2002 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - Off Topic Comments

When I first started reading the comments on this site some years ago, I really wasn't all concerned about imports or domestics. However after reading all the "We hate American industry, let's put people out of work" rants from import owners I can assure you I will never buy another import as long as I live.

17:08-

You think Nissan produces great vehicles? Look up the reliability ratings on the Armada and Titan some time, they are a joke. And then you run down Dodge? Guess who is supposed to produce the next line of Titan's in 2011? Let me spell it for you, DODGE. Go figure - The Titan will then finally be a good truck.

Here's how I see this domestic/foreign argument: let's assume somewhere there exists a mechanic; a very good one who somehow has never seen a Ford or a Toyota. Let's also assume that you've parked any 5 Fords/GM's/Chryslers next to any 5 Toyota's, and removed all markings of any kind that denote the brand of vehicle; and asked this mechanic to choose which one's were better built by crawling all over, under and through them: he or she would undoubtedly choose all 5 Toyota's.

Once you get past all the flag-waving red, white and blue domestic advertising, and look at the vehicles objectively, it is obvious to anyone who has a firm grasp of automotive mechanics that a Toyota is put together better than the rest. Period.

17:04 Just because I'm a Toyota owner doesn't mean I hate American industry.

Camry's are made in the states, and they're great cars; it's just that Toyota actually employs something called 'quality control', where the Big 3 apparently don't.

It just means I hate spending my money on cheaply made vehicles put together sloppily (think Ford, GM). I've owned them so I know. And just the opposite of you, you can rest assured that I will never buy another one. Apparently a lot of people agree with me: GM is in the worst shape they've been in financially in the last 53 years.

If you parked a long row of vehicles and covered the emblems, what would you expect a 2008 consumer to walk directly to in a weak economy and huge leap in oil prices? My speculation would be small cars, crossovers and hybrids, less so import or domestic sport utilities and trucks.

Is quality the specific reason or lack of the determining factor in why they buy these vehicles in 2008 as new vehicles? The economy is very weak and fuel is very high... even mfrs including Toyota were not prepared to have sufficient extreme high mpg vehicles; one dealer is sold out until November.

This is a car survey and here's my choice. If I could walk up to a line of vehicles and not be scared about mpg... the very last vehicle I would choose is a Prius. It gets you to A and B, but it has to be the ugliest vehicle I have seen in years. Sure there was the VW Thing and others and some domestics too. But cover the emblems and not have gas pricing only in mind, I would walk up to a stylish, comfortable, well handling vehicle that is a joy to drive.

I have a lot of pride in what I own and drive, and if not for the current conditions of the economy and high fuel, I suspect others share my viewpoint. It's not quality specifically on why people are buying and not holding off in 2008.

On full size trucks, having a large variety vs such a limited scope of import full size trucks is why domestics sell so much more. But now sales are off because of high gas on all larger trucks, including Toyota. I may even go out and buy yet another new small high mpg car, only because of gas pricing. If I do it will likely be a Solstice Convertible for running around solo, and not a Prius. I have a friend with a black Solstice Convertible; better styling than the Skye, gets high mpg and as most people travel solo as he does on a long commute to our work... it seems like the most enjoyable, high mpg and I love its styling.

I have bought 2 new large vehicles quite recently, and here's yet another. If it's going to be small, it can still have nice elements and not lose the passion of driving.

If a foreign power unleashed an attack on America that destroyed 13,000,000 lives, we'd all be up and arms and calling for revenge. Yet, every day in this country you see people on this site advocating the destruction of 13 million American lives by destroying one of our major industries. Not only are they advocating the destruction of millions of Americans lives, but they are advocating the continuing decline of the dollar, which hurts every American and many of our close allies.

The argument that "Japanese companies hire Americans" is empty. At present Japanese auto companies employ less that ONE THOUSANDTH the number of Americans that domestic makers do. The argument is made that Americans are stupid morons who cannot build anything, so we all must buy foreign, whether it be a car or a kitchen sink. The TRUTH is, current domestic vehicle build quality is HIGHER than all Japanese companies (Ford even outranks Honda now).

My sincere hope is that all those screaming for the destruction of America can afford to move to Japan, where they can enjoy the benefits of all the American dollars we've stupidly donated to their economy, while destroying our own.

I just read that Toyota is falling far short of sales goals too. I guess that means they are also building "crap". Toyota is also cutting way back on production of the gas-hog Tundra and sequoia. GM has switched to 24-hour non-stop production of the Cobalt to meet increased demand, while Ford has upped production of its world-class Focus by 30%.

Car sales are currently driven by fuel costs and a very weak economy. Build quality has NOTHING to do with it. If it did, Toyota wouldn't be selling ANY cars or trucks. As for Nissan, I found it interesting that in this morning's paper they were discounting the unreliable Titan exactly TWICE as much as Ford is discounting the F-150.

21:04... before you have your experienced mechanic actually begin his or her comprehensive comparison with other trucks with Tundras (the actual subject of this review), I am sure this experienced individual (mechanic) will be quite familiar/ busy as have many Tundra owners have experienced please see consumer affairs.com for validation on the following as well...

