The Toyota recall

[crunchierthanthou]

think that means I can get one on the cheap in the next few months?

I'm not actually interested in any of the affected models (at least, not any listed in the recall). I'm just wondering if it will degrade the brand as a whole. Obviously, I'm not too worried. What are your thoughts?

 

[LISmama810]

I'd say consumer confidence in Toyota has dropped WAAAAAAY down, so yeah, I'd imagine there will be good deals to be had. When we bought our Prius a couple years ago, and then when we were looking at the Sienna last year, there wasn't much room for negotiating because they didn't need to. I'd bet that's not the case anymore.

 

[Guest]

There's been room to negotiate for a little while now. Even before the recall.

Still, it's the rebates that create the great deals. I don't think Toyota's gonna be matching the domestics in rebates/incentives even after this.

 

[unityco]

I'm surprised at how arrogant Toyota has come across through this whole thing (at least in Canada.) We had a couple of interviews with their corporate spokesperson, and when asked about injuries or deaths, she said there were none in Canada, so she was asked about the U.S. and she said she knew nothing about that. Yeah right, like you don't watch CNN like the rest of us. :thumbsdown:

There's been lots of comments from customers complaining about the lack of full disclosure from their dealers too (no word about what tests were run or the results of them, no certification if their vehicle was considered 'fine'., etc.) And dealers here are saying (as of yesterday) that they still don't have full instruction from corporate as to how to deal with this. :thumbsdown:

I'm sure this will be a study case in PR classes for years to come.

 

[marjen]

I'm hoping the recall doesn't affect things too much...I'm selling my 2008 RAV4. My opinion of Toyota has dropped significantly throughout this whole fiasco, and I honestly don't trust my family's life in their hands (especially since my vehicle is just 1 year away from the recall, and I'm not sure they know exactly what the problem is).

 

[Guest]

The arrogance isn't surprising. It was recently shown during the V-6 sludge problem.

Ultimately, it's not surprising. Reliability is a major sellign point for Toyota. They're going to do whatever they can to sweep everything under the rug. They've got lots to lose.

The domestics can be a lot freer about recalls. The general perception is that they make crap. That may or may not be true, but it is true that they have some crazy recalls all the time. So, it's not big news to the media. They report it, but no one makes a big deal cuz they go, "oh, another thing that causes the car to catch on fire and burn to the ground. Whoop de doo." After the initial Toyota recall about the floor mats, Ford came out with an even bigger recall a week later. Didn't make a peep on the national news.

I'm not surprised the domestics are jumping on this. What I'm surprised is that Honda/Nissan and the Koreans aren't making bragging ads.

 

[unityco]

Ultimately, it's not surprising. Reliability is a major sellign point for Toyota. They're going to do whatever they can to sweep everything under the rug. They've got lots to lose.

You don't think it's surprising? At this point (in my view) the cat is out of the bag - the recall has been announced, there's no sweeping it under the rug now. They just look stupid when they play ignorant. They'd be better to claim 'mea culpa' and be completely transparent in their efforts to rectify. *I* think they'd damage their brand less that way. :twocents:

Obviously, that's not what they think, but I think its backfiring on them now.

(FTR, I don't own a Toyota.)

 

[SavsMom]

The media has really blown this one up - big time. Yes, there were a handful of accidents involving the CTS accelerator pedal in certain models (on another note CTS makes pedals for Honda and Nissan as well), those that were in accidents involved wear and tear on the pedal and had symptoms of a problem prior to the accident itself. I think it is very important to note that Toyota has done this recall voluntarily - the government isn't making them do it, no one is, they are doing it because they are concerned about their customers and they are wanting to ensure their product is safe. Ford had the same problem just a few years ago with tires on the Explorer - Honda just issued a recall on the Fit last night due to a fire issue.

Many people are wanting to complain that this recall wasn't handled well - the media never even gave them the chance to do so. They caught news of the story and ran with it like crazy. They got people panicked that they are going to die if they drive their Camry when that simply isn't the case! You are 10 times more likely to get struck by lightning than to have this problem with your car!

