Hah, last year my trusty 88 tercel broke down while I was driving, alternator crapped out but it kept running until the battery was completely dead. Canadian tire replaced the bushing/ brush ?? and it was happy again, cost me 28 bucks :)
Hah, last year my trusty 88 tercel broke down while I was driving, alternator crapped out but it kept running until the battery was completely dead. Canadian tire replaced the bushing/ brush ?? and it was happy again, cost me 28 bucks :)
Why do Toyota owners have the idea that only Toyota owners have this sort of experience. I've owned lots of different car brands, some bad, most good. My parents haven't owned anything but Fords since the mid-50's. In the last 25 years I doubt if they have spent $700 on repairs in total. The only repairs I can remember my parent's vehicles needing were - water pump (1992 Ranger), IAC (1999 Ranger), VV Carb cleaning ('82 Ford Country Squire), power seat motor (92 Grand Marquis), IAC (2000 Grand Marquis). Never once have they been left on the side of the road. The last "bad" Ford I owned was a 1978 Fairmont. It was reliable, but appeared to have been assembled by monkeys (bad paint, ill adjusted fenders, etc). I only kept the car about 2 years, but it never had a mechanical failure in that time (I hated the car - can't explain why I bought it). I don't tend to keep cars much past 100,000 miles. I have had two recent Fords that I kept longer, a '97 Expedition (149,000) and an '86 Sable (140,000). Neither suffered from any significant problems. I don't know what happed to the '97 Expedition, but the Sable was sold to a friend who drove it past 200,000 miles. It finally bit the dust when he ran it into a tree. I currently own a 1992 F150. It has lead a hard life, but at
100,000 miles it is running just fine. I actually want to replace it, and a Tundra was the truck I most wanted to replace it, but the prices are just outrageous. So, I will probably keep the F150 around for a couple of more years (depending on other factors like farm income, accidents, etc)Regards,
Ed White
Maybe because Toyota recalls things before they cause death. Its a well know fact that Ford hid many disasters - that resulted in deaths.
I don't think American brands are that bad, they are a lot better than European counterparts, (my friends 2005 BMW m5 is in the shop weekly now)... But I will stick by my belief that a Toyota will be more reliable.
if you played it, its already on your hard drive.. do a search for toyota.wmv on your c drive (right click on c drive and click search)
its in the temp files somewhere...
Such as?
It is my impression that Toyota fights every recall tooth and nail. I was interested in a Tundra (I still am, but a Tacoma look better), so I spent a lot of time reading the information in the NHTSA database on the balljoint problem. Toyota repeatedly claimed there was not a problem, even as the number of accidents related to balljoint failures skyrocketed. Even when faced with overwhelming evidence of a problem, they delayed the recall for a year. When they finally were forced to recall the defective vehicles, they laid the blame on the supplier. Since I own an Expedition implicated in the cruise control switch problem, I read the documents related to that investigation. They were 180 degrees opposite from the Toyota documents. Ford complied with every request and initiated the recall even before NHTSA pushed for it. After the bad press, they expanded the recall to include vehicles that were clearly at no significant risk.
Who would you trust?
Regards,
Ed White
I think it is because Toyota owners are trying to justify to themselves why they got suckered into paying so much more money for their 'just average' car. LOL
mike hunt
You are so right. Thank you very much...............
Nothing wrong with that attitude as long as you don't let the belief lead you into paying hundreds or thousands more for a vehicle because it is a "Toyota." I'd be driving a Tundra today if the price had been within a few hundred dollars of an F250 (much less an F150).
For that matter my Father would be driving a Highlander if the dealer had quoted him a decent price. We went over to the local Toyota dealer to buy one. He didn't even want to look at anything else (He is a Consumer Reports believer). When we arrived at the Toyota dealer we were the only Customers in the whole place. My Father made what I considered a generous offer. The salesman made a silly counter offer. My Father asked one more time if that was their best offer. Salesman said it was. We left, 2 days later my Father bought a Freestyle. Similar equipment, better driving position (according to my Father), thousands less. So far, no problems (8 months or so). The Highlander couldn't be any more reliable (no problems is as good as it can get), so what conclusion should I draw? My Father is happy and Toyota lost a sale because they rejected an offer than included a decent profit. Go figure.
