Toyotas major problem with there cars.

[yammer hammer]

Toyota is having a aweful time with there cars from the years of 2007 and the new ones 2010. They are having problems with the accelerator and it is going down to the floor which has caused many accidents and some ones more fatal than others. I was watching CNN and I seen the CEO of Toyota on there he said he was having major stress! and he is very sorry for the failure of his cars. I told people that Toyotas where junk but nobody listens to me, and this is the result of junk.

Yammer Hammer.

[Dirtcrasher]

TOYOTA is not junk.....

IDNK the exact issue but apparently one of these is just a simple shim fix.

Toyota is like Honda, tight tolerances. Sometimes a thousandth here or there is all it takes to bind up. I bet this shim just gives the pedal pivot a bit more play.

As far as any issues with software, well, thats the problem. Old school is gonezo, computers run everything and they aren't perfect either.

Your entitled to your opinion but I wouldn't trade my 94 Toy 4x4 for much, unless I had to tow!! 33" tires not geared don't tow well!!

[yammer hammer]

Maybe not man but I would say that there in a heap of trouble and they are going to have a hard time to get out of it, and might not ever.

[K87_250ES]

They are not junk, I have had really good luck with Toyotas. Its a problem they will have to sort out. Just like Ford with the tires on the Explorer.

[yammer hammer]

well exactly fords suck to in my opioion. dodges and chevys are the only way to go!

[Trimotomike]

Toyota is gonna have a hard time coming out of this . I just saw on the news where a Lawyer in Miami is starting a class action lawsuit against them saying he has thousands of clients injured becasue of this problem . I have always been impressed with Toyota products all except the Tundras , poor excuse for a truck in my opinion . Rented and drove 2 different Tundras to go on road trips , the loaded one with the big v8 and tow package acted like it was pulling a tractor trailer behind it when in reality it was an 86 s-10 lo,l tranny kept heating up and slipping not to mention it was 4x4 and had zero ground clearence . But there older stuff seems friggen bullitproof . Seems like everyone is cutting corners and product quality and safety suffer .

[yammer hammer]

man I agree with you!

[86trizinger]

A lot of car manufacturers have had this same type of problem with the throttle sticking. Mercedes, VW's , Chrysler. I think its just how long before they realized the problem before they actually caught it.


Sorry I corrected it.. been sick .

[dcreel]

I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with a throttle cable. Most cars these days are drive by wire meaning that there is a receiver on the throttle body that tells the throttle body how far to open depending on the throttle pedal. As far as Toyota being junk, I have owned several and never had a problem with any of them. I would have no problem buying a new Toyota now either. Toyota is doing this due to a small number of deaths due to crashes involving the foot pedal. They are doing what they need to do to safely fix the problem. I can also tell you that Toyota pretty much set the standard for quality when it comes to building anything. There is a book about it. Lean manufacturing was designed by Toyota and is now in use by almost everyone, including Cessna where I work building jets.

There is a reason why Toyota sells more cars than most of the manufacturers out there. They are incredible cars. They will be back on top. Besides that, at least they weren't bought by the government to keep them from going bankrupt. Can you say that about GM or Chrysler? Look at GM's commercials anymore.. they look just like a presidential smear campaign. Our cars are bigger than yours.. Our cars get better mileage (fine print at the bottom:If you buy this model and remove the interior). It's a joke. I would easily buy a Toyota or Nissan over any so called American car maker. The japanese carmakers now build more of their cars in the US than the American car makers. The American car makers are all closing shop and moving to Mexico. I'm not even going to get into the unions that jack up the price of the vehicles they are selling.

And as far as a class action lawsuit coming, don't you watch tv? Lawyers see a problem such as this they start buying air time asking you if you have taken this or that, did you drive a Rhino? Call us and we will win you money? On a class action lawsuit the lawyers can make a killing regardless of the problem. Did you know there are lawyers out there that only do class action lawsuits? Because some hack filed a class action lawsuit doesn't mean anything towards Toyota's future.

[Dammit!]

