Toyota's slipping? The end of the world is near!

[ColonelPanic]

HAHAHAHA! Can it be???? There are many other TOYOTAS out there which are just as crappy in the reliability department as my ill-fated Vibe? Say it ain't so, Toyota's perfect, right??? http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs...70385 Quote »In years past, the magazine has granted its "recommended" tag to new Toyotas and Hondas fresh out of the factory based on the automakers' reputation for quality, while waiting for surveys on Detroit models before passing judgment. David Champion, director of automotive testing, said problems with Toyota's best-selling Camry midsize sedan, pricey Lexus GS luxury sedan and heralded new Tundra full-size pickup raised enough concerns that Consumer Reports can no longer assume every new Toyota will be reliable."We used to recommend all Toyotas because of excellent reliability," Champion said. "We're not going to do that any more."Maybe Toyota stopped buying off Consumer Reports or Consumer Reports finally got it into their head that maybe Toyota's aren't all that great anymore and that they actually have problems just like anybody else.

[NibCrom]

Cars are built by humans, and humans make mistakes. No car is created perfectly. Glad to see some people are finally realizing that. That being said, I hope my Vibe never experiences any major problems. I'd like to drive it for many more years.

[Whelan]

I attest this to a few things. The new lineup just came out or just recently came out with the new Highlander, Tundra, Tacoma, Rav 4, Sequioa (coming soon), FJ Cruiser. So all these new models in such a short time, bound to hit some bumps. The Tundra uses an all new V8 so I expect some kinks, it's their first attempt at a full size truck.And I have never been one for first year models, too many little kinks.

[silver_vibe]

Quote, originally posted by NibCrom »Cars are built by humans...They are?

[Baltovibe]

Also from the same article:Quote »While the Pontiac Vibe was one of four models from the domestic automakers to earn a "most-reliable" rating, the Pontiac Solstice had the worst scores of any new car.

[scherry2]

have to agree with you. Toyota just pulled the wool over the Americans eyes. now watch market share drop, and everyone from the Top CEO to the consumer will blame the worker. because "our beloved Toyota Corp would never do that". LOL take alook at the new MALIBU!! at http://www.chevy.com/malibu

[joatmon]

Ford is doing well on their quality reviews, so all the Fix Or Repair Daily haters better start looking for a new target

[Whelan]

GM is def. moving up which I love seeing. The Solstice got bad ratings?? odd since the Sky got really good ones from what I believe.Heck our Vibe's and Trixe's are safe, still one of the top rated cars in it's class overall!

[NibCrom]

Quote, originally posted by silver_vibe »They are? Well, UFOs are built by extraterrestrial beings, so I just wanted to be clear on the matter.

[vibegtcouple]

take it from a tech all cars and trucks are junk

[Mavrik]

Sweet... honda and Subaru are 1 and 2.

[Whelan]

Not my last Honda, at 74k on an 02 Civic EX Coupe the thing was burning 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles. Honda of America with my warranty bumpe to bumper for 100k 7 years that I paid extra for said that was an "acceptable amount". I had to go to the dealer each 1000 miles to have it checked and topped off so they could keep track. After that Honda of America came back and said the following:They would take apart my engine to find what the problem was, however, if no problem was found and no issue existed because Honda consider this oil consumption "acceptable and within the engines specifications and limits" that all costs of the teardown of the engine, labor and parts and rebuild would be solely on my own responsibility to pay. After that I sold the thing and told Honda to **** off!I ended up calling them and telling them directly that I would like to thank them for making this probably the last Honda I will ever own and that they can go **** themselves. I then hung up and bought a Toyota. I'm not sure about you guys but any mechanic will tell you that 1 quart to every 1,000 miles is not acceptable by any means. I've had cars that burn oil, my first Saturn did 1992 with over 120,000 miles on it. But that was about 1 quart every 3,000 miles. I eventually stopped doing oil changes cause I was essentially adding all new oil each time I changed it and felt no need for filter replacement.

[AKLGT]

well, think of it as Toyota trying to compete with the big 3. they have to give up some things (quality/reliability) to compete and appeal to the masses. everyone wants to make more cars as cheaply as possible and so the reliability suffers imo. I'll always be a fan of Toyota, however I find they are getting so big that perhaps they are giving up on the things that made them what they are today: RELIABILITY and QUALITYand to think us Subie fans really weren't lying. LOL

[jimincalif]

Toyota has pushed hard for growth, and they now find there are trade-offs. Of course if you read the press release, T still has 17 out of the 39 most reliable models.Unfortunately for the domestic manufacturers, the public perception of build quality, reliability and resale value is built up over time. It is good that they are all competing in these areas, as consumers we win. Hopefully the domestics will continue to improve and be able to take advantage any time Toyota/Honda slip a bit. But no matter what CR says, I personally would never buy a Ford, even if they agreed to provide, free of charge, a Toyota-based tow truck with driver, to follow me everywhere in my Ford for 10 years. Some product experiences, such as mine with Ford, are deeply ingrained and the domestics have dug themselves a deep hole in this area.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »Toyota has pushed hard for growth, and they now find there are trade-offs. Of course if you read the press release, T still has 17 out of the 39 most reliable models.Unfortunately for the domestic manufacturers, the public perception of build quality, reliability and resale value is built up over time. It is good that they are all competing in these areas, as consumers we win. Hopefully the domestics will continue to improve and be able to take advantage any time Toyota/Honda slip a bit. But no matter what CR says, I personally would never buy a Ford, even if they agreed to provide, free of charge, a Toyota-based tow truck with driver, to follow me everywhere in my Ford for 10 years. Some product experiences, such as mine with Ford, are deeply ingrained and the domestics have dug themselves a deep hole in this area.(removed)!i whole heartedly agree! although, we've had some bad luck with Dodge/Jeep and a few Chevy models in the past. I would say GM seemed to be much more reliable for us, Toyota's have been good to me and so far our Subies have been incredibly strong (especially considering the racing, beating, and hell I put mine through).

[ajflan]

I come from a GM family,( my dad works at the tech center here in MI ) so my opinions have always been a bit biased, but I am glad that it is finally coming to light that Toyotas quality is not all that people think it to be. I was also reading a Wards auto mag and found it interesting to find that every new incarnation of the Honda Accord has gotten bigger and worse mpg than the previous models, while the domestics are constantly improving in this area. It again goes to show that people have engrained in their mind the notion that every foreign car is of better quality and get better mpg than its American counterpart.

[MRCN RCE]

Quote, originally posted by NibCrom »Cars are built by humans, and humans make mistakes. yep. and the people that built CP's vibe were all high n drunk that day lol

[mjbsb69]

I owned 2 Honda's, 1999 Accord LX and 2002 Accord EX..............the 1999 at 56K miles had the timing belt pulley shear off and the timing belt fell off. Honda dealer was perplexed, I was audited by Rep from Honda Corp.....replaced finally at no cost with no acknowledgment of defective product/workmanship from assembly plant..."We have never had this happen before.....Have you done mechanical work on it yourself?" I had a Honda Care Warranty up to 100K miles "Why would I work on it myself?"the 2002 had a power steering pump, power seat, power mirror, various dash/instrument lights (not fuses) and numerous interior trim pieces replaced all before 80K miles under extended warranty.no one is exempt from faulty parts and workmanship it is a MYTH!

[WaveAction]

speaking of accords..i love the new '08 accord..it's real sleek looking..as for humans building the cars..isnt it the machines and robots that make the cars?

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by WaveAction »as for humans building the cars..isnt it the machines and robots that make the cars? your kidding right?