Yeah....take that, you little rice-burner, sludge-makers. I still think I like my American Icon just fine....

 

 

Thanks for providing those!

Of course, regarding the Toyota "sludge" issue, all the articles point out that it's unclear whether it's actually a manufacturer defect, or consumer stupidity when it comes to regular maintenance:

"Toyota spokesman John Hanson acknowledges that the anti-Toyota Internet comments contributed to the decision. But, he says, 'It is not an engine defect. We are sure the problem comes from people not changing their oil often enough.'" (In other words: if you only change your oil a maximum of once a year in severe weather conditions - hot & cold - you're doubtless going to have some issues with your oil performance.)

I hadn't seen the CR-V fire issue - yessir, that is definitely a major defect. As I've said in the past, no man-made machine is immune to problems.

However, that doesn't change the overwhelming preponderance of statistics that PROVE Hondas and Toyotas are by-and-large better engineered, better built and more reliable than almost any domestic brand you care to name. Arguing about it doesn't change the facts. It's just the way it is. From J.D Powers 2004 Initial Quality Survey:

2004 Rankings

"Toyota continues in the Initial Quality Survey's top spot, with seven models receiving awards, the most of any corporation. Toyota is followed by American Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor America in a tie, and by BMW of North America. While General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Ford continue to demonstrate product improvement, all three continue to rank below the industry average."

Consumer Reports and Consumer Digest report similar findings.

Now, on a more POSITIVE NOTE, J.D. Power's ranking for last year's Mustang actually produced some positive statistics, overall. Mechanical quality got 5/5...Feature and Accessory Quality got 5/5...Overall Quality got 4/5:

http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/pvs/PowerVe...ge=301&vid=1693

 

no problems on my GT 5 spd.. my '93 has 157k miles on it and the only thing replaced was the wiper motor blade at 6 months

 

i thought i noticed the noise when i test drove the 05, but bought it anyway. the car had 160 miles on it when purchased from dealer. supposedly it was and order for one of the managers, therefore the 160 miles. i told the salesman about the noise at purchase, he said if it continued and there was a problem they would take care of it. other than that, i absolutely love the car and have been waiting to purchase it for over a year.

 

Thanks for providing those!

Of course, regarding the Toyota "sludge" issue, all the articles point out that it's unclear whether it's actually a manufacturer defect, or consumer stupidity when it comes to regular maintenance:

"Toyota spokesman John Hanson acknowledges that the anti-Toyota Internet comments contributed to the decision. But, he says, 'It is not an engine defect. We are sure the problem comes from people not changing their oil often enough.'" (In other words: if you only change your oil a maximum of once a year in severe weather conditions - hot & cold - you're doubtless going to have some issues with your oil performance.)

I hadn't seen the CR-V fire issue - yessir, that is definitely a major defect. As I've said in the past, no man-made machine is immune to problems.

However, that doesn't change the overwhelming preponderance of statistics that PROVE Hondas and Toyotas are by-and-large better engineered, better built and more reliable than almost any domestic brand you care to name. Arguing about it doesn't change the facts. It's just the way it is. From J.D Powers 2004 Initial Quality Survey:

2004 Rankings

"Toyota continues in the Initial Quality Survey's top spot, with seven models receiving awards, the most of any corporation. Toyota is followed by American Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor America in a tie, and by BMW of North America. While General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Ford continue to demonstrate product improvement, all three continue to rank below the industry average."

Consumer Reports and Consumer Digest report similar findings.

Now, on a more POSITIVE NOTE, J.D. Power's ranking for last year's Mustang actually produced some positive statistics, overall. Mechanical quality got 5/5...Feature and Accessory Quality got 5/5...Overall Quality got 4/5:

http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/pvs/PowerVe...ge=301&vid=1693 [/b][/quote]
Robert,
Thank you for the intelligent and mature post. If I may say, it shows you to be a gentleman.

 

I have noticed a lot more tranny noise the past week. I have about 900 miles on it so far. I didn't do anything because I thought I was just really bad at manual transmission, but even when I shift perfectly it clunks. Like other posters have mentioned, only in 1st and 2nd gears.

 

Here's one about the Toyota/Lexus sludge problem:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/lexus.html

and another:

http://consumeraffairs.com/news02/toyota_sludge.html

another:

http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?did=566&scid=101

another:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2002/0...yota-sludge.htm

Here's one on the Honda CRV fire issue:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/...0/bz/bz34p.html

Another:

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/14/pf/autos/honda_fires/

Another:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...4-2004Dec9.html

There are more but I don't feel like posting them. [/b][/quote]
wow...

 

Well after my experance with my 02 SVT Focus, I swore that I wouldnt buy another first year car. with that being said I'm not getting GT till Spring 06 so they can get these problems sorted.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isnt the Tremec more or less the same thing as the infamous T45 from BW that came out in 1996 with the Modular V8? The Mustang 5 speed has always been a source of issues with people in variying degrees...even people with the T5 in the earlier mustangs had problems with them. Its nothing new.

 

Thanks for providing those!

Of course, regarding the Toyota "sludge" issue, all the articles point out that it's unclear whether it's actually a manufacturer defect, or consumer stupidity when it comes to regular maintenance:

"Toyota spokesman John Hanson acknowledges that the anti-Toyota Internet comments contributed to the decision. But, he says, 'It is not an engine defect. We are sure the problem comes from people not changing their oil often enough.'" (In other words: if you only change your oil a maximum of once a year in severe weather conditions - hot & cold - you're doubtless going to have some issues with your oil performance.)

I hadn't seen the CR-V fire issue - yessir, that is definitely a major defect. As I've said in the past, no man-made machine is immune to problems.

However, that doesn't change the overwhelming preponderance of statistics that PROVE Hondas and Toyotas are by-and-large better engineered, better built and more reliable than almost any domestic brand you care to name. Arguing about it doesn't change the facts. It's just the way it is. From J.D Powers 2004 Initial Quality Survey:

2004 Rankings

"Toyota continues in the Initial Quality Survey's top spot, with seven models receiving awards, the most of any corporation. Toyota is followed by American Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor America in a tie, and by BMW of North America. While General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Ford continue to demonstrate product improvement, all three continue to rank below the industry average."

Consumer Reports and Consumer Digest report similar findings.

Now, on a more POSITIVE NOTE, J.D. Power's ranking for last year's Mustang actually produced some positive statistics, overall. Mechanical quality got 5/5...Feature and Accessory Quality got 5/5...Overall Quality got 4/5:

http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/pvs/PowerVe...ge=301&vid=1693 [/b][/quote]
I would agree with you Robert that Hondas and Toyotas are well engineered (I actually owned an Acura at one time). My point of posting all the links is that there are those that believe on the eigth day, God created Toyota (I work with a guy like that and he's very annoying). All brands have their issues and problems, some are worse, some are better. I personally have never had a serious issue with a Ford product (but I know people that have). GM, on the other hand, is a different story from my personal experience....