2002 Toyota Tundra SR5 from North America - Off Topic Comments

15:34 This information in that magazine is a direct result of what actually happens to vehicles that CONSUMERS own and are surveyed about. Which is why they are accurate in stating that imports are more likely to have over 200,000 miles on them than domestics; because THAT is what happens in reality. Just like their lists of 'used cars to avoid', which have always been filled with more Fords and Chevy's than anything else.

I guess we're to rely on YOUR opinion, and NOT the information printed in a major publication?

How is it that every old Civic I see has 2 or 300,000 miles on it, and the Fords don't last that long?

I recently went to the local fair in my area, where they had a stand of Toyotas. The new Tundra, Sequoia, and the FJ Cruiser.

I was astonished at the horrid interior quality of all these vehicles. The fake, plastic wood trim on the doors of the Sequoia Limited are flimsy and feel as if they were just set on there.

They creak, flex, and can easily pop out of place on the arm rest. Most of the door, save for a small strip of leather-like-stuff, is hard, cheap, flimsy plastic that flexes when you pull or push. That is totally pathetic.

Trim pieces on the dash were mis-aligned, and once again, poorly assembled, i. e flexing, creaking, etc.

The interior of the Tundra was the same way; after all it is basically the same interior.

My neighbor owns a 2005 Sequoia, and its interior is worlds ahead of that of the new Sequoia in terms of build quality and the materials used. Plush materials, rigid quality, etc. The interior of his Sequoia was impressive.

Even worse, the FJ cruiser. Its interior was even more downgraded and shoddy, with the yellow painted plastic pieces (to match the exterior color) only set in, they move freely in their enclosures. The doors are even thinner, rubbery plastic, that if you push on with your thumb, will recess into the door about an inch, if not more.

The rest of the interior pieces were hard plastic, and rattly as well.

While playing with the climate control knobs, I ended up with one fallen out and in my hand. I quickly put it back on so someone didn't yell at me.

Of course, the representatives there were boasting about these vehicles as if they were Gods of the truck world, I was totally shocked at how they could blatantly up-talk these vehicles, but upon close inspection, they suck.

I walked away totally unimpressed with new Toyota products and their quality. I simply couldn't believe it at first.

I'm no fan or loyal customer of Toyota, but I did have respect for their quality products, a long time ago.

Do yourself a favor and poke and prod around a new Toyota.

This first-hand experience really opened my eyes about the quality of new Toyota vehicles. It's laughable at best.

I am still driving my 2001 Dakota Extended Cab V8 company vehicle now touching 190,000 miles. Does not burn oil, ice cold A/C and stops starts many times daily. All original drivetrain. I highly recommend this vehicle.

As it is not mine, I could care less other than to say it how reliable it is. It has a noisy power steering pump still functional. It's annoying to listen to on turns and I will have them fix it soon. It also has a nice ride for a pick up and plenty of power.

I feel reading about company vehicles is the best as brand loyalty means nothing to the user. I am in and out of Jiffy Lube every month, and keep all filters and fluids done on schedule.

I've had the same experience as 20:34. I was able to compare different brands at a car expo. The Ford and GM products were much better built, and far higher quality than the shoddy Toyota models on display. The fit and finish on the Ford Fusion is some of the best I've ever seen, as was the Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu. The Tundra was a joke compared to the Ford F-150 or Silverado.

Obviously those who think import quality is better have never looked at newer models or compared them side by side.

As for long-term reliability, none of our domestic cars or trucks has ever had a mechanical problem.

20:34 I have poked and prodded in and around new Toyota's, and as usual, they are top of the line. Much better than Ford, Chevy, or Dodge, as well as the rest of the imports other than Honda's.

You may call it 'laughable', but then I guess a Ford or GM would have to be 'extra-laughable', as the Toyota is obviously built better. Any Toyota. It's just the way they're assembled, and the design in the first place.

Lift the hood on any Toyota; let's say a 1985 Corolla. Lift the hood on any brand new domestic vehicle. As always, the engine and components, to anyone with a trained eye, are well thought out as far as placement, and even have an aesthetic value in their arrangement.

Open the hood on a domestic. It looks like a 12 year old kid stuffed a bunch of parts and wires under there and slammed it shut. Which isn't too far from the reality of it.

Same goes for the rest of the car. Take a long look at both. With the Toyota, under the hood and underneath the vehicle, you'll find a bracket here, and hanger there, that you won't find on a domestic. Because they're built cheaply and they cut costs where Toyota puts the extra time, money, thought, and simple consideration for the future owner of that vehicle into the design.

I recently changed front brake pads and rotors on my girlfriend's '95 Civic (do the math, a 13 year old car), and the design is so much better than any domestic that Ford and GM should be embarrassed. Unlike a domestic, where the caliper just hangs there by the brake lines, the top caliper bolt on the Honda is permanently fixed, and the caliper swivels up and stays in place; you change the pads, and rotate it back over the rotor.

If you know the details that make the difference between a good vehicle, and a throw-away domestic, you will find things like this all over a Toyota/Honda, and never on a Ford or Chevy. So.. if you're telling me a Ford or Chevy is better built than either of those imports, you are simply wrong.