Regardless of what or who you believe - always know the media is going to put its own spin on things. They like to see people (or brands, in this case) fall from grace. Here is to hoping that Toyota can pick up where they left off (and I don't doubt for a minute they will be able to)/

 

[Amanda]

Regardless of what or who you believe - always know the media is going to put its own spin on things. They like to see people (or brands, in this case) fall from grace. Here is to hoping that Toyota can pick up where they left off (and I don't doubt for a minute they will be able to)/

Agreed. The media sensationalizes things in order to sell newspapers, attract viewers, etc. They need something BIG, so they tend to blow things out of proportion (Weren't we all freaking out about H1N1 a few months ago? I haven't heard a peep about it since like November...)

Other manufacturers have recalls all the time, and they don't get nearly the media attention that this is getting.

 

[LISmama810]

I haven't seen a "OMG! Don't drive a deathtrap!" reaction from the media. I HAVE seen them cover what is a very big story. (Stop-sales are extremely rare, and I believe unprecedented on so many models at once.)

My recent lack of confidence in Toyota has nothing to do with the recall. It has everything to do with the company dragging it's feet and detracting from what is likely the real problem (electronic throttles), not floor mats or gas pedals.

 

[SavsMom]

Actually the floor mat issue was a real one as well....but what many people don't know is that the floor mat issue started with a Lexus vehicle, not a Toyota. The wrong all weather mat was placed in a Lexus without the mat clips - the mat did not fit properly and resulted in the jamming of the accelerator.

I haven't seen a "OMG! Don't drive a deathtrap!" reaction from the media. I HAVE seen them cover what is a very big story. (Stop-sales are extremely rare, and I believe unprecedented on so many models at once.)

My recent lack of confidence in Toyota has nothing to do with the recall. It has everything to do with the company dragging it's feet and detracting from what is likely the real problem (electronic throttles), not floor mats or gas pedals.

 

[LISmama810]

I'm not saying floor mats can't be a real problem. I'm not saying a gas pedal can't stick. I'm saying that there might be much more to it than that. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-pedal30-2010jan30,0,790073,full.story

I'm also saying that when a company that is known for making safe, reliable vehicles recalls a number of their products and actually stops selling almost their entire product line, yeah, that is a justifiably big story.

And although this is a "voluntary recall," it sounds like NHTSA and the Department of Transportation pretty much forced Toyota into it, so it's not like Toyota is being a stellar corporate citizen here.

 

[mommy-medic]

nevermind

 

[tjham]

I've been trying to find an easy-to-read site with what vehicles are involved because one of my daughters has a Tacoma and the other has a Lexus. I found this:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/customer-faqs-regarding-the-sticking-153495.aspx

 

[abbi_n_nadia]

I have a 2009 Matrix and I'm not freaking out about it and I'm not going to stop driving it but it is concerning because its sounding like there is a much bigger problem than they are willing to admit. I know the media tends to make a big deal about nothing but with this I haven't seen that....all I've heard from the media is them trying to get the facts which they aren't really able to do since toyota is refusing to talk to them. The abc reporter was even kicked out of a dealerhip!

I'm not really sure what to think but I'm a little bummed that we ended up with a car that is right in the middle of this.

I'm wondering if now would be a bad time to trade it in for a minivan like we were wanting to do back in August....do you think the trade in value is going to be down now?

 

[Guest]

Your resale is really tanked right now, precisely cuz people are freaking out.

I'm not surprised the reporter was kicked out. Toyota is pretty slow to update the dealers actually so I'm sure they're super frustrated. They weren't known for stellar customer service anyways.

Anyways, here's a good article. I'm not sure I agree with all of it, and it's much harsher than I'm accustomed to seeing from C&D, but I think it deserves a read.
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/ca...dal_media_circus_and_stupid_drivers-editorial

Basically, if it happens, pop it in neutral.

