Toyota recalls more vehicles than sold in 2006

Discussion in 'The "Other" Bench' started by Keith Seymore, Jan 12, 2007.

  1. Coil

    Coil Member

    I currently work for a Toyota Lexus dealership up here in Canada as a shop foreman. I've worked as a tech for GM as well as Ford over the years. I am and always will be a die hard Detroit iron guy.In saying that, in the last seven years at Toyota I can count on both hands not using all my fingers, the number of major mechanical malfunctions I have seen.Keep in mind we sell about 1000 units a year, which is fairly small in todays market. Most of our engine failures{oil consumption problems} is due to lack of maintenance. I've had customers do two oil changes in 50,000 miles. Their excuse...I forgot. The sad part is that Toyota or Lexus, depending on the vehicle, covered the claim under warranty. Try doing that at a Detroit shop. Toyota is so concerned about their "image" they don't want to rock the boat. It pisses me off to no end that this happens. Back in my Detroit days, maintenence wasn't pushed like it is on Toyota owners. I have a number of buddies over at the North American shops that tell me now if the maintenance isn't followed their warranty may be void. To little too late. Where was this policy fifteen years ago? I paid off my first house with Aerostar transmission overhauls.My point to all this is, Toyota has their share of issues. I deal with it every day. Is it major problems,not as a rule. Most of their issues are with a supply and demand. They come out with a service bulletin on a problem with a part number,and wer'e told the said part is "backordered". Try telling a customer who just dropped 40 grand on loaded Avalon that he has to live with his crappy brake noise for a month till we get the 2 dollar part to fix it.I'ts damn frustrating some days. The growth that Toyota has seen over the last four or five years, I believe is going to bite them in the ass unless they get their act together and fix their supply issue.A lot of the recalls they have issued wouldn't have made it out of the board room at GM. A friend of mine at GM told me they had a problem on their front wheel drive transaxle a few years ago. Something about harsh engagement in reverse. Enough to snap a side gear. At a GM training course, the engineer that was there when asked about it said.Yeah we know we have an issue, but it only could effect 60 or 70 thousand units. It's not cost effective. Life goes on.
     
  2. Dave H

    Dave H Well-Known Member

    Here's a good real life contrast to that on a new Taurus. Mother in law's check oil light came on about 3 months after she bought it. Took it in to the Ford dealer and they told her she didn't tighten the oil cap, was two quarts low, and charged her for an oil change since it was 3 months old anyway. I don't think it had 1000 miles on it yet, and she didn't even know how to open the hood (85 yrs old). Wife went in with her and ripped a 2 foot long piece of ass from the first and every person in the service department she talked with. She's good at doing that, believe me. They gace her a voucher for 2 free oil changes but didn't refund that first one or apologize for blaming it on her the first time.

    U.S. dealer service departments are no longer there to fix and maintain the vehicles as a primary objective. They do that, (sometimes eventually), but their primary objective is to make money for the dealership. Either through warranty or the customer's pocket. Once they get a car in, they run the VIN through the factory data bank under the guise that they're looking for any problems you may have coming and you get a warm fuzzy (Mr Goodwrench). Most dealers don't have to submit their parts back to the factory and just get paid automatically. Whether they fix the problem or not is always secondary but the factory gets charged for the first time the car comes in.

    Those free oil change vouchers give that dealer a crack at seeing that car two more times and I'll guarantee there'll be more automatic warranty items they can charge off to that VIN.

    Going to be hard to turn that thinking around. Especially when the senior techs make about $125-$150k per year at the bigger dealers around here.
     
  3. RG67BEAST

    RG67BEAST Platinum Level Contributor

    It's impossible to escape buying from overseas. I should have said try to if avail..
    Me and my 3 bros. work for Ford. My dad retired from GM. His dad from Ford. With the cutbacks Ford just made my one bro. got laid off onother is on notice and the remaining bro, will be gone in June.
    I'll likely be gone in Oct.. Definitely not good for my Buick hobby. I'm not buying any extras and may be forced to sell everything I've collected over 25 years. I just did a budget rebuild on a 300 for $300 for the Skylark so at least the family will have something to cruise in and the Stg2 Special's paint job/rearend is on hold :rant: untill I find out what is going on.
    I do try to keep jobs in the US and Canada but I'm not a fanatic. This is how I was brought up. Peace.
    Ray
     
  4. TuBBeD

    TuBBeD Well-Known Member

    Scrolling through the posts I see a war coming about. I'll put my .02 cents in by saying for me, the reason I have faith in Japanese vehicles is the service factor when the vehicle goes in for warranty service and the less recalls they have over the American competitors. Also, the American vehicles hide alot more than recalls as Troublesome Service Bulletins. I found this out when I purchased my 2004 Ford Expedition. I went into the dealer complaining about the whining in the rear and he told me there's a service bulletin for it so, it'll be covered by the factory.....wrong! He said it wasn't safety related so, being it wasn't a recall the factory didn't have to cover it. If it wasn't for the 4 yr/48k mile warranty I'd be **** out of luck. Plus, I had to pay a $100 deductible along with getting the motor replaced in the power mirror. Trying to get the mirror covered itself was a pain and that's why I feel the way I do. My parents '05 Toyota Corrolla never gave a lick of trouble yet unlike their Chrysler Town and Country and their '99 Pontiac Grand Am which, was replaced by the Toyota. My '03 S-10 was a pain to get warranty work done as the Service Writer didn't want my truck in until the noise got worse in the engine. He told me it was a loose rocker arm hitting the tip of the valve.
     
  5. Dave H

    Dave H Well-Known Member

    I seriously doubt that The Japanese and other foreign car companies juggle their books as much as Ford n GM in current times. In the htird quarter of 2006, both took a huge chunk of funds set aside for warranty reserve and rolled it into their general fund to offset major losses and make the picture less bleak. GM said it was because their warranty performance was so much improved that they had set aside too much. Ford didn't say a word, nobody asked or apparently cared.

    I will guarantee you after working in that industry for each of them that the word went out to tighten up on warranty authorizations. By not paying out as much in warranty, there'll be less warranty it'll show how they were right....Get it? :Dou:
     
  6. Brian Stefina

    Brian Stefina Well-Known Member

    This is a prime example supporting what I said earlier, remember the Lexus and Buick post?
     
  7. Andy Tantes

    Andy Tantes Silver Level contributor

    10 years ago,GM and Ford were kicking Honda and Acura's ass in CSI ratings.
    it looked like the big 2 were finally getting it right.

    then Acura started the TLC (total luxury care) program.
    it was all about kissing the customer's ass,plain and simple.

    no matter what the problem,Acura said"no problem,we'll take care of it".

    notice how things have changed in the last 10 years.

    it's all about customer perception,not vehicle performance and reliability anymore.
     

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