Warped Rotors from the factory, ball joints, excessive tire wear, slipping trans, oil leaks, sludge gel issues, starting, acceleration issues, erratic temp readings, rear propeller shaft separating at the joints, O2 sensors, paint peeling, tailgates, misc screws falling out hinges, door latches, camshaft issues, knocking, airbag issues.

I would save all receipts and I always do. My warranty went quickly as I drive a lot and now have 100,000 mile warranties only. Was this a quality comparison with the mechanic, or about fuel economy or some small truck analogy thoughts? Simply put there are small trucks and large trucks....this is a large truck review.

As for as fuel economy, the Tundra is by no stretch of the imagination "economical". That is why Toyota has suspended production of the Tundra, Sequoia, and Highlander, and delayed indefinitely the planned opening of the Tupelo, Mississippi plant that was to build them. There is no real fuel mileage advantage of the Tundra over any domestic V-8, and once you factor in the repair cost after the very short warranty expires and the aggravation of spending days or weeks with the Tundra in the shop, you are far better off with the Truck of the Year Silverado, world-class F-150, or workhorse Dodge Ram.

In 16 years of truck ownership I've spent a whopping 2 HOURS waiting on service. That was for an emission canister valve recall on a Dodge. None of my Fords EVER required ANY repairs.

07:34 Toyota HAD a camshaft issue with a relatively small number of Tundra's, long since solved. The rest of that list is just incorrect. I know a few Tundra owners and theirs are perfect.

There is no knocking of the engines unless someone changes the oil and it leaks out. I fail to see how excessive tire wear is Toyota's fault if it were to happen, much like the rest of the that list.

As far as screws falling out and engine trouble, I know dozens of people that have had issues like that with Chevy's or Fords, but never once with Toyota's.

Warped rotors are not the fault of any manufacturer either. It's usually the fault of someone who doesn't know how to drive; i.e., riding the brakes too much, braking hard through puddles, etc. Any of that will warp a rotor. It happens to any vehicle driven that way. I have seen pads/rotors get chewed up on GM vehicles because things were misaligned during the build (a Blazer specifically), but not once on a Toyota.

28th Jun 2008, 11:44,

I think your comment about 13,000,000 "Lives being destroyed" by Japanese car companies places the blame in the wrong place. The outright simple truth is that had Toyota or Honda come to the US and sold poorly made, unreliable cars and trucks, then they would be just like Yugo, Fiat, Peugeot, or any number of other foreign branded vehicles that are no longer sold here. Or at the very least, they would be like VW, Mitsubishi and only have a small niche market.

But the stark reality that none of you guys will admit is that Toyota and Honda did make good products, built a reputation for reliable vehicles, and won over consumers fair and square. That GM or Ford might be having problems isn't anyone's fault but their own.

Additionally, had GM or Ford not been exposed to international competition, they would probably still be making the throwaway cars they produced prior to competition from import brands. A global economy is for the benefit of the consumer meaning they have the choice of the best products at their disposal.

I also have zero allusions as to what the US economy has become and will continue to be, which is an economy less focussed on manufacturing and hard labor and more of one based in technology, research, communications, and service.

Lastly, I am from the South. Tennessee to be exact. We never had much of an industry in the area until more recently. One of the bigger players in the area is Nippondenso USA, Toyota, and Honda. These companies employee thousands of my fellow residents and they get taken care of quite well.

Lastly - let's not fool ourselves. The Ford Fusion isn't what I'd call a "World class car". Seeing as how it is actually a Mazda made in Mexico, I fail to see how it holds up as a shining example in what is obviously a heated patriotic debate, since it is in fact a "foreign" car itself.

Thousands of Toyotas have come from the FACTORY with warped rotors. If this "isn't the manufacturer's fault, whose is it? The rotor fairy??

The excessive tire wear on the Tundras (and most Toyotas) is due to the factory poorly aligning the front ends (and in some cases even the rear alignment is off). This is due to Toyota's hurried and slip-shod manufacturing processes.

Consumers gravitate towards quality products. Take a look at market share of the "big 3", and Toyota and Honda over the last 25 years. GM, Ford, Chrysler have never cared what the consumer wants, and it's paying off.

Wave your flags all you want: in a free market economy, the strong win. The domestics are reaping what they sowed, and what they sowed was pitifully designed, engineered, and manufactured vehicles. They can blame themselves for the rise of the Japanese auto companies in the USA.

20:28... please go to Consumer Affairs.com and review about issues that were prevalent on new full size Toyota trucks. I doubt the new Tundra owner drove their brand new vehicle home at night and then overtorqued their 4 brand new wheels, and then bought new brakes and rotors.

The information is from Toyota owners, not the domestic crowd. For some reason you are afraid to acknowledge issues, and just lightly dismiss major issues.

I guess if it were your blown engine or trans gone at 800 miles, or airbag issue or braking failure, you would say at least I do not own a domestic. Amazing logic...

I find it unacceptable. I will never buy another new import after reading all the issues. I might do like you and keep a 13 year or older import, as they were better.

I had 2 new Toyotas myself; Celica GT's bought new, and never one return during the warranty period in the 70's. Why all the issues some 30 years later?... as you read all the ones on Consumer Affairs.com.

What isn't crap is not being in service departments, and after seeing the Tundra concerns I was enlightened. I suspect the solution is for everyone that needs a full size truck is to buy a small Tacoma instead from this commenter.