Consumer Reports’ decision not to recommend three Toyota vehicles does not signal an end to the company’s bulletproof quality reputation, Toyota’s U.S. sales chief told Automotive News today.
Lentz said that despite the high-profile rebuff by the respected magazine, the Japanese automaker still placed first in reliability in six of eight categories, and 44 percent of the magazine’s recommended vehicles are Toyotas.
“The bad news from our perspective is we never want to see vehicles on the ‘not recommend’ list,” he said.
Lentz said that because of problems Toyota found with an automatic transmission, he was not surprised the V-6 Camry failed to make the recommended list. He said the problem was with design, not manufacturing, and was quickly corrected.
“We knew in the very beginning we had a transmission issue with that vehicle,” he said.
The problem caused the vehicle to either get stuck in second gear or shift past second gear roughly. The problem can be traced to a snap ring that holds the transmission housing together.
“I don’t think it’s going to have a long-term impact on the overall view of Toyota as a reliable product,” Lentz said.
On a side note, if you haven't reviewed your car yet or seen what others reviewers are saying, you need to see the brand new AutoSpies.com reader reviews!
Now anyone in the world can review a car like the pro's!
And as an added incentive, the best user review posted over the next 30 days will win a brand new Passport 8500 X50 Radar Detector - Blue (Retail value: $339.00)!
Do yours now!
AutoSpies.com User Car Reviews
Don't forget, the SEMA auto show is right around the corner!
2007 SEMA Auto Show, SEMA Girls and Models Photo Gallery
Read Article