Worker: 'Toyota Way' Ignored at Factory

Wow, you all have very good points! I wonder how this will all work out and what the truth really is in this situation??? I also wonder if we'll find out what really happened there at Nummi??? I think NUMMI still gives weekly plant tours, I really want to take a tour of their facility now!

HardCharger said:

This is the second time I've read a comment like this but every time I research, I can't find much on it. How do you know that the 5th Gen 4Runner's will be built in the US?

Click to expand...

It makes more sense economically for SUV and Truck manufacturers to build their vehicles in North America for a lot of reasons.

Nissan and Honda did it. Toyota has been phasing it in, and it is obvious that it is heading that direction. The Tacoma is built in Mexico, and the Tundra is built in the USA. I believe the Sequoia and Highlander are as well. It would make sense that they'd have a new line ready to build a new model. There is no way they will just stop building 4G 4Runners one day in Japan and then be able to retool and start building 5G's in the same factory.

Hate to be picky, but the Tacoma is made at the NUMMI plant in California.

Along with the Corolla and Pontiac Vibe.

Screw toyota, I see no reason to pay an extra 5G's for quality that does not exist. Both of Xterra's were built better than my 4R and cost alot less. I could of gotten a Jeep and saved money and enjoied the the rattles and the bad qualtiy. But instead I paid 5G more for rattles and speaks.... Toyota = the old Ford company profit over customers.
X

toto said:

Hate to be picky, but the Tacoma is made at the NUMMI plant in California.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I was going off of memory. After looking it up, I see the Tacoma is partially assembled in Mexico (the bed at the least) and then final assembly is indeed done in California as you say.

I believe due to NAFTA, they can build in Mexico, USA, and Canada without the large tariffs they pay on SUV's that come from Japan.

Uneek said:

Along with the Corolla and Pontiac Vibe.

Click to expand...

Some Corollas in US are also made in Canada.

xmytruck said:

Screw toyota, I see no reason to pay an extra 5G's for quality that does not exist. Both of Xterra's were built better than my 4R and cost alot less. I could of gotten a Jeep and saved money and enjoied the the rattles and the bad qualtiy. But instead I paid 5G more for rattles and speaks.... Toyota = the old Ford company profit over customers.
X

Click to expand...

Well, i would not go that far! Xterras are inferior in build quality to 4runner by a long shot. You need to compare Xterra to FJ...the 4runner is in a class above it in terms of comfort and quality. 4runner is superior to Pathfinder, which is superior to Xterra. As for American trucks, which SUVs are you talking about?

Thai said:

Well, i would not go that far! Xterras are inferior in build quality to 4runner by a long shot. You need to compare Xterra to FJ...the 4runner is in a class above it in terms of comfort and quality. 4runner is superior to Pathfinder, which is superior to Xterra. As for American trucks, which SUVs are you talking about?

Click to expand...

Well not to be unfair to nissan your talking about an SUV that is cost alot less and if I compare it to my 4R SPT U get alot more with a pathfinder. Also note that for every 100 autos toyota pumps out that there are 106 issues or defects. My buddy has a pathfinder and it is great truck and it does not have the issues that I have had with my 4R. The issues that I have had goes as the following: rattle in the sunroof, squeaking windshield, squeaking back seat, wipers that stop working, U joint noise, value noise(sounds like a leaky header) and the brake booster issue( where if you don't have your foot firmly on the brake and the AC kicks on the truck jerks forward) and finally my crooked drivers seat. Now that is a long list and I would have to say that I don't see the how the 4R is superior to the pathfinder when the pathfinder does not have any of the issues mentioned above and it cost thousands less. I sould also note that both of my X's never had the issues mentioned above, all the X need was gas and maintance. But I agree the X is in the same class as the FJ and I would choose an X anyday over an FJ. Buddy of mine has one and it rattles more than my 4R and he is up to the point where he can afforded to get rid of it. Don't get me wrong I like my 4R but it is a night day difference between my avalon. The avalon which is a 2003 is built totally different, they actually use screws for the interior compared to the 4R lego set. I think that Toyota is more concern with pumping cars out than building them correctly, which is clear to me by how they are using more snap in parts. I agree with U that nissans interior is a lego set but it cost alot less. I know that maybe my opinion is tampered with because I got a Fridays auto or I should say I got a 4R that was built before a long weekend

Thx
X

I owned a 2003 Pathfinder. In my opinion it was a far superior vehicle to the current crap Nissan is churning out in the US. The old Pathfinders (up through 2004 model year) were manufactured in Japan and were much much better than the current stuff.

The Xterra is also made in the US and is not a very good vehicle. Believe me, I am the biggest Nissan fanboy around (at least I was). I ultimately sold my Pathfinder because our local Nissan dealership sucks and I had problems getting routine service. I'd agree that for the money, the Pathfinder is a great value upfront. The costs to maintain are very low, and they are extremely reliable (2004 and below that is).

