Thunder on the Tundra

[WantinBeaver]

Thunder on the Tundra: Toyota Trucks Ahead in 2007 Recalls

If you’ve merely done a moderate amount of Internet surfing or cracked open a newspaper lately – just about any newspaper – you’ve undoubtedly seen the news that Toyota has once again passed Ford in worldwide auto sales and may pass GM sometime this year.

But what you may not have seen is that Toyota has already passed both Ford and GM in a different category – automotive recalls.

Although we’ve barely passed mid-February, Toyota has already recalled 533,417 vehicles this year in a mix that, according to http://www.autorecalls.us/, includes Tundras Sequoias and Camrys. That puts Toyota on track to recall more than the over 1.76 million autos they recalled in the U.S. and Japan in 2006, and the 2.2 million they recalled in 2005 when they recalled more cars than they built.

What’s more, the current recall related to the Turdra trucks and Sequioa SUVs is similar to the same defect in 800,000 of the same vehicles in 2005. Maybe somebody at Toyota isn’t paying attention?

Hopefully the American consumers are. Recall numbers by domestic companies (GM and Ford) so far this year are as follows: Ford, 128,163; Chevrolet, 4,829; and Pontiac, 1,602.

Chrysler - a German company masquerading as an American company with plans to start importing cars from China in 2008 - has recalled 77,432 vehicles so far in 2007.

To be sure, high recall numbers are not good. Auto companies would much rather prefer high sales numbers instead. As I’ve already mentioned, the media is abuzz that GM may lose its crown this year to Toyota in worldwide auto sales. But for that to ever happen in the U.S. sales category, it’s going to take several more years since GM has a U.S. market share of 24.3% compared to 15.4% for Toyota. Even Ford, despite their recent troubles, has a higher domestic market share than Toyota at 17.5%.

But if GM loses their worldwide crown this year, it may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Here’s why:

First, GM spent 17% less per vehicle this January compared to last January, which means they are more profitable on a per-unit basis. In fact, GM expects to report a profit for the most recent quarter.

Second, it may be good for GM to step aside temporarily, for now, and let Toyota take all the ammunition that is always aimed at the top dog of the industry so there is less pressure and fewer distractions. And when GM combines their more-solid profitability and their improved quality together, their public perception will also improve.

Then they can use these admirable qualities to prepare to surge back on top at the precise time Toyota is in the top slot with their recall surge in the news. Toyota’s timing at being number one worldwide would create further skepticism about whether they really deserve their reputation for untarnished quality.

According to Business Week’s January 22, 2007 issue, Toyota has recalled 9.3 million vehicles in the last three years, which is nearly four times the number of recalls in the three year period prior to 2004.

Other recent news that won’t sit well with a Camry-conscious public is the class-action lawsuit recently settled by Toyota regarding ruinous oil sludge buildup covering 3.5 million Toyota and Lexus (yes, Lexus) vehicles.

Optimistic statements by Toyota executives aren’t going to cut it for long – particularly when they don’t match well with reality. Denial in the Camry-company camp seems to be setting in. Toyota’s North American president Jim Press recently disputed the suggestion that his company no longer enjoys a large lead in reliability over the American competition. Speculating on the thoughts of American car company well-wishers while speaking at the recent Chicago Auto Show, Press said “I think there’s some hope that the gap in quality is closing, but it really isn’t.”

Oh, really? That’s a pretty strong comment considering Toyota recalled 1.27 million vehicles in one swoop in 2005, recording the biggest-ever recall in history for a Japanese car company.

But, recalls notwithstanding, the evidence that the quality gap is closing is pretty indisputable, and the evidence has been piling up for more than just the last couple of years. With the following facts, you can make your argument for American car quality fully bulletproof – even among your most ardent foreign car-defending friends.

* A February 10, 2003 Business Week told of how undeniable it was that GM cars are better built than they used to be. The article cited an improved J.D. Power quality ranking and a Consumer Reports recommendation for 13 of GM’s vehicles (equal to 41% of their sales volume) compared to just five recommended GM vehicles for the previous year. The Chevy Impala beat the Camry in a quality survey, and Buick beat BMW.

* Business Week also reported September 23, 2003 that GM boosted its productivity 23% in six years while Toyota’s productivity remained flat, and that GM’s most-productive factories now beat Toyota’s most-productive factories.

* A 2004 Consumer Reports ranking selected the Buick Regal as the most reliable among family sedans, beating the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Maxima. They also gave recommended ratings for four Ford models, including the Ford Focus.

* J.D. Power and Associates awarded Cadillac’s Lansing Grand River assembly center its highest honor – the Gold Plant Quality Award – in 2004.

* An August 4, 2004 Wall Street Journal article said Toyota’s lead in quality and reliability has narrowed in some segments and disappeared in others. Quality problems were reportedly “mushrooming.”

* The Toyota Camry hasn’t been awarded the best in its segment since the year 2000, but many Americans continue to regard it as the number one model in terms of quality. Toyota’s Kentucky Camry plant was awarded with high initial quality rankings by J.D. Power from the late 1980s through the 1990s, but it plummeted to number 26 in 2002, improving to only number 14 in 2004, while two GM factories and one Ford factory took the top three spots that year.

