Has your perception of Toyota changed?

[her209]

If you were planning on buying a Toyota in the near future, are you still planning on doing so?

Just curious what ATOT thinks.

 

[Ika]

Nope.

 

[Linflas]

No. I would buy one today if it was the best car for my needs and the price is right.

 

[ConwayJim]

nope...not really; they ok with mmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.....................

 

[Scouzer]

Yes my perception has changed. But I didn't like them in the first place.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Nope, I always wondered WTF people were so stupid over a specific car brand for in the first place...

I think everyone's freaking out because Toyota fans had an unrealistic expectation of the quality and couldn't concieve of poor quality control by Toyota, gasp...

I've owned a couple and didn't see any legendary build quality, matter of fact, I thought they were pretty poorly engineered and executed for the reputation they had.

 

[mshan]

Probably yes, but I would wait several months to make sure any other undisclosed problems on current production have been fixed before I actually took delivery and drove it off the lot. Plus there are supposed to be lots of incentives and other sales promos to help restore their reputation.

The carmaker built its reputation on quality -- certainly on being higher-fidelity than U.S. auto companies. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Toyota's executives ran it on the principle of kaizen, or "continuous improvement." It's a method of building in total quality management while making employees more effective.

But in 1999 Toyota listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange and made growth an imperative. In the 2000s, Toyota found itself in a race to become the biggest automaker on earth. Toyota made 4.8 million cars and trucks in 1999, and nearly twice as many -- 8.5 million -- in 2008. The company set a goal of making the Camry the best-selling car in the U.S. – a title it won in 2003 and has held since. In 2008, Toyota passed General Motors to become the world's biggest automaker. GM had held the ranking for 77 years.

Toyota, built on fidelity, drove to become the ubiquitous, super-convenient carmaker. To get there, it expanded manufacturing, spreading it all over the world. Along the way, Toyota officials recognized the danger to its own brand. They knew that fidelity could be harmed. "Toyota is so big now," Teruo Suzuki, a Toyota general manager told Fortune in 2005. "We make so many cars in so many different places with so many people. Our greatest fear is that as we keep growing, our ability to maintain the discipline of kaizen will be lost."


http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/c...-made-the-same-mistake-as-starbucks/19354955/

 

[PhoKingGuy]

I thought they were mediocre and shitty to begin with so I guess I was vindicated

 

[2Xtreme21]

If I were in the market for a car, I would take advantage of everyone's current paranoia over Toyota and buy one for dirt cheap. They're probably the safest cars on the market now due to the extreme QA they'll be doing on every car made from now on.

 

[LordMorpheus]

I've always through toyotas were well made but boring (with the occasional exception).

I still think they're well built, and there still aren't any (reasonably affordable) toyotas that are interesting enough for me to consider dropping money on.

 

[Eli]

Nah. They still make good cars. Besides, if I were looking for a used Toyota it would be an 80s 4x4 truck. lol

 

[FelixDeCat]

If I were feeling suicidal, I would buy a Toyota. Heck, four people were killed in an out of control Avalon about 20 miles away from me:

Four Dead After Car Plunges Into Pond

Police say it's not clear if recalled floormat played role in fatal crash


Investigators are looking into whether or not the reason for a recent Toyota recall could be related to a fatal crash over the weekend in Southlake.

Four people were killed when a Toyota Avalon smashed through a pipe fence and then flipped into a pond north of state Highway 114 on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said neighbors jumped into the frigid pond and tried to rescue the people trapped inside the car. All four people were pulled out alive, but they later died at area hospitals later Saturday evening.

Officials said the four victims were Monty Hardy, 56, of Southlake; Hadassah Vance,35, of Euless; Wendy Akion, 38, of Irving; and Sharon Ransom, 56, of Grapevine.

Accident Investigation Continues in Southlake

They were members of the same church, the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Grapevine.

Southlake police are looking into whether or not a stuck gas pedal could have caused the crash.

In September, Toyota recalled nearly four million cars and trucks, including the Avalon, warning that the floormat on the driver's side could snag the gas pedal, causing the car to speed out of control.

"We're getting that inquiry more than anything else. But until the accident investigation team does their part with that vehicle, we don't know yet," Officer Roderick Page said.

Investigators should know by the end of next week if the floormat contributed to the crash.

The crash has sparked concerns about the intersection of Burney and Lonesome Dove roads.

 

[techs]

No change. Stopping is overrated.

 

[imagoon]

Other than the media spin I don't see where the defects played a roll in this accident?

If I were feeling suicidal, I would buy a Toyota. Heck, four people were killed in an out of control Avalon about 20 miles away from me:

Four Dead After Car Plunges Into Pond

Police say it's not clear if recalled floormat played role in fatal crash


Investigators are looking into whether or not the reason for a recent Toyota recall could be related to a fatal crash over the weekend in Southlake.

Four people were killed when a Toyota Avalon smashed through a pipe fence and then flipped into a pond north of state Highway 114 on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said neighbors jumped into the frigid pond and tried to rescue the people trapped inside the car. All four people were pulled out alive, but they later died at area hospitals later Saturday evening.

Officials said the four victims were Monty Hardy, 56, of Southlake; Hadassah Vance,35, of Euless; Wendy Akion, 38, of Irving; and Sharon Ransom, 56, of Grapevine.

Accident Investigation Continues in Southlake

They were members of the same church, the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Grapevine.

Southlake police are looking into whether or not a stuck gas pedal could have caused the crash.

In September, Toyota recalled nearly four million cars and trucks, including the Avalon, warning that the floormat on the driver's side could snag the gas pedal, causing the car to speed out of control.

"We're getting that inquiry more than anything else. But until the accident investigation team does their part with that vehicle, we don't know yet," Officer Roderick Page said.