I haven't heard anything about this throttle problem but Toyota has fallen off a bit in the fit and finish department over the last 2-3 years. I used to sell Nissans and we'd get to do side by sides where you can really see some distinct differences in simple things like how well the doors fit, how solid this and that feels, performance and all that.

I'm not saying they're bad cars or anything. They're obviously not. Just saying they have lost some of their edge recently. If I were in the market for an import car right now, I'd go with a Nissan or a Honda over a Toyota product (Nissan being the better bang for the buck than Honda... I sold those too, and Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge products for that matter). A year or two ago Nissan even started getting the awards that Toyota has owned for I don't even know how long.

On the flip side, if I were looking for a USED import car, say around a 2000-2002 model, I'd put Nissan in 3rd place behind Toyota and Honda. Honda has stayed pretty consistent over the years. Nissan has gotten a lot better than they used to be. Toyota has been starting to slip a little.

[Getmoresoon]

IMHO, it's not above a couple of those bailed out manufacturers to have paid off a few media outlets to latch onto this thing and shake it around as hard as they can like my dog does with his toys! Not like any Domestsux has EVER killed anyone because of a defect. Ohhh no....

[inv3ctiv3]

Toyota is NOT junk, you're crazy if you actually think that. The 22r is one of the most bullet proof motors ever built and their cars are good. I personally don't own one (I am a BMW man myself) but Toyota's make really good cars that will last for a long time.

[yammer hammer]

inv3ctiv3 they are so JUNK!

[atctim]

If Toyota is so junk then tell me why the Camry was the best selling car last year in the US? Also you fail to mention that Toyota does not manufacture the problem part. A company based here in the USA manufactured the problem part. Toyota will pull through this and they won't even need any bailout money to do so. By you saying Toyota are junk tells any one that knows anything about cars that you know nothing about cars!

[jb2wheels]

We're most of the "throttle problems" in the past traced to space between the steering wheel and the seat?

[Dirtcrasher]

inv3ctiv3 they are so JUNK!

C'mon, quit the crap. There all just opinions, leave it with that......

Share with us your choice of ideal vehicle?!

[Trimotomike]

I agree Toyota isnt junk , having some problems right now , but I wouldnt say theyre junk

[dcreel]

The 20R/22R was definitely a bulletproof motor. I had an 1980 4X4 with a 22R that had 200K miles on it. We put JB weld on a crack at the rear of the block and I ran it another 100K miles. I used to pull all of the stuck Chevy's and Ford's out of the mudhole back in the day. It was stolen from Costa Mesa, CA in 1990.
Here is a picture:
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Cars%20and%20Trucks/toyota.jpg

Here is the 1984 Toyota 4X4 I bought a couple of years ago. It's now an inch and a half taller in the front due to longer shackles.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Cars%20and%20Trucks/100_0640.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Cars%20and%20Trucks/100_0639.jpg

[MTS]

I gota agree with dcreel here, the 18-22r's are Tough as nails and can spin 35's without a problem...Me and my buddy have put them through the mill...there is No better trail truck, bang for the buck. im not a guy to buy anything new....a yota would be on the top of the list.

[big yeller]

well yall can say toyota is junk i hate seing brand wars on forums. BUT ITS STILL NOT A AMERICAN COMPANY!!! i dont care if it was down to 2 companys that i could purchase a truck from...chevy and toyota i would pick the chevy even though i hate them. why...because my money is going back into this country supporting the american auto industry. plus the parts are easy to find and cheap and fairly easy to work on. im not going to go on a rant, ill stop now. why would you not buy american, i have yet to figure it out. i dont want to hear that sales pitch either "most reliable car in america". also is toyotas fly by wire throttle like most newer cars and trucks or does it actually have a cable.

[NINJA]

Funny YammerHammer, how the company you so adore in your forum name, is in fact the company (YAMAHA) who designs and tunes Toyota's engines. Believe me, if you buy a Toyota, you are supporting this country's economy far more than say GM or Chrysler. The reason those company's had to take bailouts (which come from your tax dollars), was because they continued to produce inferior products, waste money, and mismanage everything. If they hadn't been so greedy and constantly pulling the wool over the public's eye, and had just tried a little harder to care about making quality products, they wouldn't be in the dire straits they're in now.
Stop being ignorant and start doing research on your own, instead of slamming something you only know about because of media induced hype and paranoia.

