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Comments
Running boards? We don't need no Steenkin running boards.....
I din't like the look of the Tundra running boards, they were expensive, and my daughter learned how to climb in the truck without them. I also didn't like the fact that they lower the ground clearance.
The Tundra back seat is not that bad. I have been in the back of many compact cars that have less room. The trick for adults is to slide the front seats forward some (The Tundra has a lot of front seat legroom). My 6' tall, 78yr old father-in-law has ridden back there for hours without a complaint.
Reduced ground clearance is a definite drawback with step bars. However, even with them on I still have over 11" between the bottom of the step bar and the ground, which is still 1.5" greater than the distance between the rear differential and the ground.
You stick you father-in-law in the back seat? Well, I guess I shouldn't say too much. When 6 of us go places, it is me driving, my son in the middle front seat, and my father-in-law in the front passenger seat. Then in the back seat it's my wife behind me, then my daughter in the middle, and then my mother-in-law on the right.
I was riding back from a trip to Mt. St Helens. My 11yr old daughter wanted to ride up front and my father-in-law agreed.
I go out to lunch every Friday with some friends of mine from work (both over 6') I have never had a complaint from either of them. One of them drives a 2 door Saab and the Tundra rear seat has more room and it easier to get into and out of than the Saab.
KD
Great vehicle -- I'd buy again.
I have been reading this website for two years - only one reported transmission failure. Now go to Chev's topics and look - a veritable bloodbath!
Edmund's claimed the GM truck they had for their long-term test was the most unreliable vehicle they have ever tested by a factor of two!
Cmon Quad - you are the only one gullible to believe the tripe you are posting.
Or
Maybe you should not put a tranny designed for a compact in a mid size truck.
Ragards
Yep, that's what I'm gonna do. Because those chevy commercials got me believe'n that chevy trucks are built like a rock...or is built like a chunk...I can never get that straight...Oh hell, it doesn't matter. I believe, therefore it is fact!!!
I personally haven't checked the site so I necessarily cant say its not true. Heres whats true though. I've seen one or two posts in here regarding Tundra trans problems, not a significant figure. I go into Silverado problems or See-Error probs. and theres a problem for each day of the week. So i guess whats happening is all those Toyota owners are reporting trans probs. to NHSTA and not to Edmunds. The GM / Ford owners are too busy posting all their lemon probs. and dont have time to get a hold of NHSTA. Only thing i can think of, otherwise someones math is fuzzy.
Tundra IS generating complaints at twice the rate of G.M. or Ford.
Tundra complaints reported to NHTSA 2000-2002 are 148. Tundra sales over the same period are 237,000. That's a complaint ratio of 0.6 complaints per 1000 vehicles.
Silverado complaints reported to NHTSA 2000-2002 are 523. Silverado sales over the same period are 1,600,000. That's a complaint ratio of 0.3 complaints per 1000 vehicles.
It is YOU who made the mistake because you didn't account for the fact that Silverados over the same period of 2000-2002 outnumber Tundras 6.75 to 1.
Better stick to forged piston theories. Math is not your strong point!
Just which alternate brand would you choose in lieu of a Toyota to get the quality you're looking for? Dodge, Ford, GM? They all have worse transmission (and other) problems than Toyota. Any objective statistical study ever done has indicated this.
Also, did you get a 2nd opinion on replacing the whole transmission for a bad overdrive unit? Sometimes dealers prefer to just switch parts rather than tie up a transmission specialist for a long time repairing one. Not saying it didn't require it, but I had two overdrives go out on a '97 Dodge Ram, and neither required a new transmission. And both of those happened at under 36,000 miles.
But if covered under warranty, you should be happy to have a BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION at 52000 miles.
No vehicle line is perfect. But Toyota is right up there at the top in terms of quality. I think you're expecting way too much out of your vehicle. Try buying a $60,000 BMW 540i and driving it to the shop about every 2 months or so for a (usually something minor, but still annoying and expensive) repair. Then you'll appreciate your Toyota more. I've owned two of them so it's not a fluke.
Edmunds has a very active user base of domestic truck owners discussing their problems here, and a much smaller but much more defensive group of Tundra owners who don't talk about their problems, instead insisting us poor domestic saps are making this up. You can (and should) read the archives of http://www.tundrasolutions.com if what you want is a user forum of active participants engaging in truthful discussions about Tundras.
cblake2 "Engine Sludge? (Discussion Re-Opened)" Jan 5, 2001 6:13pm
0-60mph in about 9.5 to 10 seconds vs. the Tundra's 8.0 (2wd)?
Loud roaring and engine noise under heavy throttle vs. the turbine-like dohc V8 in the Tundra.
11mpg city with the big 5.9 V8 vs. 14-15 for the Tundra? (with my Ram I got 12.9 mpg unloaded in mixed city/hwy, it was really bad)
36K mi warranty on the powertrain vs 60K mi on the Toyota? That's two more years for most drivers. That's long enough to pay off a loan for the Toyota before you're gonna be out for anything major in repairs.
Toyota resale beats Dodge, which isn't bad either, but still inferior. The difference really kicks in on high mileage models, too. 2000 4wd quad cab Rams are advertised for about $18,000 here. A 2000 4x4 Tundra would be hard to find for less than $23,000. The Tundra cost a little more, but not nearly that much.
