Toyota to recall 533,000 SUVs, trucks

CNNMoney.com ^ | 1/19/2007 | Reuters

[eraser2005]

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall about 533,000 Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pickup trucks in the United States to repair faulty components that could make the vehicles difficult to steer.

Six injuries and 11 accidents were reported as a result of the defect, Japan's top automaker said Friday.

[Spktyr]

The CVTs weren't a mistake, they were just a horribly bad execution of a good idea.

Nissan's proved that a CVT will work in a big mainstream sedan (Maxima). It's just that Ford didn't know how to build one worth a crap.

[Spktyr]

Try the current Nissan Maxima or Murano (crossover SUV). They both have CVTs, and they're excellent. Don't seem to have any more problems than their conventional-transmission-equipped siblings.

[Spktyr]

You drive a Denial? How appropriate....

[-YYZ-]

Well, I spent some time in a (virtually new) Taurus rental this time last year, and I've got a feeling we share the same feelings about them. My friend who rented the car normally drives a Honda CRV and he was throughly unimpressed with it - I didn't drive it but it certainly screamed "Cheap!" to me. Probably be a good buy on the used car market, though, for those who don't really give a crap about road feel or interior materials, assuming they don't still have head gaskets made of cheese.

[eraser2005]

What, no blame on ZF Friedrichshafen AG for their royal screwup? :) They're the ones who designed the thing. ZF Batavia was the JV manufacturing plant that Ford bought ZF out of when they fell three years or so behind schedule...

[eraser2005]

That 3.8L with the head gasket problem you're referring to was last available on the Taurus in 1994 (95 MY). Going on almost 13 years ago now....

[Leo Farnsworth]

You are a bore.

[Spktyr]

It wasn't just the 3.8, though - check out all the stories and websites about transmission and headgasket failure in Windstars and Tauri after 94.

[Spktyr]

ZF designed it, but Ford specced the materials for it. Same sort of thing happened to the PowerStroke 6.0 - the base International engine works just fine elsewhere, it's just that the Ford-designed electronics that go on the engine in the Ford application are really bad and tend to die.

Good designs, let down by idiot beancounters.

[eraser2005]

Sorry the facts don't support your assertions and you're so upset by it.

[Spktyr]

Even if they didn't have any more headgasket problems (which I am by no means convinced of), they still have horrible transaxle problems which means they're so far off my recommended buying list (for those who ask) it's not even funny.

[Made In The USA]

Ha! You're so right about the S-10, especially the older ones. 'Craptastic' would be a complement to those trucks.

Did own a brand new Ranger back in 1987 with a 5 speed and a six cylinder, wasn't going to win anything in Formula 1 but it did serve us well for 8 years until selling off.

[Spktyr]

I don't think he could say the more accurate adjective for the S-trucks in a family forum....

[eraser2005]

Ok, would you care to name ANY other engine on the Taurus that has had headgasket problems? The headgasket problems on the Windstar were on the 3.8L. The Windstar continued to use that engine through its production run. The Taurus stopped in 1994, and (surprise!) the rate of headgasket failure on that vehicle absolutely plummeted. I challenge you to find any data proving any significant rate of failure on any Taurus after the 95 model year

Take the following data for example:
1992-1995 Taurus reliability data
1996-2004 Taurus reliability data

Note that they have the headgasket failure limited to the 3.8L. And that by the 96 MY, failures disappeared.

Also note that by the 96 MY, transmission failure had disappeared as a significant problem. Why? There were two design faults - an oil passage and a clutch piston. By the middle of the 95 MY, those problems were fixed. Also note that shortly afterwards was when Honda started having transmission meltdowns. But we don't dare criticize them for that, do we?

The facts are that you are using reliability data that is seriously outdated.

[Spktyr]

I'm using the two post-2000 Tauri that my then-roommates had as examples. Both had headgasket and transaxle problems.

[eraser2005]

"they still have horrible transaxle problems"

See #154. This is absolutely not true.

[eraser2005]

Can I use the anecdotal data that I have of a neighbor's Camry throwing a rod at 8 years old as proof positive that they're lousy vehicles, then?

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

OUCH!

[Proud2BeRight]

"What Pontiac did you buy, and what is the LS4 engine, in non-GM people's terms? V8? V6? OHV/OHC/DOHC?"
A Grand Prix. The LS4 is a 303HP 325 cid V8. It has displacement on demand so that at highway speeds it operates as a V4 for some, but not significant, fuel savings.

[Leo Farnsworth]

Oh please. Stop it and grow up.

This is my last post to you.

Toyota IS more proactive then other manufacturers on recalls.

They want their customers to be happy.
Their market share has grown. It's a great company. As I wrote previously I do not have a Toyota (I do have a 1/2 ton Dodge pickup).
OK - so the NTSC has more investigation into Toyota then Ford. Super. Toyota also sells more cars.

The world is a big place. I hope you can find some peace in it.

God Bless.