[NINJA]

"Toyota Motor North America headquarters is located in New York City and operates at a holding company level in North America. Its manufacturing headquarters is located in Hebron, Kentucky, and is known as Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, or TEMA.


A Toyota dealership in Fremont, California.Toyota Canada Inc. has been in production in Canada since 1983 with an aluminium wheel plant in Delta, British Columbia which currently employs a workforce of roughly 260. Its first vehicle assembly plant, in Cambridge, Ontario since 1988, now produces Corolla compact cars, Matrix crossover vehicles and Lexus RX 350 luxury SUVs, with a workforce of 4,300 workers. Its second assembly operation in Woodstock, Ontario began manufacturing the RAV4 late in 2008.[50] In 2006, Toyota's subsidiary Hino Motors opened a heavy duty truck plant, also in Woodstock, employing 45 people and producing 2000 trucks annually.[51]

Toyota has a large presence in the United States with five major assembly plants in Huntsville, Alabama; Georgetown, Kentucky; Princeton, Indiana; San Antonio, Texas; Buffalo, West Virginia. A new plant slated to be built in Blue Springs, Mississippi has been put on hold owing to the financial crisis that erupted in late 2008. Toyota had a joint-venture operation with General Motors at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI), in Fremont, California, which began in 1984 and ended in 2009.[52] It still has a joint-venture with Subaru at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA), in Lafayette, Indiana, which started in 2006. Production on a new manufacturing plant in Tupelo, Mississippi was scheduled for completion in 2010 but is currently on indefinite hold. North America is a major automobile market for Toyota. In these assembly plants, the Camry and the Tundra are manufactured, among others.

Toyota marketing, sales, and distribution in the U.S. are conducted through a separate subsidiary, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Toyota uses a number of slogans in its American TV commercials such as It's time to move forward, Smart way to keep moving forward, or Moving forward. It has started producing larger trucks, such as the new Tundra, to go after the large truck market in the United States. Toyota is also pushing hybrid vehicles in the US such as the Prius, Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, and various Lexus products.

Toyota has sold more hybrid vehicles in the country than any other manufacturer. Toyota is a public corporation and the company's shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Toyota also sponsors Club Deportivo Guadalajara."

I rest my case.

[Kintore]

If Toyota is so junk then tell me why the Camry was the best selling car last year in the US? Also you fail to mention that Toyota does not manufacture the problem part. A company based here in the USA manufactured the problem part. Toyota will pull through this and they won't even need any bailout money to do so. By you saying Toyota are junk tells any one that knows anything about cars that you know nothing about cars!

couldnt have said it better!

We have many toyotas, 4runners, camry, corona's, used them as daily drivers or field cars.

We had over 600 thous KM on our 97' 2.7 4cly 4x4 4runner. Finally the clutch was starting to go, so we bought the exact same thing in black with only 180 thous on it now.


NINJA- you are right! we have 2 massive ass plants within 45 mins from me!

I always see that bumper sticker and laugh-
"Out of a job yet? Keep buying foreign!" Funny when applied to cars most of the imports are made here in North America!

[dcreel]

ALEXANDRIA, VA April 30, 2009; The American International Automobile Dealers Association today responded to a speech in which President Barack Obama asked Americans to buy "American" vehicles as part of our economic recovery.

"AIADA objects to President Obama's 'buy American' solution for the auto sector," said AIADA President Cody Lusk. "In today's globalized economy 'buying American' can mean anything from buying a Chevy Avalanche
built by Mexican workers in Silao, Mexico to buying a Toyota Camry built by Americans in Georgetown, Kentucky."

"The real issue is that every car purchased in America today is a shot in the arm for our economy, a boost for car dealers, who are the cornerstones of communities all across this country, and a win for American consumers who have the opportunity to choose the vehicles that best meet their driving needs. President Obama must recognize that protectionist policies and statements like "buy American" have no place in America's economic recovery."

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/04/30/458986.html

The Chevy Aveo is made in Korea.

