Toyota's Problems

[Captain]

All auto manufacturers have defects leading to recalls.  Some are more proactive and forthright about getting them rectified.

Captain

[SwampDonkey]

Some take the wait and see approach to know what they are about to get into. :D

Cigarettes don't cause cancer or heart disease and aren't addictive. I heard that a few times in my life. ;)

My mother and grand parents buried two brothers before they got a lick of retirement pension.

[DanG]

I know it sounds silly, Bibbyman, but given the current reliance on computers to control every aspect of cars, I think a manual kill switch would be a good idea.  If I had a Toyota, it would have one by now.  We are all familiar with the mystifying problems computers can come up with.  All it would take is one weak component in the fuel control segment of the computer to cause all these problems we're seeing.

To all of you who are so roundly criticizing the drivers, you must not have driven a vehicle later than the 70's.  There ain't no clutch anymore.  The auto tranny is shifted electrically on most of them, and there is an interlock to prevent turning off the key when in gear.  Basically, you don't actually drive these cars anymore.  You just file an application for the computer to have the car do what you want it to do.  Apparently, these applications are sometimes denied. :-\

[SwampDonkey]

As far as I knew if you don't touch the brake peddle she don't shift from park. I remember reading that in owners manuals and you can shift into N from any drive gear while rolling down the road. Says so in my manual anyway.

[PineNut]

I don't believe you can shift into neutral. You can tell the computer to shift into neutral and if it wants to, it will. The same thing about turning the ignition switch off. I believe all vehicles need a shutoff switch that will kill the engine without any getting in the way. Something like a manual switch that will turn off the electrical power to the fuel pump or will turn off ALL electrical power to the engine. Many times when a computer crashes, it keeps on doing what it was doing when it crashed. Some times the only recovery is to pull the plug.   

[bl73]

I'm a firm believer in buying american cars, if you pull up to the job site with a toyota pick up seems the the throttle might stick on the dozer and head right for that truck or car.

[Jeff]

Toyota Trucks are American Made. 

[bl73]

even though the trucks are made here I still believe in backing the us based companies, I grew up in a family where everyone worked for ford, the street  lived on everyone worked for the big three, didn't see many foreign brands around, now alot of friends and family still work for ford and gm, being about 90 miles from detroit alot of the folks around here are affected by the auto industry, sorry to be long winded about it but livin in michigan the big three affects everday life for many of us, and lately the affects are terrible.

[Jeff]

I live and grew up in Michigan, and drive a chevy truck, however I would not rule out a Toyota as an option if I were to ever buy another.  By the way, the Tundra was designed in Ann Arbor.

[Bibbyman]

Our Dodge 3500 was built in Mexico.  The other place they built them was in St. Louis, MO.  140 miles away.  We had a Plymouth mini-van and it was assembled in Kansas City out of parts made all over the world - body in Canada, engine in Japan, etc.

[bl73]

I guess being a union member I'd rather see the profit of the companies stay in the us, the tundra is a great truck, but I personally would never buy one, didn't know the tundra was designed here, ya learn something new everyday, sorry to get off topic.

[Jeff]

I actually had something happen within our family that just about sealed the deal on my not buying a Chevy truck next time and it has to do with one of those nice gm autoworkers.

This last year my Sister Lynda, her daughter Sonja, and her daughter went to see a hot air balloon show in Midland Michigan.  It was an evening event where the balloons did not launch, but just ran their burners to light up the balloons and the sky.  After the show, there was the typical event parking thing, where everyone was trying to leave, but were limited to waiting until others had.  Sonya was driving her car. She was parked in a double row, facing out with a car tight to her bumper so she could not back up.  As it was, she did not need to go the way the traffic was going, but the other way across this huge parking area, and to another building where a school event was going on that her daughter needed to be at. 

As she was getting ready to leave, a chevy truck stopped right in front of her. She patiently waited for it to move, but the guy and his passenger, a woman just set there blocking her exit, even though the cars in front of him were now many car lengths away.  Sonja motioned that she needed to go the other way.  The guy opened his truck door, walked over to the front of her car, pointed at the "Nissan" emblem, then got back in has truck and just stayed there.  They waited another minute or two, and Lynda got out of the truck to explain that they needed to go to get Lindsay to her event.  She got about have way to the fellows truck and he shouted to her, You people drive a Nissan. You are not going anywhere before a general motors worker does. People like you are screwing (did not use the word screwing) my family, so get back in your ******* tin can, sit there and SHUT THE **** UP.

Lynda said he spoke viciously and she had no doubt that he meant it. So she did. She said he sat there for probably another minute then finally and slowly pulled off letting them go. They were all so scared by the incident that none of them thought to get his plate number as he went by, they just got away as soon as possible.

So, this is the kind of person that we should worry about?  Yea I know, one guy, a unique event. But you know what they say about one bad apple.  He sure soured me. I wish Pete and I could have been there. >:(

[Brucer]

And now I see the ABC has admitted to faking the visuals in a "World News" report. They showed the effect of an intentionally created short circuit in the accelerator. Part way into the demo, the camera focused on the tachometer, winding around as the motor revved out of control.

Several folks watching that segment (including Toyota engineers) noticed that the tach was starting from an idle position, the handbrake was on, and the driver's seatbelt wasn't buckled, even though other shots showed him belted up.

ABC says they had to shoot that sequence in a parked car because there was too much vibration in the actual demo to get a clear shot of the tach.

Toyota has pointed out that the engine could not possible rev that fast if it was actually powering the car.

