Hyundai Recalls Almost 1 Million
04-22-09, 01:45 PM
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So does that mean Toyota was too cheap to galvanize the underbody of the Tacoma?
Hyundai/Kia just has to learn from this experience due to the amount/type of salt used in the Northern regions of the US.
Does that mean Toyota/Lexus was too "cheap" to install/design quality fuel pipes?
Are problems w/ the steering mechanism not important?
Uhh, Toyota is hardly the only company using more ultra-high-tensile-strength steel - Hyundai and Kia are using more on their newer models.
As for Sportage doing poorly on the roof-strength test, yeah, it was bad, but keep in mind that the Sportage is model that is long overdue for a redesign (it having been designed years prior to such a test being announced), unlike the CR-V which just underwent a new redesign (you can't argue that Honda isn't "pricey").
Not always.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/12/v...ecall-coverup/
Hyundai/Kia just has to learn from this experience due to the amount/type of salt used in the Northern regions of the US.
You get what you pay for. If anyone ever wondered how Hyundai vehicles can be so cheap yet seemingly offer so much, this is one reason why. Hyundai cuts corners, some more noticeable than others. People complain about how Toyota and Lexus prices have risen and how Toyota/Lexus offers less value, but it's all relative and most people only look at the situation from a glance.
CNN Money -- November 29, 2007 -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will recall about a quarter of a million cars worldwide, including 34,400 Lexus models in the U.S., due to potential cracks in the fuel pipes.
The defect serves as another speed bump for the world's second-biggest auto maker, which has had to grapple with a surge in recalls and a ding in a recent quality survey as it moves swiftly towards becoming the industry's top dog.
The latest recall covers certain 2006 Lexus GS 300, IS 250 and IS 350 models in the U.S.
In Japan, a total of 215,020 cars, including Crown, Mark X and several Lexus models, built between December 2003 and December 2005 will also be called back for the fix.
Toyota said there have been no related accidents. Newly designed fuel pipes will replace the old when the recall begins in December.
The defect serves as another speed bump for the world's second-biggest auto maker, which has had to grapple with a surge in recalls and a ding in a recent quality survey as it moves swiftly towards becoming the industry's top dog.
The latest recall covers certain 2006 Lexus GS 300, IS 250 and IS 350 models in the U.S.
In Japan, a total of 215,020 cars, including Crown, Mark X and several Lexus models, built between December 2003 and December 2005 will also be called back for the fix.
Toyota said there have been no related accidents. Newly designed fuel pipes will replace the old when the recall begins in December.
Torrance, Calif. -- Toyota said Friday that it has launched a safety recall of about 214,500 Lexus vehicles sold in the U.S. due to the potential corrosion of the cars' fuel delivery pipes.
WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it was recalling 533,000 Tundra pickup trucks and Sequoia sport utility vehicles because of potential steering problems.
Toyota said the recall involved 2004-2006 Tundra trucks and 2004-2007 Sequoia full-size SUVs. The automaker has received reports of 11 accidents and six injuries connected to the recall, said Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong.
The automaker said there was a possibility of excessive wear to a front suspension lower ball joint that could make it difficult to steer the vehicle and stay in the center of the lane. Drivers may also notice more noise coming from the front suspension, Kwong said.
Toyota recalled about 775,000 pickups and SUVs in May 2005 — one of its largest recalls ever — because of similar problems with the front suspension. The recall included 2002-2004 model years of the Tundra and Sequoia.
Toyota said the recall involved 2004-2006 Tundra trucks and 2004-2007 Sequoia full-size SUVs. The automaker has received reports of 11 accidents and six injuries connected to the recall, said Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong.
The automaker said there was a possibility of excessive wear to a front suspension lower ball joint that could make it difficult to steer the vehicle and stay in the center of the lane. Drivers may also notice more noise coming from the front suspension, Kwong said.
Toyota recalled about 775,000 pickups and SUVs in May 2005 — one of its largest recalls ever — because of similar problems with the front suspension. The recall included 2002-2004 model years of the Tundra and Sequoia.
Toyota/Lexus models (to the average person) appear to offer less value because of changes that cannot be seen. For example Toyota now uses a lot more ultra-high-tensile-strength steel than it did years ago. A lot of people are complaining about the big weight increase with the new 3rd gen RX, but a big reason for this weight increase is a stronger, more substantial frame for improved crash-worthiness and more sound insulation.
Related to this topic, the recent IIHS roof-strength test was a perfect example. VW did well in the test, as did Subaru. Both are brands that are considered a bit "pricey" compared to mainstream brands, but the IIHS shows that you get what you pay for. Toyota did decent in the test, and Honda (CR-V) and Kia did pretty bad.
Related to this topic, the recent IIHS roof-strength test was a perfect example. VW did well in the test, as did Subaru. Both are brands that are considered a bit "pricey" compared to mainstream brands, but the IIHS shows that you get what you pay for. Toyota did decent in the test, and Honda (CR-V) and Kia did pretty bad.
As for Sportage doing poorly on the roof-strength test, yeah, it was bad, but keep in mind that the Sportage is model that is long overdue for a redesign (it having been designed years prior to such a test being announced), unlike the CR-V which just underwent a new redesign (you can't argue that Honda isn't "pricey").
