The Most Recalled Cars

jetsetter

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From SUVs to sedans, a look at which 2006 model year cars experienced the biggest recalls

So much for Toyota's vaunted reputation for quality. On July 18, the Japanese auto giant announced a recall of 418,570 vehicles worldwide for faulty engine parts. This follows an even larger global recall of nearly one million cars and trucks at the end of May for faulty parts that could cause drivers to lose control of the steering wheel.

The current recall affects about 150,000 cars sold outside of Japan, mainly in the U.S. and Canada, though no accidents have been reported due to the faulty engine component that could lead to oil leakage. In the U.S. more than 34,000 cars were recalled, including 26,200 Echo and 8,500 Prius models. While Toyota is no stranger to recalls?in May 2005 it recalled more than 750,000 pickup trucks and every single 2006 Toyota model line from the Avalon to the Tundra has experienced some form of recall?this latest round may finally dent its Teflon image if steps aren't taken to improve quality.

RECALLS ABOUND. The high induced by the new car smell may indeed be increasingly undercut as recalls make headlines industrywide. Auto recalls can affect components of every type, from those as seemingly insignificant as tail-light bulbs to more considerable components, like those that led to the now infamous Ford-Firestone tire scandal. And 2006 has seen its share of high-profile recalls for both foreign and domestic auto companies.

Last week, Nissan announced a recall of Altimas and Sentras affecting 96,800 vehicles that were susceptible to engine fires due to excessive oil consumption. Up to 24 fires have been reported to the company.

In May, 31,000 units of the Chevrolet Corvette were recalled by General Motors, because there was mounting evidence that some roofs could come unglued at high speeds.

Many recalls are preemptive, announced by the maker for unrealized but potentially disastrous consequences. Last month, for instance, Ford Motor's (F ) Volvo division recalled 109,000 XC90 SUVs after engineers detected loosening ball-joints in the steering mechanism that could possibly break and make steering more difficult. However, no crashes or injuries had been reported.

TO THE DATABASE. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) manages and tracks all U.S. recalls. It maintains an extensive, detailed database of all problems, which consumers can use to find out whether a vehicle they own or are considering buying has a recall associated with it. But, the system is not intended to help compare models, let alone predict problems based on past performance.

Some consumer-oriented publications also track recalls.
Consumer Reports
has a section devoted to recalls, but it covers consumer products beyond cars. Edmunds.com, the popular automotive online search site, just launched a safety-oriented section. But, like NHTSA's data, it is better suited to looking up information on a specific vehicle.

Organizations such as J.D. Power ? which, like BusinessWeek.com, is owned by McGraw-Hill ? measure initial quality and consumer satisfaction, which does not take recall history into consideration.

BusinessWeek.com set out to examine which 2006 models have been recalled the most. Though the problems may range in severity, multiple recalls are a significant annoyance for consumers. In conjunction with Edmunds.com, we found that multiple recalls affected companies in nearly every vehicle segment and price point, from the proletarian Civic to the upscale Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

RECALL VIGILANCE. The ultimate gauge of the severity of recall issues at distinct manufacturers may remain out of reach. BusinessWeek.com contacted major analysts and auto-data tracking companies in an attempt to compare the number of vehicles recalled with the number of vehicles sold. But, because auto companies most often track sales by calendar dates and recall data is organized by model-year date (a 2006 Altima, for example, went on sale last year), direct comparison is not possible.

It is important to note that not all models in a recall may be affected. Cars are built in batches, and not all models of a recalled vehicle may suffer from the same faulty component. Moreover, as parts sharing has increased, recalls often encompass a variety of brands and vehicle types. One 292,000-unit recall due to faulty headlamps from a third-party supplier, Walnut (Calif.)-based Anzo USA, for instance, affects Hondas, Toyotas, Fords, and Chevrolets alike.

So consumers need to remain vigilant before, during, and after a purchase. Government crash surveys, as well as independent reliability and quality rankings, should still serve as the main guideposts for buyers. But, no doubt about it, recalls have crept into the buying equation.

http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/mostrecall_1.html

I drive a Toyota but it seems to me that over the past few years the quality of Toyota has gone down a little bit. Back in the early 90s and 80s the vehicles were simple and reliable. They also lasted forever.
 
