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Who Would Have Ever Thought... Toyotas Actually Needing Warranties, Let Alone An Extension!
Toyota- oh, you once could do no wrong. A warranty on a Toyota was often thought of, as well, did you ever think you were going to need one?
For the car company that defined the sayings "dead-on-balls reliable" and "bulletproof," they may just be thinking about lengthening warranties to keep customers amid a string of recalls blanketing over 8,000,000 vehicles.
It's not surprising Toyota would consider the increases in warranties and buying incentives as it scrambles to restore confidence in the brand and boost sales, which in many markets are sagging in February due to many reasons- yes, even the weather.
Industry analysts at Kelly Blue Book claim that 27% of the buyers considering a Toyota before the recalls are no longer shopping the brand; nearly half of the customers who have defected from the brand may never reconsider the brand, not ever after the recent news.
Right now Toyota is offering zero-percent APR in some regions, and dealer cash incentives in others to help boost sales.
A little friendly advice to Toyota:
In sales, (and life) you got to throw a bunch of shit up on the wall and see what sticks...
(Okay, maybe that was a little insensitive.)
But in the meantime, somewhere, over in Korea- a Hyundai executive is jumping for joy. The way they used to in those old Toyota commercials. Them were the days...
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And many people didn't fly on airplanes after 9/11. Time will repair Toyota's sales more than any short term marketing gimmicks.
Now why would America be nit-picking a Japanese automotive company when Ford had a HUGE problem with their cruise control systems. Hmmm... is there some American-based manufacturing sector that the US government would like to become profitable? Anyone have any ideas, because i think there are two USA companies... yet, well.... anyone know?
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PS: And yes Hyundai makes some very impressive cars nowadays for very few ounces of gold, i mean funny Fed munny.
I'm I the only one that finds it remotely suspicious that the #1 competitor to Government Motors all of a sudden starts having an all out negative PR blitz against it?
I suppose it's merely coincidental, but it sure has provided a big boost to GM's sales lately..
No.
This is the Ministry of Truth in action.
i wonder if the vested interests have forgotten the Japanese hold beaucoup UST junk bonds? Hmmmmm... go ahead congressional pukes, step right on this turd
Means, motive, opportunity. 2 outta three ain't bad.
Although an open recall for Toyota is rare, they used to handle "recall" events in another way. I had heard from a friend who worked at the local Toyota dealer that "recalls" were handled very surreptitiously, by replacing things when the vehicle was in for service without mentioning anything to the owner, thereby avoiding all the hoopla for an open recall campaign. How extensive this practice was is unknown though.
As for Ford, the cruise problems and the prior ignition fires are still very open issues. A friend of mine had a Ford van that burned recently because of the faulty ignition systems. I certainly wouldn't want to be driving a Ford product when that happened.
The other way Toyota likes to "avoid" recalls is through warranty enhancement programmes.
Over 600,000 Toyota Sienna minivans have a problem where spot welds in the door were improperly performed (in the NJ assembly factory). The welds pop loose, costing approximately $2000 to repair [requiring drilling, welding and repainting the door.] Rather than recall and fix, toyota issued a W.E. and said they'd fix up to 5years/100k miles. But only if it has already broken.
So for those folks like myself, whose door broke AFTER the cut-off date (but before the mileage limit), Toyota's response was to get lost.
I've had LOTS of new Toyotas. The quality just isn't the same as in the past. Not the same old Toyota I once knew.
Oh what a feeling, Toyota.
My theory is that the shit caning these auto companies get is as cyclical as sector rotation in equities. Toyota's problems have existed well before GM and Ford's quality recalls over the past decade but no one heard a damn word. That's because market makers and large mutual fund managers have a part in keeping it quite. Pump, dump and reload. I bet GM will soon follow Ford's lead in the pump whilst maybe a Korean auto will get the dumps. None of this has anything to do with consumer safety or quality.
Toyota.... Well, let me tell you about unepected accelleration and, oh yes, speeding up in a turn.... Wowie Zowie. .... Those are memorable events!
Now, take the vehicle into a dealer.... "Sir, this is normal design response..." Bullsheet! In the Army, they call that situational awareness.... Translation for the folks in Rio Vista...THERE IS NO SAFTY FACTOR...BUYER BEWARE!"