[Trimotomike]

The Chevy Aveo is a p.o.s. that you couldnt pay me to drive . GM is trash and it makes me mad that Chrysler let themselves partake in the bailout that they didnt need but they took what they could get , being mostly a Mercedes owned product my Ram has Mercedes emblems on more than a couple parts .


Dcreel those are sweet trucks , i would love to find an 80-82 yota like the 1st one , they look cool and are ultimate mudders .

[hancadam]

Its amazing how much wrong info is being spewed on both sides of this argument. They both have your pros and cons. Buy what you like.

[Dammit!]

The whole buy american thing is a Joke. So many "american" cars are built on foreign soil with foreign made parts now it's ridiculous. In 2008 when I was working a Dodge lot, EVERY single Ram on our lot was made in freaking Mexico. All of them. My Ram luckily is a 2007 that was built in Louisiana (if I remember right). Fast forward to 2009 when I was working a Nissan lot. EVERY single Titan was made in Tennessee.

[hancadam]

Here is the North American Content as of 2009:
GM: 69%
Ford Motor Co.: 64%
Chrysler Corp.: 60%
Honda/Acura: 58%
Toyota/Lexus/Scion: 44%
Nissan/Infiniti: 31%
Mitsubishi: 25%
Subaru: 20%
Mercedes-Benz: 16%
Suzuki: 12%
Mazda: 11%
Volkswagen/Audi: 9%
BMW/Mini: 5%
Jaguar/Land Rover: 3%
Porsche: 3%

This is parts content, as in where the parts are made for the entire lineup for said manufacturer. Its easy to single out the one off model like the Aveo and say Chevy is made in Korea. Or say Toyota is the most America just because the Camry has the most domestic content.

But when you look at each company's entire lineup, the Domestics are by far the most "American". Also per law domestic content includes Canada, but not Mexico.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/07/domestic-parts-content-and-automakers.html

[Mosh]

We're most of the "throttle problems" in the past traced to space between the steering wheel and the seat?
Best post in this thread.

The problem usually is found to be "loose nut behind the wheel" syndrome.

I am not sure what the problem is.
I have heard the floor mats are getting pushed into the pedal acclerating the vehicle.That is no new news.That happened before on many vehicles.
I would have a hard time thinking it is a Fly by wire problem, as most systems I have seen, are a 4 circuit rendundant system.
In other words, if one circuit fails, it defualts to a limp in mode of only 20 MPH. Corvettes have been running these systems for 10 years with no issues like this.
It would take a massive control module issue, or all 4 circuits to fail at the same time with the correct voltage values to cause these accidents.

There was a state trooper with his family that just died in one of these accidents. HE is on the cell phone with 911 during the problem.
I know when people get in a panic problem, they sometimes freeze up, but why didnt he throw the car into neutral? If he had enough focus to call 911 and talk on the phone for 30 seconds, he could have thrown the car into neutral.
Put the phone down and shift the car into neutral.

Nothing ever built will be totally " people proof ".

And this is just one more instance of things being made too complicated. We drove cars for years with a traditional cable design, with very little problems.These cars dont need all this crap.
Congratulations engineers.You took a system that was controlled by a 15$ part, made it more complicated,and now has a repair cost that can reach 1000$ depending on what part fails.

[hancadam]

Nothing ever built will be totally " people proof ".

This is what people need to remember.

Ford, GM, and Honda also have NHSTA investigations going on right now as well. I am not a fan of Toyota, but I am smart enough to see whats going on here, the administration is returning a favor to the UAW. Which is sickening.

[Dammit!]

Here is the North American Content as of 2009:
GM: 69%
Ford Motor Co.: 64%
Chrysler Corp.: 60%
Honda/Acura: 58%
Toyota/Lexus/Scion: 44%
Nissan/Infiniti: 31%
Mitsubishi: 25%
Subaru: 20%
Mercedes-Benz: 16%
Suzuki: 12%
Mazda: 11%
Volkswagen/Audi: 9%
BMW/Mini: 5%
Jaguar/Land Rover: 3%
Porsche: 3%

This is parts content, as in where the parts are made for the entire lineup for said manufacturer. Its easy to single out the one off model like the Aveo and say Chevy is made in Korea. Or say Toyota is the most America just because the Camry has the most domestic content.

