You just cannot trust these consumer review orgs

TGregg

TGregg

You just can't trust these consumer review groups. For more years than I can recall, Toyota was tops in quality - even as recently as just a couple months ago. Now all of a sudden they stink? What, did they sneak out last night and mess up everybody's car? Nope, what happened was the review groups (car & driver, motortrend, consumer reports, etc.) all were busy doing things other than checking out products. Busy selling advertising, busy doing marketing, busy increasing circulation, busy telling everybody how awesome they were, busy with this, busy with that but no time left to check out these cars, barely enough time to put the big rubber stamp of QUALITY on Toyota.

Take anything these places report with a large dose of skepticism. They don't have the honesty, integrity and deep down thorough knowledge as much as (say) Moody's.

:D :D :D
 
Quote from TGregg:

You just can't trust these consumer review groups. For more years than I can recall, Toyota was tops in quality - even as recently as just a couple months ago. Now all of a sudden they stink? What, did they sneak out last night and mess up everybody's car? Nope, what happened was the review groups (car & driver, motortrend, consumer reports, etc.) all were busy doing things other than checking out products. Busy selling advertising, busy doing marketing, busy increasing circulation, busy telling everybody how awesome they were, busy with this, busy with that but no time left to check out these cars, barely enough time to put the big rubber stamp of QUALITY on Toyota.

Take anything these places report with a large dose of skepticism. They don't have the honesty, integrity and deep down thorough knowledge as much as (say) Moody's.

:D :D :D
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Toyota and Honda's specialty, is making cars that last 200-300,000 miles. Something GM, Ford, Chrysler never got, in spite of my mistake to buy 6-7 of them before switching permanently (last 2 cars were Hondas). Never got to 130,000 on any US car without the engine, tranny or both needing complete replacements.

I was in Southeast Asia a few years ago. Most of the cars used by taxi drivers were very old Toyotas with huge miles on their odometers.

I liked a Consumer Reports review comparing car manufacturers a couple of years ago. Basically, Hondas/Toyotas after 7 years had about the same # of problems as 3 year old GM/Ford/Chryslers.

And seems like the American cars have had many many recalls themselves. Not to mention that they needed a little bit of help and tens of billions of borrowed funds the last few years.

And, don't the Oldsmobile, Saab, Saturn, and Pontiac owners feel good about their cars now?
 
BWAHAHAHAHA! JD Power's rep just went down the toilet:

"Reliability
The 2010 Toyota Camry reliability score of 10.0 out of 10 is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS)."

Here's the article in it's entirety:

Reliability
The 2010 Toyota Camry reliability score of 10.0 out of 10 is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS).

UPDATE: Toyota has halted sales and production of non-hybrid versions of the Camry, and seven other models nationwide while the company investigates reports of a problem that could cause the car’s accelerator pedal to stick, making the car accelerate without any input from the driver. We will update this review as soon as the company has resolved the matter, and resumed selling, and building, the Camry. The Camry Hybrid is not affected by the sales halt.

If you own a 2007-2010 Camry, and you experience this problem, Toyota recommends that you apply steady pressure to the brakes and put the car into neutral. Don't drive your car again until a fix is available; as soon as one is, we'll update this page. See Toyota's FAQ about the problem.


The 2010 Toyota Camry is covered by a three-year or 36,000-mile basic warranty, and a five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

In years past, Toyota has had a strong reputation for nearly all its models, but some recent reviews report that the gold standard is becoming tarnished. Toyota fell from first place to fifth in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey last year, and the V6 Camry specifically received a "Below Average" rating -- a first for the popular car. Consumer Guide lists the Camry as one of its Recommended Picks, but also reports a few mechanical issues with previous Camry models that include improperly inflating or deploying air bags. Reviews are split between those who still uphold the Camry as a dependable model and those who express disappointment with inconsistent build quality in more recent models.


So it does appear that Camry at least was falling in the Consumer Reports rankings. But still being ranked fifth is pretty damb high. Not good for a watchdog like CR to be rating a death trap that high.
 
Quote from hughb:

October 2007 - Consumer Reports no longer reccomends Camry:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/16/autos/cr_reliability/index.htm

Found this just now, I am still looking for subsequent information.
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It said "some versions". And as they also said:

Toyota Motor Co., which makes Toyota, Lexus and Scion cars, makes 44 percent of the cars rated as "Most Reliable" by Consumer Reports

Of the top 5 overall makers, 2 were Honda (+ their Acura), and three were Toyota (Scion + Toyota + their Lexus)). So basically, Honda and Toyota are all 5 of the top 5 car manufacturers.
 
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