[Brucer]

To all of you who are so roundly criticizing the drivers, you must not have driven a vehicle later than the 70's.  There ain't no clutch anymore.

Don't know about the other makes, but my '94 Cavalier had a clutch and my daughter's '99 Cavalier has a clutch.

My 2005 Smart car has a six-speed manual transmission that has a centrifugal clutch (no clutch pedal) and an electronic shift where you just bump the shift lever forward to move up to the next gear and backward to shift down a gear. It's also got a pair of paddles behind the steering wheel that shift up and down. You can put the car in "automatic" mode so it will shift just like an automatic. Even in regular mode, if your rev's get way too high the transmission will shift up automatically. So there's definitely some electronics in there.

Last fall Barb was teaching a course out of town and called home to say the paddles had stopped shifting, but the shift lever still worked. I checked with the dealer and found out that while the shifting is done electronically from the paddles or the engine speed monitor, the actual shift lever is connected via a linkage.

Basically, you don't actually drive these cars anymore.  You just file an application for the computer to have the car do what you want it to do.  Apparently, these applications are sometimes denied. :-\

Now that describes it in a nutshell :D :D.

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff, they're out numbered in these parts. ;)

[Paul_H]

The auto tranny is shifted electrically on most of them, and there is an interlock to prevent turning off the key when in gear. 

I was just out with my son a few minutes ago in his 2006 Chrysler 300 with auto trans and he could shut the key off in forward or reverse at slow speed or fast and could kick it into neutral even at 50 mph.No problem with control either but this is with a Chrysler.
I'll try my chev later.

[bl73]

Jeff it's terrible there are people like that out that and I can clearly see your point.

[Mooseherder]

I was headed North on I-95 this morning when I noticed a Prius in my Rear View coming at me at a high rate of speed in the left lane.  I was in the Center lane and wondered for a moment if he needed me to pull out in front of him to be used as a temporary break shield but then I thought better of it just in case he was in a real hurry to get some where. ;D

Talking with a co-worker this afternoon.  He bought a new Tundra Truck with the V-6 last night.

[Texas Ranger]

A gentleman in Houston is suing Toyota for 2.5 million.  His wife was killed two years ago when she drove into a concret retaining wall.  She was past the legal limit, but it HAD TO BE the gas pedal that made  her crash into that wall.

I wonder how many of the gas pedal failures were from the foot?

Bought a new Camry SLT two weeks before the recalled, had all the corrections made, have a 2002 Camry that has 120 K on the speedometer with no problems, no one I know who has a Toyota, of any type or age, has any problems.

But hey, call me naive, no one would pull a scam on a car company that isn't owned by the government, would they?

[Gary_C]

A couple of questions came to me when I heard this story.

If you were struggling to control a runaway car, why would you call 911?

If the guy was going in excess of 90 MPH, how did the trooper catch up with him? How far away was the trooper when this happened?

Sounds mighty fishy to me.

[Warren]

Its a distraction, since all the recalls i havent heard a thing about a toyota diesel pickup. seems like it would be easier to just to release a torkey tacoma diesel.

Limbrat,

One of my big beef's with Toyota is that Toyota sells diesel trucks and cars in every country in the world that I have been to... except the U.S.   Outside the U.S., the Tacoma is called the "HiLux".  And it is available with a diesel, in Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Kenya, and I am fairly certain in the U.K. 

Toyota also owns, or has a stake in, Hino trucks.  Hino already has 4, 5 and 6 cylinder diesel engines in production turning off up to 300 hp.    How 'bout putting a 6 cylinder Hino diesel in a new style (larger) Tundra ?   Engine development is already done and proven.  All it would require would be to focus on the mounting system and accessory systems.

My wife always drives a Toyota.  However, even tho I work for a Toyota company, I will continue driving my Cummins until I can get a diesel Tundra or diesel Tacoma in the U.S. ...

-w-

[Magicman]

My RAV4 has a clutch.  The Avalon and Tundra don't....they are automatics....   Did I count 3....Yup, got 3 of them.

[timberfaller390]

To all of you who are so roundly criticizing the drivers, you must not have driven a vehicle later than the 70's.  There ain't no clutch anymore. 

!958 International 2 ton has a clutch, ^7 Chevy half ton has a clutch and 94 jeep has a clutch  :D I don't want anything newer than my jeep cause as far as I am concerened anything newer is junk. I consider some things on the jeep to be junk like electronic in-the-tank fuel pump (who the hell thought that was a good idea) and vacuum actuated 4x4.

[ErikC]

 That's pretty rough treatment Jeff. Where is a brother in law when you need him >:(. But that kind of guy wouldn't have acted that way if he was there.

[Ron Wenrich]

One of my big beef's with Toyota is that Toyota sells diesel trucks and cars in every country in the world that I have been to... except the U.S.   Outside the U.S., the Tacoma is called the "HiLux".  And it is available with a diesel, in Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Kenya, and I am fairly certain in the U.K. 

It has to do with the laws in the US and nothing to do with Toyota.  They run all sorts of diesels in Europe on their cars.  But, they won't allow those diesels in the US.  Volkswagen just started to import their cars last year.  They get nearly as good of fuel efficiency as the Prius.

As for clutches, my Tacoma has one and so does my wife's Saturn.  When I look at new cars, it will have one.  Volkswagen has lots of 5 speed manual shift cars.  I've never owned an automatic, and don't intend to.  I figure the increased fuel mileage over the years has bought me a new car.

I really didn't think a Prius could go 94 mph.