I suspect you're right. But, while true, I think this shows that something at Toyota is slipping because it didn't happen in the past. Toyota and Honda could be relied upon to produce "fully baked" models from the outset.
The problems, though they affected so few, are surprising and concerning because Consumer Reports paints with the same brush whether it's an American, European, Korean, or Japanese vehicle.
The surprising things were the fundamental nature of the problems, the explanation (pushed into early production), and the importance of the models in question. Since I wouldn't give GM a pass if they did the same thing, I won't do the same for Toyota.
Most vehicles that Toyota has produced over many model years have been reliable from start to finish. We've grown accustomed to it... this just serves to prove that a degree of caution is in order no matter what company you buy from.
Now Ford and GM are producing some very reliable vehicles and some Japanese companies are producing some more trouble-prone models. As buyers, we need to be smart enough to avoid prejudices... this is true irregardless of whether or not it plays into the hands of the pro-domestic crowd. If a Fusion or Malibu is better than a Camry, for example, why shouldn't people buy it? But if a Civic is better than a Cobalt, for example, people shouldn't reward GM's poorer design by purchasing it.
Wait for GM to build something that better suits you. You do your country no favors by rewarding mediocrity. I'm voting for our automakers' success, but success should, in my opinion, be based upon improvement.
28th Jan 2009, 12:52
I suspect you're right. But, while true, I think this shows that something at Toyota is slipping because it didn't happen in the past. Toyota and Honda could be relied upon to produce "fully baked" models from the outset.
The problems, though they affected so few, are surprising and concerning because Consumer Reports paints with the same brush whether it's an American, European, Korean, or Japanese vehicle.
The surprising things were the fundamental nature of the problems, the explanation (pushed into early production), and the importance of the models in question. Since I wouldn't give GM a pass if they did the same thing, I won't do the same for Toyota.
Most vehicles that Toyota has produced over many model years have been reliable from start to finish. We've grown accustomed to it... this just serves to prove that a degree of caution is in order no matter what company you buy from.
Now Ford and GM are producing some very reliable vehicles and some Japanese companies are producing some more trouble-prone models. As buyers, we need to be smart enough to avoid prejudices... this is true irregardless of whether or not it plays into the hands of the pro-domestic crowd. If a Fusion or Malibu is better than a Camry, for example, why shouldn't people buy it? But if a Civic is better than a Cobalt, for example, people shouldn't reward GM's poorer design by purchasing it.
Wait for GM to build something that better suits you. You do your country no favors by rewarding mediocrity. I'm voting for our automakers' success, but success should, in my opinion, be based upon improvement.