Nah, Toyota is still awesome for reliability. As we've discussed before, they always recall in order to prevent potential problems that may in fact very rarely occur, which in turn keeps their reliability ratings high. But any time they do have a recall, people make a big deal about it (especially in the US), because of their reputation for amazing reliability.
 
Not really. From what I've seen, they always sweep things under the rug for Toyota. Anytime Ford or GM recall something, it makes big waves. Kind of like this:

Welcome to the news. GM is recalling 5 trucks! LIKE OH MY GOD!! THESE TRUCKS HAVE A PROBLEM, THEY CAN KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T LOOK INTO THIS RIGHT NOW!!!! IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE BECAUSE GM MAKES CRAP CARS, WTF WERE YOU THINKING BY BUYING A GM TRUCK!!! THEY ARE RECALLING, OH MY GOD, THE INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE SCREW IN SOME INSIGNIFICANT PLACE!!! IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF THIS NOW, YOU'LL TOTALLY DIE IN A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT, BECAUSE GM MAKES CRAP CARS THAT ARE UNSAFE AND HOG GAS!!! In other automotive news, Toyotarecallshalfamillioncarsbecausetheycatchonfirewhenitrains. Goes to show that Toyota knows what they're doing. They care about their customers and they make the greenest cars on the planet. You should buy a Toyota Prius Hybrid. So, on to the weather, looks like rain for the rest of the week.
 
^ :thumbsup:

Toyotas management has been hanging around americans too much.. quality is slipping because of the bean counters.. the Koreans are the new Japanese..

COMPANY 2005 RECALLS AS A % OF VEHICLES IN OPERATION

1-FORD 11.7%
2-TOYOTA 10.1%
3-GM 6.8%
4-HONDA 4.0%
5-CHRYSLER 2.5%

Sources: R.L. Polk & Co.; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Mind you the above stats do not include the 150,000 vehicles recalled in the original posters message.

Toyota #2! guess they are trying to beat ford! :lol:
 
toyota are slipping up big time, and for a manufacturer that makes such simple cars apart from the prius its not good at all.
 
youngwarrior said:
toyota are slipping up big time, and for a manufacturer that makes such simple cars apart from the prius its not good at all.
simple? how are they not like any other major car manufacturer? :dunno:
 
YF19pilot said:
Not really. From what I've seen, they always sweep things under the rug for Toyota.

Not so. Anytime there's a Toyota recall it's blown out of proportion.

They're still the most reliable manufacturer.

Here's a recent study:

J.D. Power: Initial Quality Numbers Show Huge Increases for Hyundai

Date posted: 06-07-2006

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. ? The J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study ranks Porsche as the most reliable brand and gives five Toyota models top marks for few quality complaints.

The top five brands were Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota and Jaguar. The bottom five were Land Rover, Isuzu, Volkswagen, Hummer and Suzuki.

The Lexus LS 430 and the Porsche Cayman S were tied as models with the fewest quality problems, and Lexus and Toyota together received 11 initial quality awards out of 19 for 2006. Lexus received the top ranking for the 11th consecutive year out of the 20 years J.D. Power has conducted the study.

The organization has changed the Initial Quality Study for 2006 to gather responses from consumers both on production quality ? which includes malfunctioning and defective components in a car ? and design quality.

The Toyota Corolla, Camry, Solara, Highlander and Sequoia each received top rankings in their segments. But General Motors and Ford made notable strides in reliability as well, with GM vehicles placing at the top of eight categories and Ford vehicles in five.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=115677

Here's another one:

Toyota dominates vehicle quality rankings
Overall, J.D. Power and Associates report find all brands more reliable

June 8, 2006

Toyota Motor Corp. continued to dominate the initial quality rankings, grabbing the top spot in 11 out of 19 segments in the 2006 survey by J.D. Power and Associates, released Wednesday.