In regard to the comment about brake pads on a Civic. Here again, we have clear evidence of a complete lack of real knowledge of domestic vehicles (or imports, for that matter). I've changed the brake pads on numerous vehicles (including the Civic) and virtually ALL of them (yes, even those "crappy" domestics) swivel up. There is virtually no difference at all except that the older Civic pads are much smaller and under-engineered. I recently changed the pads on a late model GM, and YES, they swiveled up on a mounting bolt just like that "divine", "perfect" Civic. Again, the only difference was that the GM pads were bigger, heavier and much beefier.

As for those "cheap mountings" that we've read about before on here, anyone who has ever actually compared a domestic exhaust hanger bracket to a Toyota could never in their wildest dreams call the domestic "cheaper". Instead of a little metal rod that swivels in a tiny bracket on the Toyota, the domestics, such as Ford, use a compound mount composed of heavy metal brackets top and bottom joined by a flexible heavy duty rubber strip. It costs far more to build, provides more movement to prevent flex cracks, and allows a far wider range of movement in all directions than the Toyota mounts.

Having driven a brand new Toyota off a dealer's lot that had defective brakes (pulled violently to the left), pieces of interior trim that were falling off, and an engine that surged and stalled repeatedly, I find it more than just slightly funny that anyone could consider these cars in any way, shape or form, better than something like the solid, world-class Ford Fusion or Chevy Malibu. I've driven both imports and domestics. The domestics are so much better that there is just no comparison.

09:33 As I said, this is a '95 Civic. I've owned two mid-90's domestics, and NEITHER of their brake assemblies were set up that way. Maybe Ford and Chevy FINALLY got it together enough to design brakes the way Honda did 20 years ago. Too bad the engines still suck.

As far as the issue of the brackets, you can study the undercarriage of a Toyota or Honda and find so many more places that they've properly secured things when a Ford or GM vehicle doesn't have them.

"Lift the hood on any Toyota; let's say a 1985 Corolla. Lift the hood on any brand new domestic vehicle. As always, the engine and components, to anyone with a trained eye, are well thought out as far as placement, and even have an aesthetic value in their arrangement."

For the longest time, including throughout the entire 80's, American cars were far more technologically advanced than Toyota. American car manufacturers, particularly GM, were far ahead of Toyota in developing advanced fuel injection systems and electronic engine control systems, while Toyota was still using carburetors and vacuum control technology (which they copied from everyone else) right up until the 90's.

I do not find any aesthetic value in antiquated garbage.

I tilted back the hood on my sons Viper RT/V10 and admired the engineering technology. And it brought back memories of doing the same with a 63 split Vette. The 12 year old you are describing must have been a genius. What magnificent engine am I missing on Toyota's lot? Getting bored again.

That was kinda funny about the caliper just hanging by the brake lines. What happens when you press the brake? Do you find the brake lines wrapped around the axle? Or perhaps they are 2" steel reinforced brake lines? :) Whatever... check your facts dude. Some brakes ARE easier to change, but not for that reason -- thank goodness.

We are a multiple car family and have had 3 or 4 vehicles at the same time for the past 25 years. We've bought 10 new domestic vehicles since 1985. We've had 2 Chrysler products, 2 GM products and 6 Fords. The TOTAL repairs for ALL TEN has been a measly $170 (Front brake rotors on an '88 Dodge). I'm not counting brake pads, batteries or tires, just items that were not due to normal wear. The rotors on the Dodge were warped. I normally go at least 75,000-100,000 miles before having to replace the brake pads on any of my domestics.

We've never had one single mechanical failure on ANY of these vehicles, so I always get a bit of a chuckle out of all these remarks about how "crappy" and "unreliable" domestic vehicles are. In fact, I laugh all the way to the bank!

22:01 Try and read/comprehend the original comment again. I said I CHANGED brakes. That involves taking out caliper bolts to remove the brake pads, dude!... on my previous domestics, when both caliper bolts were removed, there is nothing left keeping the caliper from falling out onto the ground other than the brake lines. The Honda, of the same year, earlier in fact, had the assembly I described; top caliper bolt is fixed so it swivels up with the bottom one removed.

Go in your home, get a metal coat hangar, simply cut a hook instead of hanging it from your brake line. Big deal.

12:41 Well, I 'laugh all the way to the bank' too by NOT buying domestics. My imports always last longer, break down less... (read 'never'), and I get more money out of them when I finally decide to trade them or sell them outright.

Funny how all domestics described here on a Toyota site run forever, but if you go read the Ford and Chevy threads, you find out the truth: they're substandard, cheaply made, and break down often.

I guess it's only the people that can't stand the fact that Toyota has outclassed them since day 1 that claim that domestics run well and don't break down. Simply false.

I have no idea what kind of "domestics" 14:33 is referring to, but in the entire time since disc brakes came out, I've never seen ANY on ANY car that the "caliper was left hanging" on. Did it ever occur to the commenter to leave ONE of the bolts IN so the caliper could simply be rotated up??