9th Mar 2011, 10:21

Yeah, yeah... another blanket statement with no basis of fact. You keep quoting the same thing over and over. How about listing the models and problems those several owners that you know have been having. I know several people with Toyotas, and they are all very happy with them and have had no issues. Even when called in for the recalls, none of the people I have known actually had any defective parts on their cars. Again, just because your car is recalled, does not make it defective in every case.

Why people want to continue to bash Toyota with no factual information or personal experience with them is beyond me. I have had horrendous experience with GM products, and I don't roam the Chevy threads slamming GM. Just write about the cars you have personal experience with, and stop spreading the anti-Toyota posts that are not really helpful to anyone in making an informed decision about which car is best for them.

10th Mar 2011, 18:20

This is a review site, people are allowed to express their opinions. Just because a few people are not happy with their Toyota, does not mean it's a bad car.

Please don't take it so personally, just because you bought a Toyota, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Toyota used to be great in the 80's and 90's, but now they have become overpriced and overrated. I know a few people who have had problems with theirs, it's not unheard of, quite common, especially with their recent models, as quality has dropped significantly over the years.

10th Mar 2011, 19:47

"Yeah, yeah... another blanket statement with no basis of fact."

Every national news source is reporting Toyotas ongoing recall fiasco daily. I'd have to call that a pretty fact-based statement!!

11th Mar 2011, 14:47

The facts are that the recalls have been blown way out of proportion over and over and some of the findings indicate no defects in the car lines. I am tired of the blanket statements like "I know many people with problems... etc., etc. List actual examples of which models and what kind of problems. I know many people as well, and none of them have ever had a noteworthy issue with any of their Toyotas. Even the cars taken in for recall by people I know, have not needed any parts changed out. Again, blown wayyyyy out of proportion!

11th Mar 2011, 16:35

Nobody is taking anything said here personally. But stating that Toyota "Used" to make good cars in the 80's and 90's, and now build junk is an incorrect statement. We have owned nothing but Toyotas. We were early adopters in the early 80's, and have bought them right up through the present day. The experience we've had has been totally consistent: The vehicles - regardless of the era - have been overwhelmingly high quality, well-built, reliable products. As such, they are far from being overrated. That "rating" came from years of consistent quality, after having been the newcomer in the 60's and 70's with no known reputation.

I think in summary, why you see people going on and on with negative, generic statements against Toyota, is that people tend to make criticisms of the best. Sort of like how students might view the straight-A student with jealously. Thus the fact that so many anti-Toyota comments appear on auto sites is testament to their success: They build the best vehicles.

15th Jun 2011, 12:03

Hi all, this is the original poster.

My intention with this was not to anger anyone, but rather to discuss my dissatisfaction with our car.

We've now had it for a year and a half, and are still continuing to have verified problems with the brakes (to which our dealer is even baffled by). The car even rattles like a 98 Kia. If gas wasn't so expensive right now, I'd go trade it in. I'm not saying that all "Prii" are bad cars, but we obviously bought a lemon. Sadly, though, since they can't determine what's wrong with our car, the lemon law doesn't cover it.

13th Jul 2011, 10:26

I don't understand, what is going on with the brakes? Are they making strange noises, they don't stop fast enough, or does the regenerative braking system feels weird to you?

I have an 08 Prius; the brakes felt different to me too when I first got it.

14th Jul 2011, 16:55

Sadly, many people are misled by ad hype and end up stuck with unreliable and poorly built vehicles that are a nightmare to repair. Just look up "Prius repair costs" on the net. Toyota has been on a quality decline for a decade, and was never as good as the hype has portrayed them to be. Recalling over 22 MILLION cars is not a testament to either good quality or concern for customers, especially when many of those recalls were required by U.S. Grand Juries.

In addition, the poorly built Prius does not get any better fuel mileage than the far simpler, much more reliable and much less expensive gas-only Chevy Cruze Eco (which gets 50 mpg hwy).

At least after all the bad publicity, Toyota is now following the practice of issuing voluntary recalls, just as domestic makers have always done, rather than waiting for the law to force them to. That is at least a step in the direction of showing more concern for their customer's safety.

15th Jul 2011, 11:09

1: Toyota quality has NOT declined. In fact, almost every single publication places them at the top of the list - right up there with Honda.

2: The definition of the word "Hype" indicates something deliberate misleading. Toyota reliability and quality came from years of building superior and well-engineered products, which in turn were acknowledged by owners like me - who have owned them and have never had major problems with them. It's not "Hype". It's simple ownership experience and the loyalty that generates.

3: The Prius is not poorly built. In fact, it's one of the highest cars in of itself sold in the US. Now how that translates to being "Poorly" built is a mystery to me.

17th Jul 2011, 12:28

1. Even Toyota has admitted that their quality has declined. After three grand jury subpoenas and 22 million recalls (and counting) it would be irrational to argue otherwise. I'm sure those whose family members were killed in defective Toyotas would agree. Yes, they are now back on track and trying to catch up to domestic makers, but they have a long way to go. The Corolla finished dead last in a comparison of small cars in a recent automotive magazine test, and another top automotive magazine ranked the Ford Focus best in that class. The articles stated that both the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla were dated and unsophisticated. Most people agree, especially regarding the Corolla.

2. All companies use misleading information. Toyota recently ran ads claiming to be the "best selling" car. This is only true of the world market. In the U.S. GM, Ford and Chrysler have all outsold Toyota almost every month. GM has outsold them by a margin of over 2 to 1 in the past two months. GM has been the top seller in the U.S. for a long time. Toyotas ads clearly are designed to give the impression that they are the "best selling car" in the U.S., even though that is not clearly stated. Is it a lie? No. But the average ad watcher would probably be misled, because they are unaware of Toyota's vast world marketing.

3. Overall the Prius is not that bad a car. It just has little advantage in a market that is now filled with much less expensive, less complicated and more reliable gas-only vehicles that get nearly the same gas mileage. Chevy, Ford and Hyundai (to name just three) now build cars that rival the mileage of the Prius and don't require $3000 battery packs that are extremely dangerous to dispose of, and have to be replaced frequently. In addition, other repairs on the Prius are vastly more expensive than on a gas-only vehicle. You'd have to drive a Prius over a million miles to see any real cost advantage at all, based on a comparison with a Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze or Hyundai Elantra.