Is quality bad?

Only if you're inside the 3/36 warranty.
The reality is Toyota quality myth started when peoples expectations were so low, anything that ran was an accomplishment.
As the competition got better, Toyota suddenly had to step up and the reality is they're average now.
I've had many of the Consumer Reports 'avoid' cars, and strangely, they've all been decent, or better than decent.
Two Toyotas and I can't figure out what all the hype is about.

 

Fucking thank you. I hate how often I have to explain this.

 

I never had any problems with my truck. Maybe we should start that thread.

 

Drove my truck to work again today. Drove home. Nothing happened.

 

I traded an 03 Hemi 1500, and miss it dearly, the only problems i had were the ones, i created.

i am up north, and my bumper did rust, i bought the truck in april it came straight off the train and i picked it up.. it never saw salt. i had my bumper replaced in october... never seen salt and it had rusted away in months.

i have had multiple problems with my 2010.. so far, they have all been fixed by the dealer.. however, the blower motor and the bumper, i guarantee will return in a few months..

 

I got 99 problems, but my truck aint one!!

 

i think that the overall quality of toyota's has fallen a little. I had a old 96 corolla before and had like 420 thousand kms on it, no probs at all. My new 09 taco ive had a few issues that im not that pleased about. ie. blower motor, paint chips and rust spots. I defiantly dont really think that toyota fit and finish is as good as some of the other but im hoping that the drive train and motor will impress me over the long run.

 

The seat material in my 2009 4x4 regular cab is junk! The bench seat is ugly and all fuzzy. Toyota doesn't want to fix it. It has 30,000 miles on it and nothing has touched the seat except for my blue jeans. I had my 1995 Tacoma for 14 years and 210,000 miles and that seat never looked anywhere near as bad as the new truck does. Anyone else ever have this problem?

 

The main thing I've noticed that's really changed with Toyota over the years is the customer service...it's not what it used to be. That said I'm sure the same thing has happened with most dealerships nowdays.

 

Seat covers FTMFW ^^^

 

LOL!

 

I am a firm believer that the internet is making the Toyota quality "bad". People now have means to bitch and moan about their issues. What did they do before? Tell their neighbor? How far did that go?

These trucks are awesome.

 

Not another one of these threads!!!!!!!

 

X2.. EVERY VEHICLE HAS ITS PROBLEMS. NONE ARE PERFECT. I think the problems we have are kind of minor... ohh no my blower motor sqeals! yeah ok maybe the leafs are kind of a bigger deal but god damn people.. if you just wanna sit around and bash your truck all day.. SELL THE FUCKIN THING! I know theyll have minor issues and as long as my ball joints, calipers, tranny, wheel bearings, rears, motor all dont go before 50K miles like 'SOME' of the other manufacturers then im a happy man.

 

x4

Internet feedback is almost never a good random sample. Product reviews are heavily skewed toward the extremes - you either get a ton of people raving about how great and flawless the product is, or the other ton of people are ranting about what a piece of crap the product is and why you shouldn't even look at it much less buy it.

TW's true worth comes in that when members post about issues, it helps to inform you about your product. A common question you should have when you come across a problem is, "Is this isolated to me, or have others come across this?" Depending on how you answer will help determine your next step - can you fix it yourself, have others done it, or should you take it to the dealership?

In my new '11, had I not heard a couple people complain about the doors not closing with a "normal" amount of force, I would've first thought I had gone bonkers after my passenger side door didn't close for the fifth time, and then I would've thought something was gravely wrong. I just know it's a quirk, and until it pisses me off enough, I'm content to leave it.

Also, don't equate "quality" in your truck to mean, "it is perfect". You may come across problems. When you pay for that quality, you're increasing the chances that you don't come across it, but you still play the odds regardless of what car you have. You'd even play those odds with a Rolls Royce, but you'd probably have a better chance of hitting the Powerball than finding a defect in one of those things... I'd hope so - your Powerball winnings might not even be able to pay off your RR!

So... Use TW as what it is - a great resource, not a statistical basis!

 

They ain't what they used to be, but like others said, theres a lot of people on here, and who reads the "i love my truck" threads, who the hell starts them?
There's also a lot more toyota tacomas out there than toyota trucks, also, the internet was invented for the tacoma. So word gets around better.

That being said, surveys have rated toyota on a down hill trend. But I don't think they're any worse than other trucks right yet. Its just a shame they aren't what the old ones have a reputation for.

 

Agreed. These newer bench seats are made pretty cheaply. However, besides cosmetic issues, I haven't had any problems with my '10, and I'm sitting right at 15K miles. I do feel that they are made fairly cheaply though. Little things like the crappy bench seat, the terrible design causing "taco lean", and weak leaf springs (which they have known about for years now, why don't the 11's come with 4?) give me that feeling. How much can Toyota really be saving on this stuff? One to two hundred bucks a truck? Pass it on to the consumer. I'd gladly pay it. I know TSBs cover a lot of issues, but those aren't advertised. Letters aren't even sent out to the owners. Toyota just hopes you'll "live with it."

However, the Tacomas are not even close to as bad as the newer Corollas. My dad has a 2010, and I feel like it's going to break into a million pieces anytime I touch something. My family has had a 93 and a 2006 that were both VERY solid. I think the issue is that at almost every vehicle Toyota sits a few thousand dollars below their competitors, and in order to do that, they have to cheap out on some minor issues.

All this being said, as long as they aren't cheaping out on engines, tranny's, and frames (Dana Corp. messed up the 1gen's not Toyota), I'll be alright.

 

Al Gore drives a Tacoma

 

Sounds like to much time on the forum, reading negative stuff that you would have never known about.

 

I've never had a problem with my 2010 Tacoma. I did have the springs TSB done but that's it. I've driven Toyota's for 30 years and in some ways I think the quality is better than it was then. In other ways it's not. But it's much better than my Ford Ranger was on day 1. That thing had all kinds of minor problems.