Ed
"Skyrocketed" all the way to six failures?
I'd trust Toyota.
My personal experience with Ford is that they take responsibility for nothing. Both my brother and I have been stranded on vacations by Ford transmissions while driving cars with
Do you take care of all of YOUR "mechanical, um devices", Natalie?
Pinto fires alone killed 28 people before Ford did anything. Crown Victoria fires was even worst.
Old discredited news. Do some research and you will discover the NHTSA test proved the CV is the safest sedan, sold in the US, in a rear collision. The CV is built to a 50 MPH standard and the only vehicle to exceed the NHTSA rear crash standard of 30 MPH. .
mike hunt
"Dan J.S." ..
Yup - even on the rare occasion Toyota messes up, they don't point the finger at the consumer, they just *fix* the problem
Natalie
"Sharx35" ...
Um... if you're implying what I think you're implying, I'll have you know there ain't nothing like the *real* thing, baby - devices aren't my thing.
And oh yeah...
*fwap*:-P
Natalie, into Bob's kielbasa, not machines
And that is why I would buy a Toyota over a North American brand.
Ditto for Honda, even with their spotty V6 auto tranny issues that they at least acknowledge and work to fix--unlike Ford and Crapsler.
I swore off Fords forever when I saw how many cops were barbecued alive in their Crown Vics, but Ford kept calling it 'operator error'.
Pricks.
Natalie
You said - "If Toyota's going for "recall champ," they've got their work cut out for them. Check this:
Here is a breif history of Foci recalls:
2000 Focus 00S20S1 OCT 00 Recall - `A' Pillar Trim Replacement - 351,000 vehicles- changes shape of a trim piece 01S24 AUG 01 Recall - Defective Wiper Motor Switch/Gear Cover - not Focus specific 00S55 JAN 01 Recall - Rear Seat Back Hinge Replacement - 95,000 vehicles Focus ZX Wagon Only 00S50 DEC 00 Recall - Decklid Wire Harness Replacement - 74,500 vehicles, wagons / hatchbacks not affected 00S31 OCT 00 Recall - Wheel Bearing Inspection/Retainer Installation -
203,700 vehicles, inspection of wheel bearing retaining nut to verify proper installation. 99S35 DEC 99 Recall - Speed Control Cable & Servo Replacement - 534 vehicles, SVT models only. 05S27S1 APR 05 Recall - Rear Door Latch Inspection/Door Seal Install (4 Door Models only) 03N01 JAN 04 Recall - Fuel Delivery Module Defect 02S41 JAN 03 Recall - Pinch Bolt Torque & Battery Cable Routing 02S42 JAN 03 Recall - Pinch Bolt Torque and Battery Cable Routing (really same as 02S41)2001 Focus
01S24 AUG 01 Recall - Defective Wiper Motor Switch/Gear Cover - see 2000, not Focus specific 01S13 MAR 01 Recall - Seat Back Recliner Handle Spring Replacement - 8,500 vehicles damaged by a test, dealer to inspect / replace as necessary 00S55 JAN 01 Recall - Rear Seat Back Hinge Replacement - see 2000 05S27S1 APR 05 Recall - Rear Door Latch Inspection/Door Seal Install (4 Door Models only) 03N01 JAN 04 Recall - Fuel Delivery Module Defect 02S41 JAN 03 Recall - Pinch Bolt Torque & Battery Cable Routing 02S42 JAN 03 Recall - Pinch Bolt Torque and Battery Cable Routing (really same as 02S41)2002 Focus
05S27S1 APR 05 Recall - Rear Door Latch Inspection/Door Seal Install (4 Doord Models only) 02S37 APR 02 Recall - Speed Control Cable/Throttle Body Defect2003 Focus
No Safety Recalls
2004 FocusNo Safety Recalls
2005 FocusNo Safety Recalls
As for the number of Toyota Tundra balljoint failures, the Detroit New article is full of s&*t. Go to the NHTSA complaint database and take a look. 6 is the number Toyota admitted were "confirmed" (deliberate sutrofuge, = in an effort to disquise the extent of the problem). There are many more compalints in the database that Toyota hasn't got around to investigating yet (and they never will since they finally admitted the balljoints were defective). By the end of Septemner, Toyota had inspected and repaired over 100,000 vehicles with defective balljoints.
