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The Whole Toyota Debacle.......Your Thoughts.
saint:
Meh. Today's just Toyota's turn in the barrel. I think no higher nor lower of Toyota after this.
Silas (son of Silas):
Well, I think it's a good move that where Toyota is aware that there is a possible safety issue it is recalling vehicles, at least they are not repeating the whole Ford Pinto petrol tank issue.
The problem is that their brand image has taken a huge whacking. They hadn't been selling fantastically well in the UK before these problems, I can't see this helping their situation.
Silas (son of Silas):
--- Quote from: ark_ader on March 04, 2010, 07:55:38 am ---I support American products and I buy Chevy. :applaud:
--- End quote ---
Well, I guess you're an American living in America so you get 'proper' Chevy's?
Have you seen the steaming pile of Daewoo crap that gets badged and flogged as Chevy in the UK?
SavannahLion:
--- Quote from: saint on March 04, 2010, 08:53:30 am ---Meh. Today's just Toyota's turn in the barrel. I think no higher nor lower of Toyota after this.
--- End quote ---
+1
I've owned a Chevy S-10 (which I loved) and had the engine blow out (which I hated). I owned a Nissan Pickup that had the engine wreck itself (twice), damaged electronics, damaged radiator, blew the drive axle (the week of my father's death) and I have a Toyota Tacoma (which I adore). My father owned Ford for most of his life and the last one, the F150, sucked ass, it had so many engine and transmission trouble it almost wasn't worth owning. Same goes for my Mother with a ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up Ford. My Fiance with a Windstar with a transmission that needed repairs not once, but twice and a bad brake module Ford seems to have trouble fixing.
My brother works as a mechanic on high end cars, eg Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes, etc. The problems he describes for these cars are just as bad.
In the end. I don't like Ford (sorry Fordman) and I really like Toyota. Do I blame Ford or Toyota? Yes and no. It's a combination of problems that all stem from the same ultimate root cause, the consumers desire to get the cheapest highest quality car. Different car manufacturers resolve the problem differently, eg Porsche charges out the ass for their cars. However others approach the problem differently, Toyota streamlines their manufacturing process (in part) by sharing the same components across multiple models, reducing the need for costly R&D. In the long run, this hopefully saves money somewhere since the auto manufacturer isn't recreating the wheel with every new model. But if there's a problem... boy there would be a problem.
So if Toyota didn't reuse the same component, and only one specific model was affected, would congress have dragged Toyoda into their sites? Most likely not. At least Toyoda ultimately took personal responsibility, which is more than what I can say for the CEOs of other auto manufacturers.
On a related note, whatever came of the Ford transmission problem? Anyone recall how Ford transmissions could be bumped into neutral from park without the engine running? Ford (and other manufacturers) used that same transmission for years and apparently knew about the problem for years, but it didn't even come out until about what... twenty years ago? I know both of my Father's F-150s used that transmission. I know my brother and my dogs would knock the transmission into neutral. We always had to put blocks to ensure the Fords didn't roll away. I don't even recall if Ford ever went before Congress for that one. Ford eventually modified their transmissions, but not before thousands, if not millions, of those transmissions entered the market.
So yeah, I'm not keen on this problem. This is just the tip of the barrel. If the market and consumer tendencies are any indication, this is not going to be the last or most severe problem we'll encounter. Should Toyota take responsibility, yes and they are. Will that stop me from buying another Toyota? Heh, wanna sell me your defective Toyota?
Hoopz:
I've got a 2003 Windstar that's had some issues including transmission problems. I've owned Fords, Chevy, Honda etc. They've all had issues albeit some more expensive or bigger than others.
My only comment about the current situation is that it took the leader having a problem to boost Ford, Chevy and Chrysler sales. That's not indicative of the product that the Big 3 makes though. People don't want to buy a problem vehicle so they have a few other options. Naturally, those companies are going to see higher sales as should Kia, Honda, etc.
I do think one thing is telling though. During the fall, Ford was quite visible during NFL games with their commercials. I thought it was interesting that their selling points were all cosmetic...literally. It wasn't about quality then. They were selling cars based on stuff like:
1. Interior LED lights that could change colors.
2. Gas caps or something that wouldnt get gas on me
3. IIRC a stereo system or interface like the Chrysler MyGig (or something akin to that).
None of those things made me want to buy another Ford. None of those things would make me want to buy ANY car. I think most middle class Americans want to buy cars based on value/quality. You can't have the best quality for the least amount of money so it has to be quality value. I'm not sure the Big 3 get that yet.
Toyota should have addressed this differently but in a year (six months?) will this still have an impact on their sales? I doubt it.
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