But when you look at each company's entire lineup, the Domestics are by far the most "American". Also per law domestic content includes Canada, but not Mexico.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/07/domestic-parts-content-and-automakers.html

That covers parts content but is there a list on assembly? I'd be curious to see who assembles the most cars in the US (assembly lines employ a hell of a lot of people). It's usually model specific. Like with Nissan, all the Titans are assembled in the US with like 90% american parts but the Sentras are built largely in Mexico with a mix of parts from the US and Japan, etc.

[hancadam]

Here are the top 11 American made cars with the most American made content. Not a Nissan on the list.

Make/Model Domestic-parts content Assembly location
Ford Taurus 90 percent Chicago
Lincoln MKS 85 percent Chicago
Toyota Sienna 85 percent Princeton, Ind.
GMC Savana 1500 82 percent Wentzville, Mo.
Chevrolet Express 1500 82 percent Wentzville, Mo.
Buick Lucerne 81 percent Detroit
Chevrolet Malibu 80 percent Kansas City, Kan.
Honda Odyssey 80 percent Lincoln, Ala.
Toyota Avalon 80 percent Georgetown, Ky.
Toyota Tundra 80 percent San Antonio
Toyota Venza 80 percent Georgetown, Ky.

[hancadam]

GM alone employs more Americans than all foreign automakers combined; 40 percent of GM’s worldwide workforce is in the United States, compared to only 11 percent of Toyota’s.

Chrysler employs about 83 workers for every 2,500 vehicles sold, Ford employs 80 and General Motors 71, according to the Washington-based Level Field Institute. By comparison, Toyota employs 33 American workers for every 2,500 cars sold.

Buying a vehicle with the highest percentage of domestic parts possible helps the U.S. economy by invigorating the national auto parts industry, which provides 1.8 million jobs domestically.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25375103

[inv3ctiv3]

GM alone employs more Americans than all foreign automakers combined; 40 percent of GM’s worldwide workforce is in the United States, compared to only 11 percent of Toyota’s.

Chrysler employs about 83 workers for every 2,500 vehicles sold, Ford employs 80 and General Motors 71, according to the Washington-based Level Field Institute. By comparison, Toyota employs 33 American workers for every 2,500 cars sold.

Buying a vehicle with the highest percentage of domestic parts possible helps the U.S. economy by invigorating the national auto parts industry, which provides 1.8 million jobs domestically.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25375103


Sorry man but they are pieces of crap, every American car my family has owned was a giant POS. My mom has a brand new Chevy malibu which is actually pretty nice but trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro is ALWAYS breaking on it. The door locks are always breaking, the door handles break, etc. I would never own one to be honest, if I am going to spend that much on a car I want it to work. American car companies are doing so poorly because of their many many years of making inferior products and people realized they were inferior and started buying Japanese.....Why would you not want a car that was both cheaper and more reliable? Now the American car companies are scrambling to stay alive and make better cars but they don't have a long history of making good reliable cars so it's a fresh start for them....And most people rather buy from a company that is and has been reliable and good for many many years (BMW, Toyota, Honda, etc).

I realize my views are MUCH different then most people on this forum being that I am 23 and from California, I don't have blind faith in American products like most people in other areas of the country....I look at where things are made allllll day, whenever I am shopping with the GF I just go around and see how much it is and where it was made.....I believe the american's do make a lot of good products I just don't think their cars are any good, I always rather buy my stuff if it was made in Germany or Japan. I've just had better luck with their products as their standards and attention to detail (in more ways then just manufacturing) are so much higher then here. I work for a major manufacturing software company so I am around manufacturing, manufacturers and factories all day. The one place I try and keep my money out of is China, I don't want to support them at all and their products are absolute trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro.

[Dirtcrasher]

Best post in this thread.

The problem usually is found to be "loose nut behind the wheel" syndrome.