Damn pedal stuck again, just blew past 95 in a school zone, I probably should stop texting now...
Hmmm, note to self - buy a toyota.
"I don't know what happened officer, I was going the speed limit and then the petal stuck. Could you let me off just this once so that I can go get it fixed?"
A car that parks itself? That's sooo wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVaFbkg9jRs
Would Toyota, with it's current lame management, ever produce a car that can do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh3A1ERsvY4
Dave does some cold starts. Wonder if that old Camry will start? See for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Davidsfarm#p/u/2/T6BC0oN4oNU
We have reached a critical point in automotive design. The shortening of design cycles, constant cost competition, and the increasing complexities in systems, have pushed the major car companies over the engineering edge. Into the quality zone! :(
The basic truth is that engineering investment has been cut so deep that the teams cannot complete their tasks. How and when these cost savings may show up under warranty are to be seen. In Detroit the domestic engineering teams, weather through bankruptcy (GM and Chrysler) or through forced retirement (Ford), have been decimated. Very few have been left untouched, perhaps 5%. Quality will suffer, it is just a matter of when.
To me what is odd are the problems at Toyota, which it seems, has some recent quality concerns. Toyota is under price pressure also, but they usually are smart enough not to cut their main teams and always alternate new driveline introductions between engine and transmission on different platforms.
For major warranty problems I put Chrysler first, then Ford, then GM, and then Nissan. Honda and Toyota were far down the list. So I am a little surprised at Toyota.
Mark Beck
BullSHeeeeeeeeeeeet!
Throttle has stuck on my Land Cruisers many a time. Operator error if you die in a car with a stuck throttle. One bone to the dogs: guess what - when the pile of crap is made out of something besides fiberglass, it has a hard time getting up to 60, much less 95.
Land Cruiser, the one, the only, the Toyota.
After all these years, Toyota is finally unable to pay off all the media for a positive, undeserved spin on their products. For years, Toyota has paid for positive press about their marginal products and that is why their advertising costs are more than 10 times what others in the industry are budgeting. Defects in their products, and there were many, were glossed over, if mentioned at all. Defective ball joints, Defective brakes, defective steering, rotting sub-frame construction, defective camshafts, sludging engines, failing transmissions, bad rear ends, pickup liftgates that bent easily - all are part of the extensive problems not reported in the press.
When GM was being hammered in the press about cigarette lighter buttons falling off, Toyota was able to hide their deadly problems from the world. Our American press gladly obliged since beating American idustries down was part of their overall plan to diminish American power in the world.
People were dupped into believing Toyota quality was superior to American products simply because they have very short memories and have ingrained the idea that something is not a problem if they don't pay for it. Because they didn't pay for it, they had no problem with an engine that was replaced after only 25,000 miles or frames that rusted away after 2 years. Major problems were covered under warranty contributed to this unreal feeling of quality. Toyota has the highest warranty costs in the industry and most Toyota owners sell their vehicles shortly after the warranty expires and the real repair costs come out.
I've been there in the trenches of the automotive world for 30 years and finally am glad to see the myths of Japanes quality and caring be exposed for what they really are - nothing special. America needs to wake up and begin producing things completely here in America and not just taking imported parts and puting them together using their dumbed-down directions. Don't let forty year old myths of American car deficiencies influence what American car companies are producing today.
Your post is so true! Toyota has the biggest warranty claims and advertising budgets in the industry.
People are brainwashed about Japanese quality because the Japanese automaker's paid print media tells them so.
I have a brother-in-law that brags about the quality of KIA (Korean Auto) and he is on his fourth KIA vehicle. Funny, how he doesn't keep any of them beyond 30,000 miles or 2 years. The engine, transmission and braking problems that occured happened under the warranty period and he didn't have to pay for repairs - thus KIA is great quality even though they failed miserably. He is typical of the current American consumer.
Ah, obamanation trying anything to get poeple to by Gov Motor's UAW POS, sorry not gonna work, poeple will just buy honda's or Hyundai, or possibly Fords, no one wants GM's overpriced junk. Maybe if Obamanation and Gov Motor's told the UAW to screw off and then priced there car's on par with Kia they might sell some....I suspect once it become apparent this BS is'nt working they will pull the same crap on Honda and so on and so forth...
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