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Toyota and why recalls just bounce
Readers’ comments triggered the search for this article which became lost in last month’s
festivities.Last year, Toyota Motor Corporation recalled more than two million vehicles of various models, more than double 2004's total. Yet, writes Jim Mateja of the Chicago Tribune, where’s the outcry for chairman Hiroshi Okuda's head (pictured)? (Or at the least snarky remarks about what school he went to; his appearance; or who’s the latest ‘car’ guy he hired and why that person is ruining the company.)
This lack of a reaction, according to Mateja’s article, seems to stem from Toyota owners' slow response to recalls ( "Toyota has one of the worst records as far as it comes to getting our customers to respond to a recall notice," said Toyota spokesman John Hanson) due to the automaker’s reputation, and the federal TRENDS Act, which requires even 'minor' issues to be reported.
What’s your opinion?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
davide 9:28PM (10/06/2006)
It is just funny, if FOMOCO or GM had this recall, everybody would be demanding that every car involved should be taken off the road at once! TOYOTA gets to tell the people that want it fixed to bring it back. What about the second or third owners right to have a vehicle that is correct and safe.
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DABII 1:13AM (11/27/2006)
I had an 89 Corolla which I bought used, I drove that thing everywhere! Practically indestructible! I didn't get it rust proofed and that was a huge mistake. The thing started rusting from the inside out on the driver's side floor, because of snow and salt up here in Canada. Other than that, the engine never gave trouble and it was owner friendly. Unlike many domestic cars under the hood is so crowded and things are hidden. They want to make money from you bringing the car back to them to tinker with. They know they can't charge you more on initial price, due to their reputation of poor quality, got make up lack of income somewhere. I now drive a 96 Celica GTS and it's only because a rig, transport truck almost killed me and chewed up my Corolla while I was driving on the highway! The car was still drivable but was no longer safe to drive. The thing wouldn't die!
I bought the Celica used two years ago, so far, no problems. Basically import cars last longer. how many Toyotas and Hondas do you see on the road from the 80's compared to domestics? I rarely see domestics from the 80's but I see many Civics, Corollas, and Tercels. Recalls, repairs, preference, it doesn't matter, imports last longer, and that's the bottom line!
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whofan 8:33PM (1/18/2006)
Toyota doesn`t like to admit they have recalls in the first place. They call them minor adjustments and things on that order. Their success and growth will erode quality. Even Toyota can become fat dumb and happy. Toyota overated, GM underated.
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MadeinDetroit 8:46PM (1/18/2006)
I dont belive a word of this. Toyota is where sunshine and lolipops are made, not cars of questionable quality. No seriously though, it does point to the value of the saying "reality is perception untill proven otherwise" and its value in selling a product.
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MadeinDetroit 8:46PM (1/18/2006)
I dont belive a word of this. Toyota is where sunshine and lolipops are made, not cars of questionable quality. No seriously though, it does point to the value of the saying "reality is perception untill proven otherwise" and its value in selling a product.
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hans 8:47PM (1/18/2006)
well the difference between a toyota recall and a GM one, is the toyota ones are always for things like your windshield wipers or seat adjusters or something relatively minor and not really something tha tcould compromise safety , thus why people do not bother bringing the cars in.
GM things seem to be more important like power train and brake related or electical.
i mean the number of recalls is not the same as the severity.
i am not like a toytota lover, but whenver you see recalls for toyotas they seem to be minor thing.
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Justin 9:21PM (1/18/2006)
Yes hans, all GM recalls are for HUGE things like engine failure, and Toyota things are simple, like seat stitching. Except that every time GM has a recall for something minor like tailight lenses, people like you go "SEE, THIS IS WHY GM SUCKS, THEY CAN'T EVEN GET GOOD TAILLIGHTS!!!1!!!!one"
And Toyota never has problems with their flagship (at least for California) doing anything like stalling at interstate speed.
I think what is important is that GM actually puts their recalls in the paper, where Autoblog reads about them and posts them. As opposed to Toyota, where I rarely read about them, and for 4 million cars to be recalled, they can't be that rare.
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Tad 9:30PM (1/18/2006)
Hans,
Not true at all, Toyota is recalling such things as problems with the steering columns (Avalon), automatic trans problems (tacoma), exhuast making contact with brake lines (tundra) as well as problems with the seatbelts (camry). Dont go knocking down GM's door when you dont know about all the stupid safety issues Toyota vehicles have.
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Justin 9:31PM (1/18/2006)
http://www.automotivedigest.com/view_art.asp?articlesID=17942
Shows Ford beat GM on recalls last year, as well as Toyota increasing by more, and GM halving their recalls.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060104/BUSINESS01/601040408/1014/BUSINESS01
Shows that almost a million of Toyotas recalls were due to faulty steering control rods. Something simple that probably doesn't affect anyone really, no need to bring that in.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/10/toyota_extends_.html
The whole Prius thing. Only 160K involved in that.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/05/17/087730.html
A separate steering issue with Toyota, different years, different models.
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Mitsufan 9:31PM (1/18/2006)
Hey guys,
I am really glad that someone paid attention to this, seeing I am a (recall-issue whipping boy) Mitsubishi fan. Don't get me wrong, I understand that Mitsubishi was 100% in the wrong with its recall issues. They really screwed up.
But at the same time, I remember when Toyota issued that big recall thing too. Nothing in the press. No "Toyota Not So Great After All" articles. On the other hand, Mitsubishi recalled a few (I think 2000) of the new Eclipses and it was "Scandal-tainted unprofitable automaker Mitsubishi Motors..." Like they were carrying a grudge!