The area where the 4Runner stomps all over it is in resale value. The cost per mile on my Nissan was much better than my previous Isuzu, and exponentially better than any Dodge or Jeep SUV. The 4Runner however is a better value in the long run because you will get more out of it at the end % wise, and so your cost per mile will be lower. The Pathfinder I owned was also a part time 4 wheel drive system with a 3.5l V6 and it got lower gas mileage than a full-time 4x4 V8 4Runner. I was lucky to get 13 MPG and everything was in perfect working order.

Toyota knows for a fact that they can slide for a couple of years and their resale will still stay high, but face it....... there have been a lot worse companies that have slid by on reputation for a long time. Mercedes quality is godawful, and they still seem to be able to sell cars that cost as much as a house.

I totally agree with you my first X was a 200 and my second X was a 2002. MPG suck with my X I get a lot better MPG with my 4R. Hopefully my buddy with the pathfinder will start having issues but so far we both have around 6K for mileage and his is rattle and issue free. I head that CEO of toyota state that they might reduce production to fix the issues.
X

xmytruck said:

Also note that for every 100 autos toyota pumps out that there are 106 issues or defects.

Click to expand...

You do realize that this equals to one defect per vehicle...not a bad ratio IMHO. I assume that you got this number from JD Powers...what was Nissan's number??

xmytruck said:

I totally agree with you my first X was a 200 and my second X was a 2002. MPG suck with my X I get a lot better MPG with my 4R. Hopefully my buddy with the pathfinder will start having issues but so far we both have around 6K for mileage and his is rattle and issue free. I head that CEO of toyota state that they might reduce production to fix the issues.
X

Click to expand...

At one of my off-roading event, a 2000 Xterra blew his tranny right in front of my eyes!! Does that make you feel better about your 4runner? And from my experience with both FJ and Xterra (both gen), the FJ is significantly better built and more capable off-road.

Thai said:

At one of my off-roading event, a 2000 Xterra blew his tranny right in front of my eyes!! Does that make you feel better about your 4runner? And from my experience with both FJ and Xterra (both gen), the FJ is significantly better built and more capable off-road.

Click to expand...

I think the FJ is definitely more capable. I think the Xterra is a bit more usable, considering the fact that you can actually see out of it, and it has a back seat that you can actually use.

The Xterra is a very good 4x4. Much better than it is given credit for. With a few slight mods, it will hang with the FJ. I would take an FJ over an Xterra any day of the week, but it is a very good vehicle. Too bad it is made in the crummy Smyrna factory that turns out a ton of defective vehicles.

xmytruck said:

...... The issues that I have had goes as the following: rattle in the sunroof, squeaking windshield, squeaking back seat, wipers that stop working, U joint noise, value noise(sounds like a leaky header) and the brake booster issue( where if you don't have your foot firmly on the brake and the AC kicks on the truck jerks forward) and finally my crooked drivers seat......

Click to expand...

Wow....the only thing that has ever happened with my truck was the volume knob on the radio started acting up....after almost 3 years of use. That's it.

Granted, I don't have a sunroof and I never go off-roading; but I've had literally no problems whatsoever.....and I purchased it on Feb 8, 2005 and it now has about 36,000 miles.

Thai said:

You do realize that this equals to one defect per vehicle...not a bad ratio IMHO. I assume that you got this number from JD Powers...what was Nissan's number??

Click to expand...

Well the defect ratio is a little higher than one per auto it is around 1.06 per auto in my case I got 7 of them so lucky the people who got a 4R before me and after me got a better deal.. Agreed with you that is not a bad ratio but why does that make it acceptable? If you bought an new Plasma TV and it rattled would you not go to the store and get a new one? Why is it that the auto industry basically states to it's consumer that we are going to sell you an product that cost thousands of $$$ and it will have a defect and you will need to live with it.

Thx
X

Well, you have to compare that ratio with other manufacturers...and from my understanding, Toyota ratio is well above industry average, is it not?? You never mentioned Nissan's ratio...what was it?? I remembered when Lexus LS400/430 came out, it's ratio was somewhere 60-70 per 100 vehicle and that was exceptional (#1 by far)...so, 106 per 100 is not bad for the whole Toyota brand.

I total agree with, it is not bad ratio I would also love to know what nissan's defect ratio is also. I know that I got the a raw deal and I am sure that the person who got a 4R before and after me most likely will not have the same issues I have had. But I am the one that has to live with the truck..
Xw

xmytruck said:

I total agree with, it is not bad ratio I would also love to know what nissan's defect ratio is also. I know that I got the a raw deal and I am sure that the person who got a 4R before and after me most likely will not have the same issues I have had. But I am the one that has to live with the truck..
Xw

Click to expand...

Well, here is the 2007 JD Powers nameplate ratings: http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2007130

As you can see, Nissan is well below industry average...and Toyota is better than even Infiniti.

BTW, did you buy your 4runner used??

After reading all this, I consider myself very blessed and fortunate. I have over 65k on my 05