* In a J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey of new 2004 cars, Chevy placed second behind Honda and Toyota sank to number three.

* As far back as at least 2003, Business Week has reported that American consumers regard certain foreign cars as better built than American cars, even when facts prove otherwise.

* Fast-forwarding to 2006, J.D. Power shows Mercury, Buick and Cadillac beat Toyota in a list of dependable cars. Two Buicks and a Mercury took the top three midsize car awards; Mercury, Ford and Buick took the top three large car awards; Ford took the midsize van award and the midsize truck award; and GMC and Cadillac took the large MAV (multi-purpose activity vehicle) and large premium MAV awards, respectively.

* In an article about trust issues, Business Week’s December 11, 2006 issue stated “GM’s quality nearly equals Toyota’s.” Perceived quality among the American public is another story, however. The difference between the actual quality of American cars and the perceived quality of American cars is the “perception gap.”

* In the same article, J.D. Power’s director for retail research said “Actual quality is so close…” discussing the quality rankings of GMC, Chevrolet and Cadillac placing them on par with both Honda and Toyota.

* And most recently, of course, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan beat the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry according to Consumer Reports.

What’s needed among automotive senior executives, and much of the media as well, is a return to intellectual honesty. Everyone tends to have their favorites and biases (mine are pretty obvious) but I pride myself in sticking with the facts to back up my comments.

When Toyotas North American president says that the quality gap isn’t really closing, he’s not being intellectually honest.

Some editorial writers aren’t either. When Douglas Brinkley trumpeted Indiana’s success in a Wall Street Journal article last year for attracting a Honda plant to their state – even though it took $140 million in tax credits and incentives – he wasn’t what you would call “intellectually honest.” In an apparent attempt to convince the reader that Honda doesn’t send any automobiles to the U.S. from outside the country, he said the following: “Turning farm fields into factories, that’s what Henry Ford used to do. Today, in the heartland, it’s being done by Honda – a company that doesn’t manufacture imports but builds American-made cars.”

Such statements lead the reader to think that some Japanese companies make all of their cars in the USA. Hardly. In fact, according to a January 8, 2007 Wall Street Journal article, the NAP ratio – a ratio that compares how many cars are built in North America vs. the number of cars imported – is slipping for Toyota. And according to Toyota internal documentation, the ratio is going to worsen next year.

Occasionally I’ll find an editorial writer that dares to step away from the foreign biases of others in the same industry and rate cars objectively, rather than relying on the mindset of the question “will American cars ever match the Japanese cars in quality?”

Editorial Director for Consumer Guide Automotive Mark Bilek departed from the typical mindset of his colleagues back in June of 2005 by declaring that the Ford Five Hundred was the best car he’d ever driven.

That’s good news for Ford, since the Five Hundred is being renamed the Taurus and will get several more second-looks because of the Taurus’ higher name recognition. Billek said he judged the Five Hundred based on “what it is” and how well it “fulfills its mission.” Based on this, his opinion was that the Five Hundred was “simply the best full-size sedan sold in America.”

I am confident, however, that people like Toyota’s Jim Press can be somewhat honest in their statements about the competition from time to time. He did say that the “car of the show” at the Detroit Auto Show in January was, for him, none other than the Chevy Malibu. Maybe there’s hope for intellectual honesty after all.

If you would like to read more informative information like this article, please visit www.overthehillcarpeople.com .

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes “Buy American Mention of the Week” articles for his website http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/ and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC and has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications.

Roger Simmermaker, Author

How Americans Can Buy American

www.howtobuyamerican.com

WB

[CaptDan]

Sorry, Beaver. You are from Michigan, so anything you say about the auto business will not be taken seriously.

[Dodger]

Sorry, Beaver. You are from Michigan, so anything you say about the auto business will not be taken seriously.

All manufacturors have recalls, ALL of them. I'd still buy a Toyota over about anything else right now just for the over all quality of the vehicles, great gas mileage, and reliability.

[enduro4231]

All manufacturors have recalls, ALL of them. I'd still buy a Toyota over about anything else right now just for the over all quality of the vehicles, great gas mileage, and reliability.

I second that.

[Kev_XR]

It really depends on what caused the recalls, how serious was each recall, and what was the percentage per vehicle sold. (maybe within that long post)

People tend to look at the past performance vs most recent performance.

The Chrysler merger didn't work. Expect Chrysler to get sold off soon. I think someone will buy it, declare bankruptcy, void the union contracts, then re-emerge. Just look at the airline industry. Good for America if you want a cheaper American car, a total screw job on the plant workers and Detroit.

IMHO, Honda has the best engineering team, Toyota the best management team, the rest depends on how each model line is performing.

Having the government let SUV's and pickup truck skip many regulations was a short term boost and a long term screw up. We didn't learn a damn thing from the Oil Embargo back on the late 70's.