....

?They?re the closest thing to defect-free,? Ivers said of the two brands (speaking about Toyota and Lexus).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13186768/
 
It refers twice to a J.D. Power study, which are very good, but it is simply one source. :bangin:
Even if one is based on an earlier study.
 
hajj said:
It refers twice to a J.D. Power study, which are very good, but it is simply one source. :bangin:
Even if one is based on an earlier study.

Yeah, I know it's one source, but it's the most recent stuff and I wanted to post it from two sites to show that it's authentic, so stop banging me with that hammer, mmm-kay? :lol:
 
hajj said:
It refers twice to a J.D. Power study, which are very good, but it is simply one source. :bangin:
Even if one is based on an earlier study.

Not only that.. but it's a "judged" style of exercise.. it's open to interpretation as it's a weighted survey.. some things garner more points than others and it's possible it could be skewed to favour some manufacturers.

cold hard fact is NHTSA recalls and production numbers.

over 10.1% of all toyotas made and imported in the US in 2005 have recalls against them.

some people put toyota on some magical platform like they're immune to error and bad management.. people used to think merc were as well.. and we all know how BAD they've been recently.. toyota is no different, all companies run by people.. and people make mistakes.. imports are no longer any better or worse than american domestics.. fact is undisputable, perception however means your japanese import is overvalued, and your american vehicle is actually undervalued.

Besides.. the UK's favourite cars, Jag and Aston.. are both FORDS.. doesn't mean i don't want a DB-9, but just the same.. no one is immune from bad management. the X-type and volvo's new cars are proof of that.
 
yea.. so what if the airbags don't work
Manufacturer : TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V096000 Recall Date : MAR 28, 2006
Component: AIR BAGS
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 133
Summary:
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY OF THE AIR BAG INFLATOR, WHICH IS USED IN THE SIDE AIR BAG, THE CURTAIN SHIELD AIR BAG, AND THE KNEE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY, SOME INFLATORS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF THE HEATING AGENTS NECESSARY FOR PROPER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. IN THIS CONDITION, THE EXPANSION FORCE OF THE GAS MAY BE INSUFFICIENT TO PROPERLY INFLATE THE AIR BAG WHEN THE SRS SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED DURING A CRASH.
Consequence:
THIS MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT IN THE INVOLVED SEATING POSITION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.

and anyway.. because who needs steering..

Make : TOYOTA Model : PRIUS Year : 2006
Manufacturer : TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V188000 Recall Date : MAY 30, 2006
Component: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 170856
Summary:
THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND SLIDING YOKE IN THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM CAN CRACK WHEN LARGE FORCES ARE APPLIED AND THE CONNECTION MAY SEPARATE OR THE SLEEVE MAY FRACTURE.
Consequence:
THIS COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.

now who said toyota recalls were only for "non-essential things?" ya know.. simple things like oh.. failure to put the tire on the rim properly

Make : TOYOTA Model : TACOMA Year : 2006
Manufacturer : TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V061000 Recall Date : FEB 27, 2006
Component: TIRES:BEAD
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 12020
Summary:
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, THE BEAD OF THE TIRE MAY BE DAMAGED DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY OF THE TIRES ONTO THE WHEELS.
Consequence:
IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A BULGE MAY BE FORMED ON THE SIDEWALL AND AIR MAY LEAK FROM THE AREA OF THE DAMAGED BEAD AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Toyota is no different from anyone else.. the Ford tire fiasco comes to mind in the recall above..
 
To say "Toyota is no different than anyone else" is not accurate in my opinion. They've proved over the years that they do things well when it comes to making cars that can be depended on. Even with the latest recalls, I still think they're the most reliable and the majority of their recalls are in an effort to keep their reliability ratings high. In order to to keep the "possibility" of a tire bulge for instance, they recall the cars and make it right, and so less people have problems. I wonder how many of the potential problems actually occur.
 
As what people always say, it takes years and years to build up a reputation and about 5 minutes to loose all of it.