"Bulletproof" Toyota recalled more cars than it sold last year. That's news, folks. Even though dozens of articles about Mitsubishi recalls were out there already, 2000 lousy fix-its and it's "Oh No! Danger, Fellow Consumers!", dragging it out like the OJ trial.
Be critical of what you read, kids. Everyone likes to have their preconceptions confirmed. It feels good. But that's not what reporting is supposed to be, is it? That's sensationalism, pure and simple.
Thanks, Jim Mateja (and the Trib) for levelling the field a little.
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Matt 9:35PM (1/18/2006)
I think there is a lack of hooplah because Toyota has such a long-established reputation for quality. Because the quality of Toyota products can always be expected to be above par, no one wastes brainpower analyzing the torrent of recalls. Why bother?
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claude 10:32PM (1/18/2006)
Toyota's gotten a free pas on recalls in the past year. They are but the latest example of how the best aren't always the most successful (see: Microsoft). Bland design, uninspiring performance, mounting recalls - yet their mystique of quality seemingly has everyone snowed. Look at the numbers - they were near the top in recalls, yet where's the coverage?
My son's 2003 Corolla is at best an average car - underperfoming the family Altima and Civic in almost every respect despite costing more. Good story - keep 'em coming.
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Rudi 10:40PM (1/18/2006)
Bullsh*t, my 2004 Sienna has been recalled several times already for "minor" things like the radiator, the fuel tank, & the seat belts. Yeah very minor, I will not be purchasing another Toyota product again. I replaced my Town & Country expecting it to be more reliable, not less. Plus no free roadside assitance? Every previous car I have owned has had it for the lenght of the warranty. I have owned 12 new cars and several used cars over the years and the Japanese are no more or less reliable than the American cars I have owned.
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KazO 10:54PM (1/18/2006)
What I'd like to find out is what the actual effect on customer vehicles was from these recalls. My immediate experience is with recent BMWs, where it seems a large number of people are affected by various problems, sometimes for a number of years, before a recall is issued, and prior to its issuance, the company is often reluctant to do anything. And more often than not, recalls are never issued, but non-public "Service Information Bulletins" and part redesigns that even dealers rarely are told about seem to be done instead.
So if historically, a carmaker issues recalls on issues before a significant portion of those potentially affected ever see a problem, people are probably going to have a much more casual attitude towards them.
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Lithous 10:55PM (1/18/2006)
"(see: Microsoft)"
Oh, yes, Toyota learned some non-admittance techniques. Anyone know what a Service Pack is? An f'ing set of bug fixes. I guess "Bug Fixes 2" just doesn't sound as good.
Mitsufan, you are so in trouble. You are selling out your fellow import fanboys. You gotta act like Toyota has no recalls and they with you; a pact. Remember: all imports run forever and all domestics break down on the lot. Geez, it isn't that hard to remember.
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Alan 11:01PM (1/18/2006)
We've had a lot better reliability with our Hondas and Toyotas than with Fords or VWs. The Consumer Reports surveys support this, as well as the assertion that GM has improved as well.
The bottom line is that Toyota and Honda have earned a reputation for reliability, and it will take a string of unreliable cars to change that. So far, Toyota has had the sludging problem on the 3.0Ls (since corrected), and an uptick in recalls in 2005. That's not yet enough to declare a trend.
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Corey W. 11:02PM (1/18/2006)
Once Toyota does replace GM in that top spot, I think more attention will be given to the company. From what I've read, Toyota is averaging 1 for every 2 GM recalls, that's sounds good in comparison to GM but double from 2004, that's a big change for Toyota. Some say it's growing pains, well see...
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laserwizard 11:08PM (1/18/2006)
Once again my hypothesis that when Toyota started to compete in nearly every segment of the North American market it would match the recall records of the domestic producers is bearing fruit. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan created a myth of producing high quality cars because they produced only a handful of models which made it easy to build them well. Once they had to match Detroit model for model, the natural tendency of engineering flaws and production glitches would infect the Japanese just like it did with Detroit. Stay tuned, idiotic Jap vehicle owners - your cars are going to be recalled more and more.
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v8 11:44PM (1/18/2006)
Justin- great post. The "seat stictching" thing was hillarious.
Alan: "We've had a lot better reliability with our Hondas and Toyotas than with Fords or VWs. The Consumer Reports surveys support this, as well as the assertion that GM has improved as well."
If you have to read consumer reports to realize VWs and Fords are dogs, you must be a real cretin.
Oh, and what's with all the seniors driving Camrys??? Don't they remember pearl harbor?!? Idiot baby boomers who think consumer reports is the bible and costco is the church, I can understand.
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Glenn Laycock 12:04AM (1/19/2006)
Mitsubishi huge troubles for not reporting defects in its cars for a period of (some say) 20 years.
Notice how ALL (with exception of Nissan) Japanese brand recalls "suddenly" jumped enormously.
Draw your own conclusions ...
Technical Service Bulletins: Honda under threat of lawsuit will not allow these to be made public because of "customer confusion" they were causing. My sister had a V6 Accord that leaked everywhere; the dealer blamed her -- I found an old TSB list, she took it to the dealer, they not only re-instated all the warranties (which they "cancelled" the day before), but they fully repaired the vehicle for no charge whatsoever (and they did so without saying a word after she gave that list to them).
Again folks, Japanese companies are very very close to being part of the government there (Honda being somewhat an outsider as they were told not to produce cars, and did so anyway).
Join the dots.
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