News article "consumer reports right about Taco?

Could you imagine Toyota on here? lol they would invent a 'that's normal' emoji

 

Are the dealership service department data made public? It would be very good to have hard data instead of anecdote.

 

I know a few Toyota engineers and yes they come here and the 4Runner forums.

You have to realize that even though it seems like a lot of people are here it is a small percentage compared to the Tacoma population. This place takes any problem at all and magnifies it to... well if TW were binoculars, we could use them to count the threads on the flag on the moon.

I don't deny that some people have some problems and some trucks have some issues but if you only listen to these guys you would think a 3rd Gen Tacoma can't make it to the end of your driveway without breaking down. Wow.

 

Dealerships are not Toyota proper. They are privately owned and contract with Toyota. I'm sure Toyota has their data but that is proprietary.

 

People say this almost as if that diff howl thread poll with 1000 respondents isn't sitting at 50% of drivers with issues.

That's a pretty sizable sample too. You are minimizing the problems.

 

The end of civilization. Good bye

 

Toyota has complete defect statistics for the first 3 years of all vehicles they make. I imagine these data are closely guarded. However, I'm not sure that they have the right to keep the data confidential, because they do not own the vehicles that are brought in for warranty repairs.

 

I'm glad to hear they stop bye. A lot of the stuff here is small percentage stuff that is overblown, but the auto trans is an issue well beyond TacomaWorld. The local dealers recommend the manual because of the complaints they hear about the AT. I'm hoping Toyota is listening so I can get 2018 AC OR with some sort of decent transmission.

 

Toyota doesnt have to 'listen' to forums or CR because they already have all the info. They have the full statistics of all factory warranty repairs of the Tacoma. I wonder what percentage of defects triggers a redesign.

 

I'm an engineer in a completely different field, and we also have a products that consumers talk about on forums. Our policy is to stay far away from such forums. 99% of the users (enthusiasts even) have a very limited understanding of our technology, and their comments and guesses are very wrong.

 

This isn't about understanding the engineering, it's about what people like and don't like about the product. I'm sure Toyota keeps very specific data about repairs, but they need to hear opinions of people who think the AT, or howling diff are not acceptable "normal" operations.

 

I have two brothers that have put over 300k on 4 different Z71's without any major problems, so I wouldn't say they're unreliable. But I totally agree with your Tacoma assessment!

 

They are here too lol. Yeah I'm an engineer too. Off highway mobile equipment. The guys who come here and 4Runner forum own a Taco or 4Runner. They are enthusiasts as well as engineers.

 

I'm sure their engineers have long protested to management about the shortcomings of the product, but they were over-ruled because it would cost more to make a better product. And to quote my boss, 'we're not in the business of making a perfect product'.

 

I mean people who worked on developing the Tacoma. Most likely they're forbidden from engaging consumers on internet forums.

 

I just came (back) to the dark side too. On Coloradofans they spend half their time trying to discount the Tacoma. The Colorado gave me a very uneasy feeling after having ring and pinion gear replaced, and a few other quality control issues.

 

I don't have a weeping diff , howl or any other issues ATM but my dog has issues:

 

American consumerism at its finest. Why would Toyota make the perfect Tacoma in the North American market when they know a majority of people will trade them in after 3-5 years.

That's very different from the world platform Hilux where they are kept longer since vehicles are more expensive overseas. Also dealerships are very few in far remote areas where the Hilux is stout enough to survive.

 

Blame management, not the engineers. Engineers want to maximize performance and quality when they design something. It is the management who forces them to compromise, all in the name of saving a few bucks.