I am not sure what the problem is.
I have heard the floor mats are getting pushed into the pedal acclerating the vehicle.That is no new news.That happened before on many vehicles.
I would have a hard time thinking it is a Fly by wire problem, as most systems I have seen, are a 4 circuit rendundant system.
In other words, if one circuit fails, it defualts to a limp in mode of only 20 MPH. Corvettes have been running these systems for 10 years with no issues like this.
It would take a massive control module issue, or all 4 circuits to fail at the same time with the correct voltage values to cause these accidents.

There was a state trooper with his family that just died in one of these accidents. HE is on the cell phone with 911 during the problem.
I know when people get in a panic problem, they sometimes freeze up, but why didnt he throw the car into neutral? If he had enough focus to call 911 and talk on the phone for 30 seconds, he could have thrown the car into neutral.
Put the phone down and shift the car into neutral.

Nothing ever built will be totally " people proof ".

And this is just one more instance of things being made too complicated. We drove cars for years with a traditional cable design, with very little problems.These cars dont need all this crap.
Congratulations engineers.You took a system that was controlled by a 15$ part, made it more complicated,and now has a repair cost that can reach 1000$ depending on what part fails.



Where is the "Dirtcrasher likes this post!" button?? lol........

If you can't shift to neutral and pull over, you better take another driving test. And they certainly have made simply,easy, ordinary things too complex. In another 25 years I bet nothing will run without computer controls..... And they'll fail because they will have been cheapened up.

My 94 Toyota rolling on 33"s is very easy to fix, almost all of it. And it is certainly one tough truck which also pulled out full size trucks many times.

DEEPA has a great 1500? Chevy truck. Without him, I wouldn't be in PA. as it would be too much for my (improperly geared) oversized Toy to pull a trailer and all the gear. I love his truck, so many nice options such as heated seats; Very nice stuff to have. But he'll tell ya, when something fails it's not very easy or ever inexpensive to fix. His dealer seems to "stretch" the estimated repair cost of many problems and Mike ends up fixing as much as he can himself. Too many options, too many computers and I doubt they'll all survive for 17 years like my 1st Toyota did. Crank handles on a geared track don't break; Motors and logic controllers do.........

Then again, I doubt he'd even want to keep it 17 years. Everyone's situation is different but I love driving vehicles that have been paid off for another 5 years or at least twice as long including the original "loan period" lasted.

Most people don't make enough money to throw things away these days. Like Mom said, when she was a kid everything got fixed and it was all WORTH FIXING. Not the case these days.

Off Topic but:

It's very hard to buy nice tools and things of that sort these days.
Plastic took away all the rigid materials.

What bothers me is even the best stuff sold is still junk sometimes, very sad to see.........

Honestly, WHO deserves million or millions' of dollar bonuses? HOW can we make inexpensive items to function well, built in America and at a cost people can afford?? The cheaper tool use to still "do the job" but those tools are lucky to last one day in some situations.......

SAD SAD SAD!! I could go on forever, sorry for the book and rambling :D

[hancadam]

Actually the main reason American car companies took such a sales hit was the price of gas. In 2001 MPG was the number 8 reason when selecting a car, in 2008 it became the number 1 reason.

Also, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda all generally cost more new than an American car. Case in point, I need a Fullsize truck that gets fairly good MPG. I bought a brand new Silverado for 16,800 out the door. Yes that with rebates and such, but you could not touch a Titan, Tundra, or even a Ridgeline for that kinda of money with there rebates included.

I like them all. I have owned two Silverado's, Two frontiers, 1 Cavalier, 1 Sunfire, 2 F-150's, 1 Nissan Sentra, 1 Expedition, and 1 Honda accord. Some where new, some where old. All have honestly been good cars. Never had major issues with any of them. All have or had over 150k miles on them before trading or selling except for my two Silverado's. One of the F-150's had 243k miles on it when it got totaled. Ironically not a Toyota, but this government middling makes me want one.

Another things is parts. A new engine for my Chevy would be under 1k bucks. My dad was going to replace the engine in one of my Frontiers that he bought from me and used as a parts runner for his company until he was quoted nearly 3k just for the engine. The truck wasn't worth that much.

They are all good and bad, and all have pros and cons. They are made by humans, so some of them will always let you down. You can find an argument and evidence to support or trash any of the big brands.

