2006 Toyota Tacoma SR5 from North America - Comments

Have you been actually been a quality control manager at GM/Chrysler/Ford as well as Toyota? Maybe you have been the CEO? Pertaining to your broad sweeping generalization on not one, but 4 manufacturers you seem to be a spokesperson for all of these corporations. So heres a question. Please indicate how you would immediately address the current defects on Toyotas safety recalls to date with zero tolerance. Start with air bag and braking safety and how you will protect my family. When you have convinced everyone please proceed to the domestics. You want quality vs. comfort and performance now is your opp'y to explain to us all. Please indicate specifically on Toyota only your position on your own vehicles safety recalls. Not Toyota is the best, Not that the big 3 has recalls... specifically to your brand. How will you address air bag safety and stick totally to the topic. I would like to have this question explained with facts not emotion. Can you do this? I will weigh specific credible comments and therefore may convince me otherwise to overlook all the other comments and shop only for a Toyota.

I'd say since 1990, cars have been going down in quolity from american companies like gm and ford. Toyota has been going up, meanwhile. Just look at the Silverado compared with Tacoma. Silverado: its like a dump truck. I don't need a huge 8 cyl truk when I can have four and I don't toe anything. I need a dependable truk with 4wd with good fuel econimy. This truck has it, the silverado doesn't. Get it? Silverados are like a buick in a truck, the tacoma is what a truk is suposed to be, rugged, and dependable. Stiff suspension, well, that's what a truk is. Get used to it. Its not a luxury car.

If you want a nice ride, get the silverado, but pay more at the auto parts store. Get a toyota, and pay for value--the fact is, Toyota has far less problems then chevy or Ford. You may be buying cheap, but your spending more at the ar dealer.

Toyota you get what you pay for- a truck with no problems.

My truck has about 250 k miles on it. It stil runs so don't tell me you ant have 8 years on a truck and especially a toyota and it won't run. Fact is, my truck won't beat your chevy to the junkyard unless everything, but the engine rusts out.

Your truck, by 300 k will need a hole list of things, just ask me. I owned a Pontiac sunbird as my first car-- a nice car, but too many problems. Oh and I'm sorry, I'm a teenager. But I know my facts, unlike some adults who think they do.

Fact is, Toyota has had less recalls then Ford, chevy, and dodge combined.

Just search on Google.

Or, are you too scared to see how many safety recalls your ford will have on it that you didn't know about? lol.

I thought this vehicle was also assembled in the USA by American workers. I wonder why Japan/Europe also builds Toyota, BMW's, Hondas etc. in the USA by American workers if they were not capable of doing an outstanding job? Can't be the cost... people buy quality so why not build them only in Japan? Maybe your vehicle was assembled by Americans perish the thought!

This is in response to the guy who posted the 61st comment.

Quote-- "There are rumors that GM plans to take over Toyota. Maybe then we'll look at them."--unquote.

HEEE heeee!! yock yock!!! Man thanks for that hearty laugh. wow I've got tears rolling down my cheeks!!

Suggestion: Invest in Toyota Motors (Tm) and make some money instead of making those unresearched comments!

I am still waiting to hear an answer on 15:35 please be very specific. As said before the Toyota owner can only state in generalizations. What are your thoughts on Toyotas safety recalls?... oh Ford has more.

The guys driving 8-10 year old trucks you appear to be on the wrong forum. Please go to the 1990 Toyota,1990 Ford,1990 GM,1990 Dodge Forum. This is a 2006 review anything that old is useless to discuss. I have had 3 sets of vehicles since then and each is different and quite frankly more impressive. My last truck only 2 years old had 40,000 miles on it I only traded to move up to an extended cab. I have no desire to be at Auto Zone it might be a good place for the 1990 owners, but again this is a 2006. I do the 3 oil changes a year buy accessories, rims, Onstar, Satellite radio etc with my repair savings on my new GM. I would like to see a 2006 review with a 2005 Nissan,2006 Ford,2006 GM only. Its the same year comparison on specs, features, pricing. Again if you want to help move over to the 1990 owners we are about new. I buy the latest auto review guides go to kbb etc. and throw out old consumer guides. That went with the old body styles, cassette decks, metal bumpers etc already too dated...

To 04:48, as I have said before, I do not and have never worked for Toyota in any way. You asked me to be specific, and I'll be glad to. OF COURSE Toyota has some problems, no machine is perfect, nor are the people and other machines that assemble them, that's common sense. I never said Toyota doesn't have ANY problems, the fact is that they just have many less than any other make. You can't buy a perfect vehicle, but Toyota's are as close as anyone can get. I am so tired of hearing somebody write in about how bad their Toyota is, when the fact is, it's mostly just people who can't stand that Toyota builds better vehicles than Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Nissan, Hyundai, whatever. I'm sure somewhere out there are a few models with some issues. They are still better than anything else. I'm sorry if I can't speak more specifically about their so-called problems, because every one I've ever owned has been perfect. No repairs at all, and sometimes, when I was a little younger, not even routine maintenance. Almost anything will run for a while if you baby it, but what makes Toyota's stand out is that they are built well enough that you can beat the hell out of them, and they still almost never break down. People can write in whatever b.s. stories they like, but in the real world experiences that I have had, and every other person that I have ever knew that owned one, the are much closer to flawless than anything else. My airbag, brakes are fine, as is every inch of the rest of the truck. Almost nine years in Pennsylvania winters, which means salt on the roads, and not a speck of rust anywhere. It couldn't run any smoother, and I have put ZERO dollars in repairs into it in that time. The motor finally feels like it's just starting to break in properly, 8 years later! I've owned a vehicle from each of the big 3. Not even in the same ballpark.

