2007 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - Off Topic Comments

11:34.

That is a valuable piece of information you have added, demonstrating how woefully flimsy Toyota makes their vehicles, particularly those they try to pass of as a truck. In addition to making the Tundra an inadequate vehicle to do any type of serious work a truck was meant to, it is also a serious safety concern that people need to be aware of.

Yet I do not like to hear incidents of people being injured, even if such an incident helps advance my position, which is that Tundra's (and Toyota) are an absolute abomination that people need to stop venerating like brainwashed sheep. I wish the incident you described never happened and hope both drivers are OK.

Can we please folks just learn a lesson from this incident so maybe some good might come from it... like maybe Tundra's are not fit to be on the road, much less passing themselves off as trucks? If the Tundra were made by an American manufacturer, built as flimsily and experiencing the same litany of problems that Tundra's are, you very same people praising them would be vehemently decimating them. You know you would.

Hmmmm... interesting. GM now build 2 "Cars of the year" (the Malibu and Cadillac CTS), fully 40% of Car and Driver's "Ten Best" are GM, and they are "scrap"?? Interesting indeed, since one Toyota " (Yaris) is on the "10 WORST" list and Camry, Tundra, Sequoia and Highlander are all on the brink of being put on lists of "cars to avoid" due to horrible quality control and too many problems to list.

To my knowledge there is not currently ONE SINGLE TOYOTA on ANY survey's list of "Best Cars". The Pontiac Grand Prix (2007) beat out the over-hyped Avalon in J.D. Powers as best large sedan, Mustang beat out the puny Solara as best sport/personal car, and EVERYTHING has beat out Camry going and coming.

So where are all these Toyotas that are supposed to be so good. Apparently no authority on cars has noticed them.

18:58 In the last 20 years, give or take a few, Japanese auto manufacturers have been at the top of every major publication that reviews automobiles, and Toyota specifically has had more and higher rated cars than anyone else. Period. They still do. Japanese manufacturers are still always at the top overall.

I wish the Big 3 built cars that were actually close to as good as a Toyota, but the shame of it is that they don't and never did. Yeah, you can cite a few exceptions. So what. Toyota still has WAY more vehicles historically rated much higher in quality and reliability.

21st Mar 2008, 11:34

"I was reading a report of an accident in our area and felt that readers might enjoy it. I'm quoting word for word from the accident report:"

I was trying to locate this story and have not be able to find it. I was wondering if you could be so kind as to post the name of the paper or where it can be found.

And since this review is about full size trucks, not cars anyway, please focus on how they compare.

The GM I have has twice the factory warranty, far superior handling and ride, better load bed capacity, better towing, more people carrying capacity.

I drove a new Tundra and then bought a new GM Silverado.

Also the newest imports I had have significantly dropped in quality and mechanical reliability. Nowhere near the level 20 years ago, and in all fairness 10 years ago. Quite frankly I think the latest ones are abysmal... it's not just a couple lemons we can attribute our misfortune.

Again on the larger full size trucks not cars (who cares?), if you focus on the topic at hand and even test drive new 2008's, you certainly can see first hand.

I will test drive again in a couple years as I drive a lot and try them both again. At least I do so.

Many become an authority on what happened 10 plus years ago and do not buy frequently as I and certainly many others do as well.

I want the newest technology, safety features and certainly the best capability meaning ride, handling.load and towing characteristics. And at this point and time, no full size import truck I have seen and driven lately remotely stacks up as well as my current domestic model. Capability and function is why I do not drive just a small economy car or a tiny truck instead.

I haven't seen any Toyota at, or anywhere near the top of ANY reputable automobile authority's list of good cars in a very long time, with the exception of Motor Trend's hastily chosen 2007 Car of the Year, which was basically in recognition of the fact that Toyota had, for the first time since its beginnings, put an engine in a Camry that could actually beat a 9-second 0-60 time. After recognizing Toyota's drastic drop in quality, it chose the Cadillac CTS for its 2008 award.

In the current issue of Motor Trend, mention is made of the fact that Japanese car makers are catering to an aging population and are exporting their most boring and uninspired products to the U.S., "especially Toyota" they made a point to note, and compared the new Accord to a front drive Crown Victoria (though I wouldn't give it that high a compliment). I suppose Toyota might actually top one list: That of the world's most boring automobiles.

I am in the market for a new truck. Yet unlike many of the posts I have seen here, test driving or even looking at Toyota or anything foreign is not even a consideration.

Never mind all of the reviews on this site that clearly expose the Tundra for the flimsy piece of garbage that it is, or that all of my domestic vehicles have been flawless, I simply would not drive an imported vehicle under any circumstances. I would be completely ashamed.

Nothing against the Japanese or any other country that imports vehicles to America. I simply support my country, know it makes great vehicles that have never let me down and do not want to drive anything else.

I cannot wait to see the names I am called, or accusations that I am simple minded for having that opinion, as if it is such a bad thing. Oh wait a minute, I don't care.

At least I can hold my head up as I drive down the road.

23:06, Well, your opinions about whether or not Toyota are boring means nothing when it comes to their actual reliability and quality ratings, where Japanese cars still hold the top spots. Boring is an opinion, and the FACT that they are the best-made automobiles in the world is just that; fact. Not opinion.