Investigators should know by the end of next week if the floormat contributed to the crash.

The crash has sparked concerns about the intersection of Burney and Lonesome Dove roads.

 

[caspur]

oops.

 

[Eli]

Witnesses said neighbors jumped into the frigid pond and tried to rescue the people trapped inside the car. All four people were pulled out alive, but they later died at area hospitals later Saturday evening.

Wow wtf? What are the chances of that?! All four were pulled out alive, and they all died later? What the hell? Usually crashing into water doesn't cause much bodily damage, it's just whole not being able to breathe thing...

 

[FelixDeCat]

Other than the media spin I don't see where the defects played a roll in this accident?

You think all the people that have died so far were not because of defective Toyotas but because of media spin? Because you make the same statement about all the accidents.

Toyota has already admitted to wrong doing on several models for several issues including brakes, sticking gas pedals, floor mats, etc.

But thats all media spin, right?

 

[vi edit]

My perception of them started going downhill in the late 90's and progressing from there. Their quality is directly tied to the number of cars they were selling. But it was an inverse relationship. The more they sold, the worse things got.

I'm curious how many billions this fiasco will end costing Toyota over the next couple years. Between lost sales, perception, lawsuits, R&D costs, recall costs, ect. It's got to be a rediculously high number.

 

[redgtxdi]

Here's my problem with Toyota..............



THEY ARE TRYING TO LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY HAS ALWAYS BEEN #1.............W-R-O-N-G!!!

Their latest commercials are really kind of pissing me off because it took mandates from outside sources as well as deaths (sure, auto deaths are inevitable but it shouldn't have taken both for them to step up) for them to actually take a "time out" and figure out what the hell was going on.

THAT is what's BAD about Toyota right now. They are patronizing the consumer. Don't patronize me in that way. You have NOT been concerned about my safety all of the last 50 years and ESPECIALLY NOT in the last 5!!!

Do this.......tell me instead......"Hey, we royally fscked up and we're going to fix this!" So far, they only cop to the "fix this" part. The first part is more important to me.


I believe they WERE at the forefront of quality (practitioners of Kazeng, etc.), I do believe that they've wandered off path and are paying dearly for it now.

Is my point clear enough?

 

[FelixDeCat]

Wow wtf? What are the chances of that?! All four were pulled out alive, and they all died later? What the hell? Usually crashing into water doesn't cause much bodily damage, it's just whole not being able to breathe thing...

That is strange, but maybe they had internal injuries and massive head trauma as a result of the accident. Who knows.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Wow wtf? What are the chances of that?! All four were pulled out alive, and they all died later? What the hell? Usually crashing into water doesn't cause much bodily damage, it's just whole not being able to breathe thing...

Going to church, driving an Avalon, likely all fairly old and got hypothermic from the immersion. Few hospitals deal well with hypothermia, much less the ones they were likely sent to.

The water temp in Texas never gets cold enough to trigger the cold water drowning scenario though... So the water was just cold enough to kill old people

 

[FelixDeCat]

My perception of them started going downhill in the late 90's and progressing from there. Their quality is directly tied to the number of cars they were selling. But it was an inverse relationship. The more they sold, the worse things got.

I'm curious how many billions this fiasco will end costing Toyota over the next couple years. Between lost sales, perception, lawsuits, R&D costs, recall costs, ect. It's got to be a rediculously high number.

Every car maker drops an egg sometimes. Chevy had Corvair. Ford had Pinto. Chrysler had the K car.

But Toyota really has dropped the ball big time on this one.

 

[Eli]

That is strange, but maybe they had internal injuries and massive head trauma as a result of the accident. Who knows.

Yeah, just struck me as odd. Usually when you save someone from drowning, they're good to go. Must have been a pretty bad accident overall.

 

[vi edit]

Every car maker drops an egg sometimes. Chevy had Corvair. Ford had Pinto. Chrysler had the K car.

But Toyata really has dropped the ball big time on this one.

Yeh, but this wasn't just an egg. They dropped kicked the nest out of the tree. Half their product line was put on a sales halt. Has that ever happened before?

 

[frostedflakes]

If I were feeling suicidal, I would buy a Toyota. Heck, four people were killed in an out of control Avalon about 20 miles away from me:

Four Dead After Car Plunges Into Pond

Police say it's not clear if recalled floormat played role in fatal crash


Investigators are looking into whether or not the reason for a recent Toyota recall could be related to a fatal crash over the weekend in Southlake.

Four people were killed when a Toyota Avalon smashed through a pipe fence and then flipped into a pond north of state Highway 114 on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said neighbors jumped into the frigid pond and tried to rescue the people trapped inside the car. All four people were pulled out alive, but they later died at area hospitals later Saturday evening.

Officials said the four victims were Monty Hardy, 56, of Southlake; Hadassah Vance,35, of Euless; Wendy Akion, 38, of Irving; and Sharon Ransom, 56, of Grapevine.

Accident Investigation Continues in Southlake

They were members of the same church, the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Grapevine.

Southlake police are looking into whether or not a stuck gas pedal could have caused the crash.

In September, Toyota recalled nearly four million cars and trucks, including the Avalon, warning that the floormat on the driver's side could snag the gas pedal, causing the car to speed out of control.

"We're getting that inquiry more than anything else. But until the accident investigation team does their part with that vehicle, we don't know yet," Officer Roderick Page said.

Investigators should know by the end of next week if the floormat contributed to the crash.

The crash has sparked concerns about the intersection of Burney and Lonesome Dove roads.

I remember reading about something similar a while back. I still don't understand why a driver wouldn't think to put the car in neutral or shut off the engine if the accelerator gets stuck.