How can Toyota get it's Reputation back

In any case, both sides will claim the pictures were forged. Some folks believe Sikes is pure as driven snow.

 

toyota can never prove it isn't the electronics. and if no one can reproduce it in the lab and find the cause, this will continue for a while, the press will move on to the latest and greatest stories and people will buy more or less toyota's based on the cars they design and build in the future. only a few will remember this when making buying decisions in the future when the hype is over.

 

I agree completely ... but it will be a while yet. Jay Leno makes fun of Toyota every night.

It has taken a toll. I was at the dealer this AM having the ECU updated. Not a soul in the showroom ... the Cashier's office was closed ... the Parts Department and what few salesman there were present were all long faced, and depressed.

OTOH ... read Consumer Reports 2010 Car Report. Nothing but positive comments on the Prius .... page after page. Read the magazine intro (one of the first pages) and they mention the Ford Hybrids have also had problems .... but the media makes no mention of that.

Health care will take the headlines now. With $1 trillion dollars saved; Obama's Presidency saved; Unions in full command .... all will be well with the world, and Toyota's past will be forgotten.

 

How can Toyota get its reputation back? TIME.

 

Yep. Time. Any little distraction will cause the media to drop the Toyota stories completely. They probably won't even mention when Sikes goes to jail.

You know, like the whole 'Acorn' brewhaha, and it turns out that there wasn't any wrong-doing in the UNCUT video, but the O'Keefe kid edited it... HEAVILY, to make it SEEM like wrong-doing took place. You know, just before he went and tried to illegally wiretap a U.S. senator.

Tip/Wag - James O'Keefe & Sean Hannity | March 4, 2010 - Barry Schwartz | ColbertNation.com

 

They never lost thier reputation with me , My re built05 performs like it is suposed to I step on the brake with my left foot while I accelerate with my right foot and it"AWAYS STANDS ME ON MY NOSE"

 

Toyota has not lost its reputation to me, either. I have just recently bought my Prius and my first Toyota. I have always been impresssed by both Toyota's and Honda's quality and reliability.

Until all of the facts and investigations are known, and until a solid reason has been proven otherwise, they will not have lost any of their reputation to me.

What happened with innocent until "proven" guilty ?

 

Toyota vehicles are some of the finest on the road today. I am surprised that some people would sell their Prius just because of some crazy story they saw on TV.

Toyota will make it through this. The company continues to grab IIHS top safety picks, JD Power awards, Consumer Reports awards, etc. It is just going to take some time for the media to switch their attention to something else.

 

One way Toyota can start to crawl out of the PR pit they have dug themselves into is to start leveling with people, and just as importantly, stop treating their customers like idiots. Insulting the intelligence of your customer is never a good idea. The reaction that I got from my dealer when I first reported the braking problem on my 2010 (before the recall) was that: a) I was being influenced by all the media hype; b) I was imagining it; c) I don't know how to drive a car with ABS and c) they "knew" there was nothing wrong with my car but would look at it to make be happy.
After I bought it in for the flash update (I had to wait 3 weeks because what I "thought" I had wasn't really "important") the service advisor told me that "some people thought they had a problem" and this was an update to just adjust the brake sensitivity. GIVE ME A BREAK! The only question is, is this crap coming from Toyota or the dealer alone. I suspect the former. PS The problem still exits.

 

Toyota has a massive base of customers. Keeping them happy by revamping their dealers behavior would be a great start.

 

1) Wear more conservative clothing.

2) Stop drinking.

3) Avoid unsupervised parties where alcohol and boys are present.

4) Stop sleeping around.

Tom

 

Toyota simply needs to address the fact that they and their dealers usually treat their customers as sheep, pay our price, don't call us, we'll call you, take our financing, you aren't smart enough to know our car, thats the treatment most people get, and when Toyota relied on their rep and ignored customer complaints they got by.

Here is the problem, all those disgruntled customers were just waiting for their opportunity, and this was it, the ones with problems are getting a voice, and all those that see that as an opportunity to take advantage of Toyota, are trying to jump in.

This was entirely the fault of Toyota and their dealers, it was arrogance that caused this, arrogance of not listening to customer complaints, and customers feeling like they were being taken by the dealer.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't found any dealers associated with any other manufacturer that are any better. And Toyota can't bypass them or control them.

 

I am not defending Toyota, but as robbyr2 states, "haven't found ... any other manufacturer that are any better." It is entirely possible I would drive a Ford Fusion hybrid today if the Ford delaer had been civil ....( but, he did not have one, and was rude and obnoxious).

Hidyho writes: "This was entirely the fault of Toyota and their dealers, ...., arrogance of not listening to customer complaints"

Just read some of the post on PC .... "customer complaints" are all over the spectrum ... some valid; some stupid; some terribly un-informed. I have often wondered how any manufacturer, (automobile, washing machine, TV or whatever), can deal with "customer complaints." Look how many comments on PC are a direct result of not reading, or understanding the manual. Have you ever worked in a business where you answer the telephone and try to make sense of their complaints? It is maddening and very frustrating.

 

I went into the Toyota store in funky clothes, looking like a bum, and EVERYONE was nice to me.

Ford Fusion? Heck no! They bait & switch in EVERY ad. ALL of their ads tell you the 'hybrid' 41MPG... then tell you the non-hybrid price (because the hybrid price is $5,000 more than an equivalent Prius). They don't provide the HYBRID interior measurements in their top level comparisons and specs - they BURY them in a PDF that you have to dig for. They DO NOT compare themselves to the Prius (preferring the Toyota Camry for their comparisons)... because the Fusion LOSES HARD compared to the Prius.

Also, the Fusion hybrid's back seats don't fold down (just like the Honda Civic hybrid). It loses 33% of the trunk space to the batteries, and an inch from the rear seat passenger space. Granted, the rear seat head room is a bit better, but so would the Prius if the back seats were further forward.

It's not significantly bigger than the Prius on the inside, but is bigger on the outside, taking up more garage space. The only measurement that's 'bigger' for the Fusion is hip & shoulder room... so if you're FAT, you'll like the Ford Fusion better.

But if you buy a new rake at the hardware store, you'll hate the Fusion's trunk. A wee bit more room for your 'plus sized' passengers, but NO room for their stuff, and not at all flexible for hauling awkward 'stuff', either. See how 'aerodynamic' it is when you have to strap stuff to the roof for trips!

 

This is normal in a Toyota parts department, they don't sell many parts.

 

Sounds like a great job. I wonder how long you could double as a Maytag Repairman and draw two checks?