Posted on 10/16/2007 10:27:25 AM PDT by eraser2005
NEW YORK, CNNMoney.com -- The Toyota brand has lost its top position for iron-clad reliability, according to an influential Consumer Reports survey released Tuesday.
The survey dropped Toyota from first to fifth place - behind Honda, Acura, Scion and Subaru - in average vehicle reliability. The rankings are based on average predicted reliability for all models sold under a given brand.
Brands made by Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. still dominate the rankings: Scion is Toyota's low-priced car brand and Acura is Honda's luxury car brand.
Consumer Reports said it no longer recommends V6 versions of Toyota's Camry or V8 versions of its Tundra pick-up because of poor reliability.
In the past, because Toyota (Charts) products have so consistently proved reliable, the magazine would assume at least average reliability for Toyota's brand new cars, without waiting for survey data from owners.
But from now on, the magazine will wait for a full year of reliability survey data to come in before it recommends a Toyota product - as it does with most other manufacturers.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
But you understand that just because you didn't have any problems with your car doesn't mean that the line as a whole isn't reliable, right?
Buying ANY vehicle is a crapshoot, but with some companies it’s less of one. Sure, there are good Hummers out there but there are a bunch of lemons. The only person I know who owned a Hummer 2 ended up hating it because it was in the garage so often. There are a large number of good Camrys, but there are lemons as well.
So far, our two most reliable vehicles have been Camrys, with a Honda CRV coming in close behind. Our worst was by far was a Dodge Caravan (with a Renault and a Rabbit close behind). Nonetheless, I’m sure there are people who consider their Caravan one of their best vehicles and I know people who love their VWs.
Wait until your transaxle ejects on that 500....
Could you give me a little more info on that one?
Part of the problem is that they really were V8’s with two cylinders lopped off. Without the additional engineering needed to make a 90 degree V6 work properly, they didn’t do well.
Sure: The first 500 I test drove when they first came out literally scattered its transaxle all over the pavement with less than 50 miles on the car. The second one also was pretty pathetic.
I’ve been forced to rent 500s off and on since then, and they have about a 30% chance of having something wrong with the transaxle.
Great gas millage bad looking coffin.
I just turned 30,000 miles since my previous post. Not one problem with my H2.
And thats the bottom line. I think you are correct in your assessment.
Yep, going against the religion again!”
Blaspheme! The toileta worshipers will not be pleased with your sacrilegious comment.
OK, then how about the rollerskate known as the Chevy Aveo? Or the Ford Aspire? Or, for that matter, a Ford Focus?
‘But you understand that just because you didn’t have any problems with your car doesn’t mean that the line as a whole isn’t reliable, right?’
Hummer runs ‘gatherings’ of Hummer customers. Usually outtings to sporting events, field meets and the like. I’ve attended two of them in the past three years or so.
If you had ‘significant reliability problems’ it would have been voiced in those gatherings...if they were held in the first place, which is unlikely if all of us Hummer drivers were ‘unhappy’ with the product.
I’ve never met a H1, H2, or H3 owner that was less than completely satisfied, in short.
If not for this, then I’d acknowledge your point as well founded. But thats not been my experience to date. Right now I’m deciding if I want to upgrade to the latest version of the H2, or drop down to the H2 with the new V8 power plant.
‘The only person I know who owned a Hummer 2 ended up hating it because it was in the garage so often.’
What kind of driving was this person doing with his/her H2 if you don’t mind my asking?
Mine has been almost exclusively ‘highway’. Consumer Reports did note the H2 was ‘excellent’ in its off road capability, but I’ve never seriously considered testing it in that manner (thats what I have ATV’s for).
You’re right - the early Ford and GM V-6 engines were not the smoothest. As Audi has demonstrated, a 90 degree V-6 can be made to be acceptable but it still requires tweaking the spacing of the crank throws, balance weights, counterbalance shafts, etc.. which all add extra complexity. The Germans naturally take this as a challenge and are never afraid of building something complicated and/or expensive. LOL!
Trucks like the Tundra are bought to be worked hard and Ford, GM and Dodge know what their customers demand. Most Toyota owners, as well as Honda and Nissan owners follow rigid maintenance routines on their 4 or six cylyner cars and thats why they last. Thats is not going to be the case with truck owners who expect their trucks to go 5,000 to 7,000 miles on one oil change while hauling loaded trailers down dirt roads.
‘The H2 is GM though. ‘
Yes....and?
Anything pretty much will last forever with fresh clean oil, cheap & easy, but most people buy into the false economy of long intervals.
Um... no, the H2 SUCKS offroad, mostly because of its fragile suspension and steering.
There’s a lot of videos out there of H2s snapping tie rod ends or balljoints on things that other trucks have no problems with. It’s the same reason that almost nobody runs a GM 2500 truck offroad without tons and tons of modifications.
No, sorry. People with Nissan and Toyota trucks routinely ignore them, abuse them, and beat them. I’ve seen some that had 30,000 mile oil change intervals that were still going strong at 250K. That’s why they got the reputation they did.
The only “gotcha” on the Nissan trucks is that on the older ones you MUST change the timing belt at the specified interval or you will be replacing the engine shortly thereafter.
Oh yes, the same companies that decided 1) to build trucks that set themselves on fire in your garage, 2) to build trucks and SUVs with the steering wheel offset so you damage your spine in a crash when the airbag goes off and you torque around it, and 3) built the new 2500/3500 class trucks they make with controls that CANNOT be operated in work gloves. You know, those companies?
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