 

[erikanohelani]

I am a little worried about driving my 2010 Toyota Corolla, however one of my cost accounting professors, who also drives a Toyota has put this into perspective.

The problem is rare, despite what people may think because of the media blowing up those instances. There are many recalls on vehicles every year... another person mentioned the recent Ford recall. My sis had a recall on both her Toyota and her Ford at the same time, but only Toyota was blasted the media extensively.

Some companies have chosen not to recall, if you remember Fords disregard for life with their Pinto problems.

Ford came back... I'm pretty sure Toyota will too. In the future they will probably be even safer than they are now, just because of this.

Anyway, the media may be blowing up the problem way bigger than it is, because they can. It is a big story because Toyotas are considered some of the most reliable vehicles.

Some dealerships are offering top dollar for Toyota trade in vehicles. Realistically, they wouldn't do that if they didn't think those cars were worth anything.

For now though, you may be able to get a good price on Toyotas.

 

[SavsMom]

SE Toyota (they own the franchise rites to all dealers in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolina's) came out with owner loyalty rebates this week - if you or an immediate family member own or lease a Toyota or Scion you get a $1,000 owner loyalty rebate that can be used towards the purchase of a new Camry, Corolla, or Tundra - this rebate CAN be combined with the low interest financing and the lease program - WHICH THEY NEVER DO. We are offering some deeper discounts on the vehicles as well - and we still have customers coming in and buying every day.

Yes, Toyota screwed up. But they have also come forward, acknowledged their mistake and are doing the proper things to make it right - I have to give them credit for that. Its not often that you see the president (Mr Toyoda) of a large company come forward and appologize publicly and vow to make things right. And while this may have tarnished their reputation right now, Toyota will continue to prove to be a reliable vehicle....in the past couple of weeks we have had more customers email in saying that even with the bad press they will continue to purchase Toyota's because they have only had good experience with them. One customer emailed us yesterday to tell us about his 1998 Tacoma with 302,000 miles on it - all he's had done to the car are oil changes and tires - if thats not reliability I don't know what is

 

[LISmama810]

Yes, Toyota screwed up. But they have also come forward, acknowledged their mistake and are doing the proper things to make it right - I have to give them credit for that. Its not often that you see the president (Mr Toyoda) of a large company come forward and appologize publicly and vow to make things right.

Well, that's debatable. Toyota is being investigated right now because while they were telling the public it's gas pedals and floor mats, they were admitting to Congress that they don't know what the issue is. So I don't know that they have acknowledged their mistake, since they don't even necessarily know what their mistake is.

Acting contrite when you get stuck with your hand in the cookie jar isn't the same as "coming forward."

The rest of it is all PR, and not very good PR at that.

I'm not saying Toyota is an evil company or anything, but their handling of this has been atrocious.

 

[Jeanum]

SE Toyota (they own the franchise rites to all dealers in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolina's) came out with owner loyalty rebates this week - if you or an immediate family member own or lease a Toyota or Scion you get a $1,000 owner loyalty rebate that can be used towards the purchase of a new Camry, Corolla, or Tundra - this rebate CAN be combined with the low interest financing and the lease program - WHICH THEY NEVER DO. We are offering some deeper discounts on the vehicles as well - and we still have customers coming in and buying every day.

Yes, Toyota screwed up. But they have also come forward, acknowledged their mistake and are doing the proper things to make it right - I have to give them credit for that. Its not often that you see the president (Mr Toyoda) of a large company come forward and appologize publicly and vow to make things right. And while this may have tarnished their reputation right now, Toyota will continue to prove to be a reliable vehicle....in the past couple of weeks we have had more customers email in saying that even with the bad press they will continue to purchase Toyota's because they have only had good experience with them. One customer emailed us yesterday to tell us about his 1998 Tacoma with 302,000 miles on it - all he's had done to the car are oil changes and tires - if thats not reliability I don't know what is

In the interest of full disclosure, you work at a Toyota dealership, correct?