Toyota recalls floormats

[Mr. Wyndham]

toyota

...Unintentional acceleration was due to improperly installed all-weather floormats sticking beneath the accelerator pedal...

Nice.

[Myka]

so that means all toyota owners must have to floor it for enough cases to generate a TSB. Frickin slow moving ricers. j/k I love all cars.

[Mr. Wyndham]

my mom had a Ford once (long time ago)...that the ECU, or something was going on the fritz, and it would just accelerate. Out of nowhere. She almost went through the garage, and when she took it to the dealer, it didn't do it...so they thought she was crazy.

She took it to the dealer a final time, really pissed cause the car almost killed her on the highway - and screaming out of her window as it's racing it's engine - "I'm gonna let this thing go right through your showroom window if you don't f'n fix it!"

needless to say - they got the message. All fixed - but like I said that was a LONG time ago, and the vehicle is long gnone, now

[Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

She took it to the dealer a final time, really pissed cause the car almost killed her on the highway - and screaming out of her window as it's racing it's engine - "I'm gonna let this thing go right through your showroom window if you don't f'n fix it!"

LOL! Hell yeah mom...that's exactly what i would have done. You can tell her some country boy in Tennessee said she's cool as hell for that

[DGthe3]

the thing about this that gets to me is that most Japanese lovers will let this issue slide, but if it ever happened on a GM vehicle, well that would just prove that Americans build crappy cars, wouldn't it?

[The_Stache]

the thing about this that gets to me is that most Japanese lovers will let this issue slide, but if it ever happened on a GM vehicle, well that would just prove that Americans build crappy cars, wouldn't it?

Well look at it this way, for example, ford had a recall for the cruise control as it caused fires.. BUT the labor for replacing a cruise control unit compared to the labor for replacing floor mats.. well lets just say they don't compare.. Even though both problems have the potential to become fatal...

I'm not defending Toyota as the ultimate manufacturer.. just saying either way ALL manufacturers have issues.


I'm unbiased on each side.. i own a Toyota as well as a Dodge.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by diarmadhi

Well look at it this way, for example, ford had a recall for the cruise control as it caused fires.. BUT the labor for replacing a cruise control unit compared to the labor for replacing floor mats.. well lets just say they don't compare.. Even though both problems have the potential to become fatal...

I'm not defending Toyota as the ultimate manufacturer.. just saying either way ALL manufacturers have issues.


I'm unbiased on each side.. i own a Toyota as well as a Dodge.

Hey thats fine, i just know a bunch of people up here at school as well as some from work over the summer that swear by japanesse cars. But the more hard data i see, the more i know that they are not the best, good yes, best -depends on what you are looking for. They won't listen though . . .

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Hey thats fine, i just know a bunch of people up here at school as well as some from work over the summer that swear by japanesse cars. But the more hard data i see, the more i know that they are not the best, good yes, best -depends on what you are looking for. They won't listen though . . .

It takes the bigger man in the conversation to realise and accept that.

It's no longer Jap crap. Some of it is, yes...but they've managed to establish quite a consumer base. So GM can't count on "being american" anymore. Especially not if they're going global...which they are.

The key thing that GM and the other two have to overcome is public perception. IMO, these new cars...the '08s, '09s and '10s have the huge responsibilty of being the forerunners of a new wave of vehicles specifically designed to change the public's perception. (i.e Camaro, Impala, CTS, G8, Corvette...etc). Once that happens, GM (and if the others follow, Ford and Chrysler, too.) will be in really good shape in comparison to the Japanese companies.

[Pencil.Fight]

I have to admit, I bought my Corolla because I needed a car that was reliable, got good gas mileage, and was relatively cheap, and I needed it right away. The only company I knew of that met those standards was Toyota. It doesn't mean that it's true, but the general perception of buyers is that American cars are expensive, unreliable gas-hogs. I sincerely hope that these next generations of cars are able to repair the Big Three's tarnished reputations.

I have owned four Toyotas, one Honda, a Ford, and a Chevy, and a Pontiac.

In order of ownership:

2003) 1988 Honda Accord - lasted a year and a half of heavy use and minimal nurturing (maybe 3 oil changes?)

2004) 1985 Chevy Camaro - lasted a month of minimal usage and heavy nurturing (bought it from a sleazy mechanic)

2004) 1995 Toyota Corolla - My mom's car, but I was the primary driver after the Camaro. It's still her primary driver, even though it was stolen and wrecked and I was not too careful when I drove it.

2006) 1990 Toyota Corolla - I bought it from a guy for $400. There's a long story to go with this one, but we'll suffice it to say it only lasted a weekend, and I'm an idiot.

2006) 1994 Ford Explorer - I bought this from the dealer who took the previous car off my hands. It lasted me a month before it had more problems than were worth fixing.

2006) 1984 Pontiac Firebird - My brother's car. I picked it up for him in Seattle and got it fixed up before sending it up to him in Alaska. I was the primary driver for a few months in the meantime. After putting well over $3,000 into this car, it is now sitting in his driveway awaiting a replacement for the engine.

2006) 2003 Toyota Corolla - I decided to stop throwing my money away on older cars and got a certified used vehicle. Other than a $300 interior trim issue, I had no problems with this car.

2007) 2007 Toyota Corolla - The warranty expired on my 2003, so I traded up for a 2007. The dealer gave me exactly what I owed for the '03 and a good deal on the '07. Fresh start. 7 months and 10,000 miles later, no problems with this car.

As you can see, my experience has told me two things:

1) Never, EVER buy a car from a mechanic, and

2) Foreign cars are a better investment than domestic cars.

I am seriously hoping that this Camaro will prove number 2 wrong.



Sorry for the long-winded, semi O/T post.

[Mr. Wyndham]

number 2 has never been enough for me to buy foreign...that's just me.

[Silverado]

Originally Posted by Pencil.Fight

2) Foreign cars are a better investment than domestic cars.

That is not a something that can be generalized.

There are very few cars (probably a dozen or so) that can be considered a "good investment". All the rest are terrible investments. Some worse that others, true, but American, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, German, Italian, etc....it doesn't matter. Some of each are better than average, some of each are worse.

[Mr. Wyndham]

purely financially speaking, And this is NOT biased...the only "good" investments as far as cars go, that I have see, have, in fact been American. '69 Camaro's are going for 50k average. The older cars are going for more. I've seen/heard of muscle/sports cars going for the 100,000's of dollars. Now, factor in that you bought it for $3000...

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

purely financially speaking, And this is NOT biased...the only "good" investments as far as cars go, that I have see, have, in fact been American. '69 Camaro's are going for 50k average. The older cars are going for more. I've seen/heard of muscle/sports cars going for the 100,000's of dollars. Now, factor in that you bought it for $3000...

Keep in mind though that inflation over 40 years makes that $3000 equal to about $35 000.

[Pencil.Fight]

Originally Posted by Silverado

That is not a something that can be generalized.

There are very few cars (probably a dozen or so) that can be considered a "good investment". All the rest are terrible investments. Some worse that others, true, but American, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, German, Italian, etc....it doesn't matter. Some of each are better than average, some of each are worse.

You're right. I should have said:

2) Toyotas and Hondas are a better investment than domestic cars.

Now, like I said, I don't hold that to be a fact at all. It's merely a generalization of my limited experience in the auto-buying world.

My point is that there is a reason that Japanese cars are looked at more favorably by a lot of Americans. However, I believe that GM is on the right track in turning that around. If everything they're saying is true, I see no reason why General Motors can't regain its spot as the world's leading auto manufacturer.