What are your thoughts on why Ford has many more recalls, and such poor resale value?

A vehicle has to be fun. I don't care if it lasts a million years. I could own a Mercedes Diesel, a VW bug, a Volvo. I do not like them. I love technology. I own 2 new GM's. If my airbag deploys and I am unconscious it immediately sends a rescue service, I receive monthly diagnostics on my vehicle as a record. Vehicle are getting better and better. My car does not even have a jack or a spare. It has run flats. Every year new features are available. I can afford to have them. Why not? The key is buy what you like and buy what is fun. I could drive an old beater, but I make a very good living anyway. I have not had problems either. I have a new truck and a convertible and am happy.

Wow, This is quite a 'smackdown' of comments. Allow an old timer to toss in his two cents. I agree with comment 07:23 as far as the assessment of Toyota's redesign in 05. I own a v-6 2006 and it is a different animal than the 04 Taco. More ponies for sure. A decent mid-size truck, with a fair amount of respect from 4wheel drive magazines. I don't see much commentary about 4WD capability on this ongoing diatribe. Tacos have been excelling at that for years.

Don't Get me wrong. I cut my teeth on American trucks and cars. I come from the muscle car era and love old Chevy V-8's. Driving sideways, choking on the rubber you were $moking off your hides was the name of the game. A buddy of mine has an old Stingray Vette with a 427 V-8 in it that is sideways in every gear. Cars from that era are hard to explain unless you lived it.

Toyota is close to being the number one car dealer in the world right now, while American car makers are whining to the President of the U.S. The reasons for this are very complex, and no it's NOT the unions. When our industry was all union and all parts were U.S. we made the best cars and trucks on the planet. All I know is, I have had much fewer problems with Toyota products than their American competition for the last several years. The last three American rigs I owned, my second home was under the hood. Today's Toyota's equal the reliability of the older Americans. I'd like to see that equaled out.

I just got the latest copy of Consumer Reports auto issue. It rates the Tacoma "average" in reliability. It also rates the Ford Ranger "average" in reliability. I suppose the Toyota fanatic will argue that "AVERAGE" has a different meaning for Toyota?

I am still extremely impressed by the new domestics. I agree on the Onstar by GM its pretty amazing. I have it in my truck and SUV. All your systems are continually monitored whenever you are driving including electronics, mechanicals, oil life, air bag etc as well as a GPS system to track if your are in an accident, car stolen even an electronic satellite key unlock. If my wife and kids were driving my new GM SUV and were in trouble this could save their life in an accident. The airbag has an immediate automatic emergency alert that tracks you via the onboard GPS. If you have a printout and need services you have documentation and after the 100,000 mile warranty is up you can certainly locate an issue. They email it to you each month. Beats walking in with an intermittent problem that no one can find until its too late. If I was young and single I could drive anything, but with a family you consider room, comfort and especially safety. Also since you mentioned an old Vette look at the value in the new Corvette performance, styling compared to any of the foreign counterparts. And the Viper as well. I look at every manufacturer and Toyota if they offer the most features/benefits for the dollar I will buy again. I have before.

Exactly right. The "American mades" wear out much quicker and break MUCH more often because they are built cheaply and not with the attention to detail that Toyota and Honda for example are built with. They are not put together as carefully, so they fall apart quicker. That's all there is to it; they are not nearly as good as a Toyota. If you're buying from the Big 3, then you have blinders on, or are too stubborn to acknowledge that they are lacking in quality.

You are probably right I will park my Silverado and drive my new Vette convertible this weekend. It might be a real hardship at least its supposed to be a sunny warm weekend where I live.

Well here we go again, with Mr. 23:04 spouting more unproven, blanket statements without a SHRED of evidence to back up any of his claims. I suppose you have proof that "American mades" fall apart "MUCH" more often and are cheaply put together. Have you spent time in either of the factories watching how they put together vehicles and observed differences? No, I didn't think so. The fact that you keep missing is that now even the Consumer Reports, who notoriously support Toyota and Honda over domestic makes, are now reporting the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan EXCEED the reliability of the new Camry and Accord. But you will continue to overlook facts like this and others that go against your odd unconditional support for Toyota no matter how crappy their vehicles get. You obviously are bitter or have a problem with American's or SOMETHING, but don't let it get to your head!

PS: If your comment was meant to be sarcastic, like I hope it was, then please disregard this comment.