[Billy Golightly]

I'm seeing ALOT of post baiting and trolling going on in this thread. Seriously if you guys can't have an intelligent debate without calling stuff "junk" just to try and get the other person riled up, then just hit the freaking back button and do not bother. These brand war threads when it comes to cars and trucks ALWAYS turn out this way.

[big yeller]

Its amazing how much wrong info is being spewed on both sides of this argument. They both have your pros and cons. Buy what you like.

exactly. i have bought 2 ford diesels in my short life time they are all made in the usa they have been a outstanding truck. i plan on to continue to buy from ford, thats about all our family owned except my dad and he was driving chevys for a while which was a ok truck but now he has about the same truck i do. i have never bought a car cause they are useless to me so i dont know how good cars are...im glad i stayed out of this thread for a while.

[Escanabajosh]

my girlfriend bought her rav4 2001 a little over a year ago. right after she bought it (about 3 months) the tranny started to slip, drained tranny and put in fresh filter/fluid. still slipping! i did a little research on the computer and turns out it's somthing that happens to EVERY 2001-2003 automatic rav4's. the ECM needs to be reflashed or reprogramed and then it should fix it! most the time though the trannys junk so its about $3,000 for the tranny and a little over $1,000 for a new ECM! i just sent it into a guy off Ebay who fixs them, should be back monday. i hope it works and the tranny ain't junk!

a bunch of rav4 owners are trying to have it fixed or recalled but they ignore them.

i'm a ford guy but them old toyotas wont do ya wrong, i'd stay away from the new crap they got. were fixing it and selling it to buy a older 4runner.

heres a few links on the 2001-2003 RAV4

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/RAV4/2001/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/RAV4/2001/transmission/problem_with_the_ecm.shtml
http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15515

[Thorpe]

I like Dirtcrashers point of, I drive my (in my case) Jeep, because its paid off, always starts and relatively easy to work on. Favorite feature it has, PAID OFF

[ditchmud]

I really hate threads like this. People are always bashing the american auto workers. Calling their work inferior and that they are over paid blah, blah, blah. Then in the next sentence say I love my Toyota and it's made here in America. Guess what folks We Are Americans here (for the most part) and the American work force is the most productive work force in the world. We work more hours than any other workforce and produce more in that time than anybody else anywhere. I make parts for chrysler just as good as the guy in Texas makes his for Toyota. I take pride in my work just as much as anybody else. The parts that are failing on most of these cars are not American made. They may have come from some company based in America but I bet money that the parts were shipped in from some factory in some 3rd world country. When our vehicles have problems it usually isn't the stuff that is made here that breaks it's the cheap little switches, sensors etc. that are made by the cheapest source that they can find. Vehicle manufacturers seek out the cheapest suppliers for the cheapest parts and when they fail as they often do it all comes back on the workers that build the cars.

[Nick_R_23]

TOYOTA is not junk.....

IDNK the exact issue but apparently one of these is just a simple shim fix.

Toyota is like Honda, tight tolerances. Sometimes a thousandth here or there is all it takes to bind up. I bet this shim just gives the pedal pivot a bit more play.

As far as any issues with software, well, thats the problem. Old school is gonezo, computers run everything and they aren't perfect either.

Your entitled to your opinion but I wouldn't trade my 94 Toy 4x4 for much, unless I had to tow!! 33" tires not geared don't tow well!!

Its true that the fix is only a shim. The shim is basically a plastic washer that they slip in behind the spring for the gas pedal, to give it slightly more tension. Toyota's studys have shown there is no inherent flaw in the pedal design itself. Also, the floor mats were never the original problem, just something they could blame the problem on until they could look into it more.

-Nick

[yammer hammer]

I am just going to let everyone know that american cars are about a million times better than imported ones.

[Escanabajosh]

how about that new american made 2010 camaro, or i mean canadian made!

they all suck with there computers and electronic this and that. what ever happen to making a car outta metal? nothing like a late 70's ford pickup!

[fabiodriven]

nothing like a late 70's ford pickup!

:w00t: Now we're talkin! But I wouldn't limit it to the late 70's. I'd say from the early sixties until 88 or so.