As for "a big truck", well...the Tundra (1950lbs on 2wd V8) is rated for higher cargo capacity than the Ram. Also, with "big size" comes "big handling", which means not as nimble. Even the new models feel bigger on the road. For any driver who doesn't haul passengers in the back regularly, the Tundra is hard to beat. The size/power thing is overrated. I tow a trailer with mine regularly, and it does a better job yanking it around than my previous "big" trucks ( '98 F150, '95C-1500 Chevy, '97Dodge Ram, '01 Tahoe) Yes, this means it's faster. Check on the latest Truck Trend/Motor trend? for comparisons of them loaded and unloaded. The "small" Tundra outhauls the Ram by a long shot.
The new Ram is a big improvement over the old, but the old one really needed improving in some areas. Choose the Ram if you prefer the styling or the spacious cab advantage, but calling it "the best" is hard to support with facts.
Or, the Tundra owners are more motivated to get a hold of NHTSA because their problems are more severe?
All I can go by is what I've experienced, what people I talk to who own Toyotas have experienced(they rave about them), and what I can read in magazines and online. I've had a '95 Celica, a '93 Supra, a '91 4runner, and now a '00 Tundra, and the biggest problem I've had in a combined 150K miles of ownership was having to fix the power door locks on my then 9 year old Supra. A whopping $250. Oh yeah. I forgot. My seatbelt sticks a little when I get out on my Tundra. I'd better contact the NHTSA.
As for posters here who seem personally attached to defending their particular choice in vehicle, despite the facts, all I have to say is........ Psst...you didn't build it. You didn't design it. Why are you so darn proud of it? All you did was pay for it.
While you didn't directly say the complaints were transmission related, I think many of us took it that way since that was topic at time. I for one am not a number cruncher because sometimes the differences are hardly noticeable. Does no good to get all worked up like some, over tenths of seconds and inches.
I am not disagreeing with anything you've posted. It seems to me that in keeping up with these threads, the Toyota complaints Vs. GM / Ford / Dodge are minor in comparison. Is that to say that NHSTAs numbers correlate, not at all.
I like to stay open minded about all trucks. Personally i have a chev 1500 rado out front that roomate drives. I like the room it has, like look of truck, and definitely feels capable of going to work. As a mechanic, I've always enjoyed working on GM vehicles, chevy in particular. Engines had some room to roam around and it was a nice change up from the foreign cars that were most times compacted together.
As far as my postings, I personally feel that Toyota is superior in reliability to all trucks. Will I be able to work the thing like a F-350 super duty ?? maybe not. Yet I dont feel any other truck maker offers a better truck in reliability. I guess when I have heavy stuff to tow and need to work the farm, then i'll give the domestics a look, until then gonna try Tundra.
Having had no previous experience with full-sized trucks of any make or model, I was not aware of the shorter warranty periods provided by domestic manufacturers. This is good information, indeed.
brucec35, you were right. It was the dealership's call to replace the transmission. I suppose I just figured they were the specialists, and never questioned the decision.
f1jules...hey a witty, accountant surfer-dude. I can appreciate that, and I bet you're all the rave around the water cooler!
I understand the somewhat of a let down after so many other quality Toyota vehicles you've owned. The funny thing is, that you may feel a little cheated in having a trans problem at 52,000 but if you look through the other domestic threads, youll see that trans probs at 50,000 miles are not a fluke but more of a common issue. I'm not talking just the overdrive going out either, more like partial / complete failures. That isn't meant as a knock against non Toyota trucks but it seems to be truth. This isn't based only from the threads, but from my personal experiences as truck owner and mechanic.
Im interested to see how the rest of your truck has performed. By your own admittance you haven't owned any other full size trucks so you might not know exactly just how well Toyotas quality and reliability differ from the others. Toyota makes a heck of a product for most part, but its a whole lot easier to set themselves apart, when the domestics continue to fall short of mark.
Gas mileage is roughly the same. (as in the V6)
Short bed / Extended Cab gives mysterious feeling that something is always in the blind spot.
Automatic transmission much smoother than manual.
Since the extended cab V8's are more popular, I do not have a unique vehicle anymore.
Rear seat is tolerable. Perfect for one adult, Tolerable for two.
Front seats are very comfortable. (Captain Chairs). The V6 bench was just as good except the height adjustor.
Passenger front seat is much better than one piece bench seat. (Wife shorter than me)
Towing will be tested soon.
Short bed is also tolerable. I really would like to see Toyota offer long beds on more models. ( I miss the long bed.)
I am hoping the truck will get louder over time. The V6 did. (This is a good thing.)
I admire Dodge (actually Daimler-Chrysler) for stepping up to the plate with a fantastic standard powertrain warranty. Now the pressure is on Ford and GM to upgrade their measley 3yr/36k powertrain warranties.
http://www.audubonchrysler.com/
Toyota, on the other hand, has built for itself a reputation of quality and reliability, then puts the icing on the cake with a great warranty.
Mod's words:
"So based on the toy boy's way of thinking, the dodge will be better than toy......for at least another few days anyway!!!"
Well, based on the Chevy boys' way of thinking, their knocking trucks with the upgraded 100K warranty ought to be better than anything else on the road!
The best part about it is that the powertrain has the 60K mileage coverage....but what is that worth if Toyota denies coverage and blames it on the owner?
Good luck on this one now!!!
What a source of embarrasment this must be, obyone spending $30K on what Chevy convinced him was "the best built, longest lasting truck on the road."
I hope obyone sticks around in our Toyota threads, however. Despite his best efforts to criticize Toyotas, he provides the ultimate example of why Chevys should be avoided.
SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE ANY DIFFERENT?
Might have to give up the ride if I dont get a job soon... got laid off 3 weeks ago... and IT want ad is pretty thin.