Mike Sweers on 2016 Tacoma

Test drove a Limited the other day. While it is ok, I was not that impressed. I did hear the howl and felt the vibration issue.
For now I am holding off purchasing.

 

It will be interesting to see what the numbers are at the end of 2016, with the new truck, and given the fact that Tacoma didn't win any of those comparisons.

 

Screw that guy with an unlubed driveshaft.

 

LOL and screw him dry with low transmission fluid!!

 

I just returned from a 1900 mile road trip through California and Oregon. I saw more 2016 Tacomas than the new-gen GM twins, and most of the Colorado/Canyons I did see were fleet trucks. And before anyone says that's a left coast thing, domestic full size trucks are very popular here and I certainly saw more F150's than all mini- and mid-size trucks combined.

 

People are still buying Tacomas based on the reputation of the gen 1 and gen 2. I see daily posts about the problematic auto on all the Toyota Facebook groups. It's not an isolated thing.

 

Hmm, if I'm a Toyota exec do I want to win some pointless car rag comparison or sell the most trucks? The market decides who owns the title, not some keyboard jockey at a magazine.

 

"You know, we went out and asked the customers what they liked and what they didn't like about the truck" (and we didn't listen to them and kept the same crap that pissed people off with the 2nd Gen and made it more of a slug!)

He also mentions creating a truck that lasts even longer than the previous generation Tacoma. I have a suggestion...how about actually filling the transmissions up properly from the factory? Premature wear anyone?

 

The low transmission fluid is a perfect example of how a companies policies can come back and bite them in the ass.

I went through this when I took my truck in regarding the R to D slip.

The dealership refused to check the fluid because they couldn't observe the slip. The service director and head tech said they are not allowed by Toyota to go any further if they can't observe the issue. I'm assuming this is an issue between the dealer billing Toyota for warranty work.

Then they said even if they could move forward, they wouldn't check the fluid because they have to drain it and refill it as per procedure and its to expensive. This is an example of how techs are not trained or not allowed to excerise common sense. Obviously the transmission fluid is good because the truck is new, so why dump it? Just skip to the part of the procedure where you check the level.

Ideally, if they actually checked, they would have found it a quart short. Then you would think the service director would have a contact at Toyota and send an email or message saying, "Hey we had an issue with the NEW Tacoma." Then hopefully it would be sent to assembly and problem solved.

Instead they kick the can down the road and let problem get bigger and bigger.

Luckily we have this forum.

 

I'm sure the numbers will look great year over year, but they should with the remodel. The real question is how the numbers will compare to Toyota's projections - and that's all that really matters to them.

 

The Tacoma is selling like hot cakes. They are selling roughly 15% more than they were last year. At this point last year the Colorado production was still ramping up too. The auto industry as a whole is doing very well in fact 2015 was the best year EVER for the industry. Toyota is selling plenty so I am sure they are happy with that. Although transmission warranties are not cheap and bite into profits so Toyota is best served by addressing the issue now rather than later.

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2016/05/best-selling-pickup-trucks-april-2016.html

 

People are lemmings. I guess I fit the group as I blindly trusted toyota based on historical good experience. I feel a bit betrayed with this truck.

 

This, people base too much on something that happened decades ago and think it applies today with all the new technology and design processes. Things have changed, manufacturers, vehicles, products, ect. Just look at Hyundai and Kia...

Sell the most trucks from a business stand point. They should be thankful there are so many people who buy based of their laurels from 20 years ago rather than realize what is actually going on today in a different environment and open their eyes. It will only work for so long though, enough reviews, opinions and first hand experiences and people will start to realize it isn't the same as it once was.

Tyler

 

It even kills tundra owners both 2nd and 3rd gen

 

The same guy was engineer of the Tundra too. Toyota should fire him.

 

Imagine the shit storm that would be created if these trucks ended up having frame issues as well...

 

Mike should do a video with real customers with real problems. Don't hold your breath waiting for that video.

 

Tacoma and Frontier are really popular here. I've seen 6 Colorados and 2 Canyons since they came out last year.

 

Where

 

I wonder if he even knows about these forums, let alone reads them.

Despite the minor flaws, which have been worked out for me, I'm still happy with my truck. Sure it's not perfect for everyone, and I have my gripes, but at the end of the day the positives out weigh the bad for me. I plan on keeping this truck for a while, and I'm sure it will hold up in the long run.