But I will admit that even our 97 Lexus ES300 still seems to have a much better build quality than a 04 Lexus RX300 or a 05 Toyota Camry. But my parents and I recently test drove the latest Toyota Estima (most of you won't know what it is, its a toyota minivan) and it seems like they're coming back now, they just lost it in the early 2000 but I think they're coming back with the new GS, IS and whatever is coming up.
 
Lately in Toyota cars its always the first years in their generation phases that will have the most amount of problems. My dad owning a 2000 and 2004 Avalon could easily tell that the changes in the 2004 were significant despite being relatively the same vehicle. The dealership mehcanics often give problem reports to Toyota head office. The newer cars themselves according to the mechanics at my dealship say that they are more complex and harder to fix. I'm not surprised they are recalling vehicles, I'd rather have them recall something rather than failing to recall something which could potentially be a safety hazard. Pinto or Crown Victoria anyone?
 
I love some of the excuses that are trotted out here about Toyota's reliability.
YF19 was right: if this was GM we were talking about, this would be a 9-page load of "ZOMG GM IS T3H ANTICHRIST" bashing.

Toyota has rightfully earned a solid reputation for reliability, so that a few recalls here and there aren't mentioned too often while the Corvette's roof problem (because everybody has a Corvette, y'know) makes it to the front of MSN.com. But this is a dangerous trend for them. They're getting too comfortable in being the best right now, and if they don't correct it soon enough...well, we all know what happened to GM for the last 30 years. They got too comfortable too. :whistle:
 
p0w3r said:
youngwarrior said:
toyota are slipping up big time, and for a manufacturer that makes such simple cars apart from the prius its not good at all.
simple? how are they not like any other major car manufacturer? :dunno:

what do you mean? The technology toyota is using has been proved for nearly 2 decades, and is nothing new.
 
BlaRo said:
I love some of the excuses that are trotted out here about Toyota's reliability.
YF19 was right: if this was GM we were talking about, this would be a 9-page load of "ZOMG GM IS T3H ANTICHRIST" bashing.

Nah, I don't bash on GM for recalls. I'm intelligent enough to admit that all manufacturers have recalls and they aren't nessesarily a sign of failing reliability and I think it's dumb when any recall is blown out of proportion, regrdless of who the company is.

youngwarrior said:
p0w3r said:
youngwarrior said:
toyota are slipping up big time, and for a manufacturer that makes such simple cars apart from the prius its not good at all.
simple? how are they not like any other major car manufacturer? :dunno:

what do you mean? The technology toyota is using has been proved for nearly 2 decades, and is nothing new.

Are you suggesting that Toyota hasn't used any new technology in 20 years? I'm sorry, but that's just a retarded statement. Just take the electronics for example: Things like keyless entry, DVD players, Sat Nav, and sliding mini-van doors were not common place untill this decade (or the 90's in some cases). Even on the early episodes of Top Gear, they were all "oooohing" and "ahhhing" over keyless entry because it was just becoming a big thing and that was in 2002. If you compare a Toyota from 1986 and a model from 2006, you're going to find a lot of new technology, the same is true with any other car manufacturer.
 
youngwarrior said:
what do you mean? The technology toyota is using has been proved for nearly 2 decades, and is nothing new.
Absolute BS. This doesn't apply to any established car manufacturer be it American, European, Japanese or Korean. You mean to tell me the emissions controls on my Cressida is exactly the same as my dad's Avalon. Get real.
 
WheatKing
"Toyotas management has been hanging around americans too much.. quality is slipping because of the bean counters.. the Koreans are the new Japanese..

COMPANY 2005 RECALLS AS A % OF VEHICLES IN OPERATION

1-FORD 11.7%
2-TOYOTA 10.1%
3-GM 6.8%
4-HONDA 4.0%
5-CHRYSLER 2.5% "

Wow Chrysler with only 2.5% recalls? Thats pretty amazing. I always thought that american car makers such as Ford, GMC, Chrysler would top the list, but im sorta surprized.

any count on how the recall rate is among luxury car manufactures like audi, BMW, Merc, etc?
 
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