100,000 down, 600,000 to go.You seem so up on Ford Recalls, do you have any idea how Toyota stacks up? How many safety recalls have affect Toyotas in recent years?
2000Avalon - 1 00V154000 Camry - 2 00V154000, 01V012000 Solara - 1 00V154000 Echo - 3 00V256000, 01V326000, 04V455000 Celica - 2 04V566000, 04V45500, RAV4 - 2 00V211000, 00V212000 Tacoma - 1 01E041000 Tundra -2 01E041000, 99V347003
20014Runner - 1 05V225000 Avalon - 1 01V072000 Camry - 2 01V072000, 01V012000 Celica - 1 04V566000 Echo -1 02V268000 Highlander - 3 02V208000, 04V181000, 01V228000 Prius - 1 00V285000 Sienna - 1 01V072000 Tacoma - 2 03V189000, 05V225000,
20024Runner - 1 05V225000 Camry - 3 04V346000, 01V372000, 01V306000 Celica - 1 03V074000 Echo - 1 02V268000 Highlander - 2 02V208000, 04V181000 Sequoia - 1 05V225000
20034Runner - 2 02V339000, 03V146000 Camry - 1 04V346000 Celica - 1 03V074000 Corolla - 1 02V074001 Highlander - 2 02V339000, 04V181000 Sequoia - 1 05V225000 Tacoma - 2 03V189000, 05V225000
2004Camry - 2 04V346000, 04V595000 Corolla - 1 03V366000 Highlander -1 04V181000 Prius - 1 04V558000 Sequoia - 1 05V225000 Sienna - 2 03V291000, 05V327000 Tacoma - 2 05V225000, 04V214000
2005Avalon - 1 05V227000 Camry - 1 04V595000 Scion TC - 1 05V483000 Tacoma - 2 05V302000, 05V050000 Tundra - 2 05V123000, 05V328000
So, counting distinct recalls by model (only counting recall programs once, not once per year), in the last 5 years there have been 3 Avalon recalls, 7 Camry recalls, 1 Solara recall, 3 Echo recalls, 3 Celica recalls, 2 RAV4 recall, 7 Tacoma recalls, 4 Tundra recalls, 3 4Runner recalls, 5 Highlander recalls, 2 Prius recalls (plus one pending), 3 Sienna recalls, and 1 Sequoia recall. If you break down the Focu recalls by model, instead of lumping them all together, the most recalled model has only 6 recalls (4 door sedan). So, if you are fair, you should be screaming about Camrys which have been recalled more often than 4 door Focus over the last 5 years. The Tacoma has been recall even more often, but the model was redesigned in the last 5 years. If you consider the number of vehicles affected by recall, well Camrys are the #1 selling car - you do the math.
You should also consider that the Focus was a new design when introduced in 2000. There have been no safety recalls for Focus models made in the last three years. The Camry, a very mature design (in other word old, stale, obsolete, tired) is still generating recalls after 6 years. And you also need to factor in Toyota stone's walling tactics. They never have a problem till the whole world comes down on them......
I'll be waiting for your explanation of why Foci are bad and Camrys are good.
Again, who should you trust? I know you will say Toyota, but the truth may lie elsewhere.
Ed
Before spreading this BS, do some research -
For the Pinto, go read
Pinto were not particualrly fire prone, despite the hype in the press. Based on deaths per 1000 vehiles early 70's Corollas were much more dangerous, but then you wouldn't want to know that, would you.
As for Crown Victorias go read -
"NHTSA said it is aware of only four fire-related rear crashes resulting in four deaths in more than 2.6 million civilian Crown Victoria cars."
A Ford Crown Victoria has a much better injury loss rating than a Toyota Avalon or Camry. So, if you are worried about safety, you should be driving the Crown Victoria (see
Ed
Yeah, like the whole engine sludge thing. Or go read the docs on the balljoint problems.
Ed
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