"30th Mar 2008, 00:37.

23:06, Well, your opinions about whether or not Toyota's are boring means nothing when it comes to their actual reliability and quality ratings, where Japanese cars still hold the top spots. Boring is an opinion, the FACT that they are the best made automobiles in the world is just that; fact. Not opinion."

You mean top spots in quality like the Toyota Yaris ending up in Consumer Reports list of 10 Worst Cars? Or the absence of a Toyota or Honda in J.D. Powers Top Five list of initial or 3-year reliability? Or that Consumer Reports and CNN Money don't recommend used Toyotas because of engine sludging? It sounds like the experts don't agree with your opinion of Japanese quality.

Again the last commenter is commenting yet again about cars. This is about full size trucks remember???... I would advise everyone as a constructive suggestion to just get out of their chairs and test drive a few import full size trucks, and then a few full size domestics. I did. My criteria yet again is function. I am paying more to own a full size truck than a car; that means function, features and benefits with no compromises...loads, towing, people carrying, ride comfort and great handling... if we are going to keep digressing to the car kick, then let's focus on why cars are purchased instead of full size trucks. I cannot imagine buying any full size truck without considering all aspects of vehicle ownership, otherwise I could cruise around in a high mpg econobox. I also own a car, but never compare it in the same sentence as my full size domestic. I see the truck as utility, the car for distance commuting, going out to dinner and perhaps getting a few groceries... they are entirely different.

00:37 that is an opinion... there's a lot of posts otherwise on both here and on consumeraffairs.com with major mechanical issues on various late model Toyotas. Topics such as sludging, engine failures, air bags, braking does not seem indicative of a best made automobile in the world. It would seem that if the manufacturer could have a unconditional 100,000 mile warranty that would set the precedent for some domestics models to increase their existing 100,000 mile warranty even further as well.

It will be a while before I buy another new Honda/Toyota again. My new domestics are superior to the last new imports we owned as far as quality and less premature mechanical concerns. I buy new every 2-3 years... 2 vehicles at a time. I expect them to hold up at least that long.

To commenter 10:02: I have a few choice names to call you, such as patriotic, loyal, sensible and honest. I deeply appreciate those who support American industry.

I'm am now getting on in years and have owned a lot of cars (well over 30). For a long time my family was not wealthy enough to trade vehicles every three years, so we had to drive our cars for hundreds of thousands of miles. Our domestics have been flawless since we bought our first new one in 1970. We've never, not once, had to replace an engine or transmission. We have driven one of our Fords 300,000+ miles and one of our Dodges nearly a quarter of a million miles. My family still has a 1977 Buick with over 270,000 miles on it.

I can now afford to drive new cars more frequently than in the past, so 200,000 miles is no longer necessary for us, but we will continue to drive cars made by American companies. They are the best in the world, and most automotive authorities are finally beginning to acknowledge that. Fully 40% of Car and Driver's "10 Best" are made by GM, and 2 GM cars are currently Car of the Year and American Car of the Year. J.D. Powers and Associates rates the Ford Mustang tops in its class (which includes the less reliable Toyota Solara) and the Ford Fusion is the highest rated car Consumer Reports has ever reviewed, beating out even the Honda Accord. Chrysler is now offering a LIFETIME warranty, while most imports still offer a very limited 36 month warranty (and usually aren't very good about honoring it).

Our Ford and Chevy dealerships used car lots are filling up with 2, 3 and 4 year old Camrys traded in on new Fusions and Malibus. Driving a car built by an American company is a mark of both pride and a superior knowledge of automotive quality. Even import owners are coming to realize this now in the face of the massive decline in import quality and the bullet-proof reliability of all new domestic cars and trucks.

10:02 Which 'domestic' cars make you the proudest? All of the Fords that are assembled in Mexico, such as their best-selling Fusion? The one that has LESS American parts in it than a lot of Toyota's?

Or maybe you like Dodge's, or Daimler's, when they were owned by a German company? Wonder which country will own them next? What a joke.

Instead of giving a heartfelt, patriotic speech, next time look up some facts; like the quantity of domestic parts in Fords and Chevy's.

Plenty of Toyota's actually contain more domestic content than many Fords or GM's, and the Toyota is certainly the better car or truck every time.

How sad that you buy into Big 3 propaganda at this point in history. It isn't 1955 anymore. American automotive quality got left behind by foreign companies a long time ago.

Oh, and since you're so patriotic, look and see where the computer you typed that message on was made. Then look at your appliances, your TV, your radio, heck, take a look at anything electronic in your house. Most if not all of it was made overseas somewhere. Spare us the flag-waving.

My Tacoma is a far better vehicle than any domestic ever was, and put more Americans to work than a lot of Ford or GM vehicles do now a days.

22:25 'Driving an American car is a sign of pride and superior automotive knowledge'???

Tell that to the people that make them. They don't know it apparently.

My Toyota is so much better than any domestic I ever owned that it's funny to think about.

To 02:19 The story about the demolished Tundra was published in the Memphis, Tennessee Commercial Appeal. The article also contained a very graphic picture showing how the rear axle assembly had broken loose and shifted forward nearly 2 feet.