[prairiedawg]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there a place for trucks, trailers, and other such crap. It would be nice if this article or small bible was over there. pdawg

[jschner]

So what are you saying, American workers making Toyotas have reduced their quality to the level of American vehicles or worse like in the movie "Gung Ho"?

Japanese cars are not perfect but, my personal experience in the last 6 years is the Japanese cars that I have owned have been far more reliable, had better quality, and had much much better resale values than the American cars I have owned.

Sorry I never bought a Buick Regal and I apologize to Regal owners but who wants to own a butt ugly car like that?

And trust me I want to buy American. I own a Cannondale for crying out loud. But I only supported them because they tried very hard, not only because they were American. And it has been an excellent bike with no major problems that I still ride today.

When I start to see a commitment to the customer from US automakers and them getting out of that "disposable manufacturing mode" they appear to be in, then I may give them another shot.

If all they do is cry about how "unfair" the customers are then I see little has changed in their attitudes.

[xnofriendsx]

That is about the most biased writeup i have ever seen.

Ask yourself this...

How many people complain about their Toyotas?

[gxdragon]

I love my Tundra, I've never had a single problem with it. When I get the recall notice I'll take it in to be fixed and forget about it. No matter what it still has not been in the shop nearly as much as the the last American car I owned.

[xnofriendsx]

I love my Tundra

Ditto

[Rip Wheeler]

Old news, the other Michigan hack already posted that. Use "search" first please.

[CaptDan]

Sorry, Beaver. You are from Michigan, so anything you say about the auto business will not be taken seriously.

Old news, the other Michigan hack already posted that.

Thanks, tech, for proving my point.

[georgestr]

I drive a Lincoln Navigator myself, and it's a reliability nightmare. I've had 2 recall repair jobs, plus 3 sets of front ball joints, a new piston, 8 new coils and plugs, and had a cylinder fill with coolant. I don't drive this hard, or tow much at all with it. I keep the oil changed every 5k, and all other maintenance is on schedule.

I know my next vehicle will be Japanese or European, because i'm not dealing with this crap again.

[number9]

Just like you won't hear good things about our military in the liberal media, you won't hear things about the greenies closing land, or taking land, you won't hear how the illegal alien flood into this country is destroying it, you won't hear good things about US auto makers and their products either, cause the liberal hippies that report the news drive the jap/euro cars.

[xnofriendsx]

Just like you won't hear good things about our military in the liberal media, you won't hear things about the greenies closing land, or taking land, you won't hear how the illegal alien flood into this country is destroying it, you won't hear good things about US auto makers and their products either, cause the liberal hippies that report the news drive the jap/euro cars.

You got it all right until "liberal hippies that report the news drive the jap/euro cars"

Now if you said Hybrids, then you have a point.

[jschner]

I drive a Lincoln Navigator myself, and it's a reliability nightmare. I've had 2 recall repair jobs, plus 3 sets of front ball joints, a new piston, 8 new coils and plugs, and had a cylinder fill with coolant. I don't drive this hard, or tow much at all with it. I keep the oil changed every 5k, and all other maintenance is on schedule.

I know my next vehicle will be Japanese or European, because i'm not dealing with this crap again.

I know how you feel, you trusted the "Buy American" label on a very big purchase and you feel like you got robbed.

I don't know if they build them this unreliable so they can sell you a new vehicle in a few years or what but it's almost to the point of being a joke being played on those who try to support American manufacturers.

I'm with you, until American auto manufacturers get their acts together, my next vehicle will be a Japanese product and I'm already looking for a slightly used Tundra to replace my POS Ranger.

[ptguy]

All manufacturors have recalls, ALL of them. I'd still buy a Toyota over about anything else right now just for the over all quality of the vehicles, great gas mileage, and reliability.

Toyota trucks and sport utility vehicles do not get better fuel economy than domestics. Look it up, in some cases they get worse. Toyota has had inflated fuel economy numbers on many of their vehicles, look up and see how happy Prius owners are with their fuel economy - NOT. Toyota has done a lot of PR in saying their vehicles get better fuel economy, thats marketing for you.

[ptguy]

Old news, the other Michigan hack already posted that. Use "search" first please.

I think he is talking about me. Hi, have you hugged your Toyoduuhh today?

[xnofriendsx]

fueleconomy.gov

Best place to get unbiased info on fuel stats.

[Dodger]

Toyota trucks and sport utility vehicles do not get better fuel economy than domestics. Look it up, in some cases they get worse. Toyota has had inflated fuel economy numbers on many of their vehicles, look up and see how happy Prius owners are with their fuel economy - NOT. Toyota has done a lot of PR in saying their vehicles get better fuel economy, thats marketing for you.

Oh, here you are, knew you'd join us eventually. Whatever, my 21 year old Celica gets over 33 mpg still, and my truck hangs right at about 18 mpg (that's with a 2.5 in suspension lift running 32's.

Take a look at the top ten most efficient cars according to edmunds.....Don't choke on it.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/119083/article.html

?? :cry: ? :p ??

Where's the american cars you speak of??? You really make these threads fun