Whistleblower lawsuit says serious auto defect reports altered at Toyota-GM California plant

[sparkyAZ]

I caught this article in yesterday's news from an AP report. Apparently the vehicles built at the California plant include the Corolla subcompact, Tacoma pickup, and Pontiac Vibe (not the Prius which is made in Japan). Hopefully quality issues are not becoming widespread at Toyota, but I'm getting worried as I see more reports to the contrary.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21892422/

[galaxee]

the new v6 engines had some issues with oil leaks around the timing cover, DH saw a number of those. he never saw any of that other stuff mentioned there. aside from the usual steering wheel alignment... no vehicle comes from the manufacturer perfectly aligned.

[Godiva]

Sounds like it's not just the American workers having trouble embracing the Toyota way, but the American Management continueing the same old same old Big 3 management principles. I guess Toyota Japan needs to do a little housecleaning at the U.S. plant.

[Jonnycat26]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Nov 22 2007, 01:16 PM) [snapback]542941[/snapback]</div>

Sounds like it's not just the American workers having trouble embracing the Toyota way, but the American Management continueing the same old same old Big 3 management principles. I guess Toyota Japan needs to do a little housecleaning at the U.S. plant.
[/b]

Toyota Japan manages Nummi.

Part of the problem is that Toyota workers are given bonuses when they don't produce defective cars. Therefore, they don't report defects. And that's why there was a rash of collapsing steering columns in Asian market Toyotas... workers wanted bonuses.

[statultra]

galaxee are you referring to the new gen GR series v6?

my tacoma has a 1gr-fe no problems but i just recently saw a good amount of trans fluid on the floor.

[galaxee]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(statultra @ Nov 22 2007, 09:54 PM) [snapback]543065[/snapback]</div>

galaxee are you referring to the new gen GR series v6?

my tacoma has a 1gr-fe no problems but i just recently saw a good amount of trans fluid on the floor.
[/b]

yes. is your tacoma a 2wd or 4wd?

[daniel]

at a California plant run jointly by General Motors and Toyota[/b]

There's the problem: The plant is run jointly by GM and Toyota. Toyota ought to know better than to do anything jointly with a crap company like GM. The only really good car GM ever built, they crushed them all. It's probably just as well they'll never build the Volt, because I'd buy one and it would probably turn out to be defective.

[cwerdna]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Nov 22 2007, 06:27 PM) [snapback]543059[/snapback]</div>

Part of the problem is that Toyota workers are given bonuses when they don't produce defective cars. Therefore, they don't report defects. And that's why there was a rash of collapsing steering columns in Asian market Toyotas... workers wanted bonuses.
[/b]

How do you know this? Can you point me to this "rash of collapsing steering columns in Asian market Toyotas" and point me to the documents that claim that this is due to workers not reporting defects? For all we know, whatever defect or recall you refer to could be due to supplier problems and impossible to catch at assembly time.

If it affected any models here in the US, I can probably dig up the correspondence and documentation between NHTSA and Toyota.

Is this another one of your claims that you try to state as fact when in fact you have nothing to back it up?

[Jonnycat26]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cwerdna @ Nov 25 2007, 10:11 PM) [snapback]544079[/snapback]</div>

How do you know this? Can you point me to this "rash of collapsing steering columns in Asian market Toyotas" and point me to the documents that claim that this is due to workers not reporting defects? For all we know, whatever defect or recall you refer to could be due to supplier problems and impossible to catch at assembly time.

[/b]

Is one million a rash, or just a nasty itch?

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlebus...UTOS-TOYOTA.xml

Ah, story isn't available anymore... but you can always search right here, on priuschat, for 'toyota one million recall'.

[cwerdna]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Nov 26 2007, 04:38 AM) [snapback]544197[/snapback]</div>

Is one million a rash, or just a nasty itch?

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlebus...UTOS-TOYOTA.xml

Ah, story isn't available anymore... but you can always search right here, on priuschat, for 'toyota one million recall'.
[/b]

Yes, I'm aware of the one million recalled Toyotas worldwide. As usual, it seems that your statements are just made up information and assertions that you try to pass off as facts. Go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems...ecallsearch.cfm and search for campaign number 06V188000 then click on Document Search. In particular, http://nhthqnwws111.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms...06V188-1283.PDF is of interest.

The issue is not that the steering columns could collapse nor does it seem to have ANYTHING to do w/improper assembly nor anything that could've been caught at assembly time.