Toyota really needs to take a good look at their processes and quality control. I'm sure they are, but this, on top of the acceleration issue has got to hurt their reputation.


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-t ... ?track=rss

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I drive a 2008 Rav4 and it is quite simply the best vehicle I have ever owned in my life. (so far, knock on wood) As far as the Lexus engines are concerned I predict we are going to start seeing this kind of thing on a broader scale in the near future if auto makers don't change something soon. Engines from all makers simply have too many micro-chip processors these days. While they provide levels of engine management previously unkown they are also the reason for a great majority of warranty and repair work. The rest of the engine and in fact the entire car is of first rate quality. Machining processes have improved to a point where what we once called a "blueprinted engine" is now a production line standard of quality. Paint, fabrics, drivelines, fit & finish, insulation, tires, everything on the new cars is better than it ever has been except for the electronics. Start paying attention to the news stories about auto issues. 90% of them are related to electronics ... some small chip or sensor that malfunctions If the auto makers would step up the QA/QC standards for these small electronics devices instead of trying to save a buck on cheap parts from Malaysia we'd likely see these kinds of issues become a thing of the past.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

It seems that in Japanese companies, there is a real "follow the herd" mentality with no executive willing to buck the corporate culture or make a decision.

It's an achilles heel that could in the end be fatal to Toyota.

Goodwill is an asset hard won -- but easily squandered and hard to regain. Just ask G.M. or Ford.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Miami Mike wrote

IMO and thats all it is thats unlikely, as far as we know this is a valve issue unless others know different, it may cause an engine stall if it fails, dont think electronics are an issue though i do agree electrical systems/components are by far the most troublesome parts of vehicals.

Toyota sales in the uk are 26% up on the same time a year ago.

my wife's tundra is solid as a rock. she loves it and has not had one problem with it.

Engines need three things in order to run; compression, fuel, and spark.

A running engine will not instantly fail, then restart, due to catastrophic mechanical failure. The stalling of a running engine will be due to loss of fuel or spark.

These are externally controlled by the onboard electronics and are not part of the engine itself.

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Years ago I bought a used Toyota Forerunner that had been used strictly as a winter vehicle by a doctor and although 5 years old only had 30,000 miles on it.I had never heard bad reports about any Toyota and previously had a 72 Corolla that was bullet proof but the Forerunner cost me more in monthly repairs than it did in payments.This vehicle had been treated with kid gloves while the doctor owned it and I certainly didn't abuse it but I ended up selling it for 1/4 of it's book value.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

on the daily i have opportunity to drive
anything toyota makes thats for sale in the US.
pound for pound toyota is the best car/truck on the road.
they have been since the big 3 dropped the ball and relied
on a name rather than a product.
chevy just plain got lost in the mix.
chrystler thought it was a grand idea to put
the hemi in everything when the price of gas
and fuel economy was on the rise. (idiots)
and ford dropped back and punted on the 3rd down, by thinking the F150 and the rustang would pull them through like it did before.
the $@! automove market started to offer us a quality product at a fair price, something the big 3 couldnt/wouldnt do.
slowly the $@!'s moved their product and plants onto
our soil and took over. (welcome aboard fellas)

Toyota.......

Moving you forward.

Even when you don't want too.....

We've got a couple of Nissan's in the family. Could never get a decent deal with the Toyota dealer around here. They always treated us like their cars were better than all others, and while they may be good, they aren't the only game in town. The Nissan's my children drive (a Sentra and an Altima) have been bullet-proof.

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You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

Toyota are today's whipping boy. People are currently pouncing on any issues they have, partly because they handled the previous couple quite badly.

But soon someone else will have a recall fault and we'll all move on.

GM and Ford are not in their current terrible state because of some design or build glitches. With them the problems are far, far more fundamental...

Cheers - C