto workers are half-assed, but it seems to me when Toyotas were built in Japan, they didn't speed up all by themselves and crash into stuff.
What do you think?
8 comments:
Well, I have a 1989 Toyota Camry wagon that I adore. But that was built back in the day, so ....
Mr. Toyoda himself said that they used to make just enough Toyotas to meet demands. Those vehicles were as good as a car can get. But things started going wrong when they started building cars just for profit - all they force on the market for sale.
Once again, greed got the best of a good company and is pulling it down. In Toyota's defense, I appreciated that even when they close plants, they continue to pay their employees. With that caring gesture its hard for me to get too mad at them, but I sure wouldn't buy one. Hell I don't even want to ride in one built after 1999.
the toyotas that are built here are built by non-union workers. unions make sure that their members are trained properly. if non-union workers see things wrong on the assembly line, do you think they'd take a chance and report it to anyone outside the company when they know they'll be fired immediately? of course, there are other problems. toyota is no longer into quality, just quantity. they figure that it's okay to kill or maim a certain number of people and still make lots of money if they sell enough of their shitty cars.
It's personal for me, because I just bought one in July. Here I was all happy that I have a non gas guzzling vehicle & they last long & have a high resale value.
I'm driving it every day. I was quite freaked out to learn my vehicle is on the recall list. But I was relieved to hear the dealership had the metal part "fix" for the gas pedal. Got it installed last month. I was breathing easier behind the wheel, and no longer found myself scoping out which ditches along the freeway would be good emergency exits. (I shit you not!).
But then on Monday, news came out that the "fix" is broken & not actually fixing the problem. Now I am feeling anxiety about driving it again.
I don't ever want to know what "unintended acceleration" is like... if your vehicle suddenly launches into a wild ride at 90 to 120 MPH.
Right now I am less into the blame factor & more into the find the damned fix & fix it ASAP. I suspect it is an expensive fix & so they are trying to blame floor mats, Or a simple cheap part when it is mechanical or the computerized element.
Their reputation is on the line.
Lives are on the line.
People have died.
They either get this right ASAP, or they will have a hard time selling vehicles.
You KNOW things are bad when they have to slap DO NOT SELL signs in the windows of new vehicles on the lot.
Of course my vehicle has low miles on it-- I am not driving it more than I have to, until they get this resolved.
That photo is really upsetting.
Fran, be very careful and please press the dealer for the latest upgrade. I just said a little prayer for your safety.
You might be right about the problems of exporting production from Japan, KZ. I used to work at a government agency that tried to replicate "lean" processing that Toyota invented, where every minute aspect of production is examined to death, and any inefficiencies stripped out. Perhaps the Japanese take better to such an approach, but it was very unpopular over here, with swarms of 16=year-old management consultants sucking any enjoyment or motivation from a job.
Thanks Karen~ I have the most current "fix" for the recall, and I will stay right on top of getting any subsequent fixes done ASAP.
I could use the prayers~ so thanks!
I was glad to hear the government seized the Prius that recently did the unintended acceleration. If Toyota can't find the problem, maybe NHTSA (Ntl Highway Traffic Safety Admn.) can.
I never signed up to be a crash test dummy!
i owned a toyota celica and loved it - but then i bought a honda and have never looked back - i have owned 4 hondas and probably would never buy another car
as for toyota - i truly believe when they becamne the worlds biggest auto maker - that is when it all went downhill - it was more about size then quality (toyota would make a good american male)
Post a Comment