Autoblog

In the face of increasing quality problems, Jim Press, president of Toyota North America, revealed at the recent Chicago Auto Show that no discussions have taken place within Toyota about increasing its new or used vehicle warranty coverage. Speaking about the topic to Automotive News, Press said, "It's something you need as a solution to a problem." Hmm... a problem like this, this, or this? AN reports that the company has recalled 3.4 million vehicles since 2005, 2.2 million of which occurred in 2005 alone.

It's perfectly valid to wonder if Toyota should increase its warranty coverage and follow the lead of General Motors and Ford, both of which have increased their warranty coverage recently. We don't dispute Press's claim that such increases are meant to solve a problem, but in the case of these two domestics, it's not because of increasing recalls and rising warranty claims. Rather, the domestics are seeking a solution to their image problem. GM and Ford have both been dogged with poor reputations for quality despite steadily improving the durability and build quality of their cars. Neither is admitting they have quality problems by increasing their warranties, rather they're both showing customers that they're willing to put up or shut up about their increased quality. Frankly, if Press believes that his company doesn't have "reliability issues that go beyond our normal warranty," as he says, then what's the harm in extending the warranty to prove it?

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]