Its not as simple as rather they will fix it or not, they ahve to fix it, its how they will fix it. For example, a friend of mine has a old Tacoma. It had a recall for body rust, when he bought the truck into the dealer, they found rust and offer to buy his truck back at book value. many other company would just try to fix it, but Toyota as a company really stand behind their product and have proven that over and over again.
Levi Stewart lost his life after the steering relay rod on his 1991 Toyota pickup snapped, causing the truck to roll. Officials labeled the accident alcohol-related due to the fact the teenager had a blood-alcohol level of .03 (legal limit for adults in his state over the age of 21 is .08), but that was before anyone involved with the investigation knew of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall. The relay rod, which connects the steering wheel to the front tires, had been under recall since 2005, but neither the truck owner or the previous owner had been notified of the defect.
Lawyers for the Stewart family are accusing Toyota of both delaying and improperly distributing the recall notice, which affected 1 million trucks and SUVs. The lawyers contend they have evidence that Toyota has known about the problem since as early as 1996, yet the recall didn't begin until 2005. Toyota actually started the recall in Japan a year earlier, and Toyota waited a full year before starting the recall action in the U.S. The reason Toyota has stated for the delay was that driving conditions were different in Japan, and that there were no incidents reported in the U.S. Japanese media told NBC that it knew of 80 incidents in Japan. Hit the jump to view NBC's investigational video.
Lawyers for the Stewart family are accusing Toyota of both delaying and improperly distributing the recall notice, which affected 1 million trucks and SUVs. The lawyers contend they have evidence that Toyota has known about the problem since as early as 1996, yet the recall didn't begin until 2005. Toyota actually started the recall in Japan a year earlier, and Toyota waited a full year before starting the recall action in the U.S. The reason Toyota has stated for the delay was that driving conditions were different in Japan, and that there were no incidents reported in the U.S. Japanese media told NBC that it knew of 80 incidents in Japan. Hit the jump to view NBC's investigational video.
04-22-09, 01:53 PM
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Sorry for the smart remarks, but the truth is, you do get what you pay for. I couldn't even begin to agree more with TRDFantasy's post on the previous page. It's very true everyone has recalls, European cars are not immune either. But when you see suspension control arms separating due to insufficient or non-existant coating on the underside of the vehicle, it's clearly due to cost-cutting.
Hyundai itself is making great strides, I'll be the first person to acknowledge that - but there is still noticable distinctions in quality between most Hyundai products and the Japanese. The quality of the interior, the way the engineering is done - it's clear they are benchmarking the Japanese, not the Europeans, which isn't a bad thing (their reliability is great), but even Toyota looks to "other continents" when they are developing automobiles. Toyota and Honda know where look when building a car, and it isn't Korea - it's Europe. The Japanese have long been ridiculously brilliant emulators, and they deserve immense credit - Hell, even GM looks to Opel for their new quality automobiles - but Hyundai is setting the bar on Toyota and Lexus, they need to broden their scope of emulation IMO if they ever want to be more than the the Korean Toyota - and in that battle, Toyota and Japan will always win. Now, the Genesis is a nice car for the price, but let's get real - the unpopular GS still wipes the floor clean, even if it's more expensive. It's true Hyundai comes close, but their products are never at true parity on any real front with the class-benchmarks from Japan, let alone Europe.
Last edited by FKL; 04-22-09 at 02:04 PM.
04-22-09, 03:19 PM
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I do agree with the FKL/TRD comments "you get what you pay for". Lets remember they have made strides recently, not too long ago things were not so great.
Hyundai is rising from being bought for "value" more than anything and this shows with recent products like the Genesis sedan which is a great "value" but is on par with some great cars.
Hyundai is rising from being bought for "value" more than anything and this shows with recent products like the Genesis sedan which is a great "value" but is on par with some great cars.
04-22-09, 05:27 PM
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To put it another way:
If Hyundai products were the same price as the comparable Japanese offering, which would you choose?
Hyundai is rising like a bat out of hell, but it's still clear they haven't "become" Honda, Toyota, or Nissan - Yet. Who knows what will be of the landscape ten years down the line, but I would still put my money on Japan.
If Hyundai products were the same price as the comparable Japanese offering, which would you choose?
Hyundai is rising like a bat out of hell, but it's still clear they haven't "become" Honda, Toyota, or Nissan - Yet. Who knows what will be of the landscape ten years down the line, but I would still put my money on Japan.
04-22-09, 06:45 PM
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To put it another way:
If Hyundai products were the same price as the comparable Japanese offering, which would you choose?
Hyundai is rising like a bat out of hell, but it's still clear they haven't "become" Honda, Toyota, or Nissan - Yet. Who knows what will be of the landscape ten years down the line, but I would still put my money on Japan.
If Hyundai products were the same price as the comparable Japanese offering, which would you choose?
Hyundai is rising like a bat out of hell, but it's still clear they haven't "become" Honda, Toyota, or Nissan - Yet. Who knows what will be of the landscape ten years down the line, but I would still put my money on Japan.
just look at kia. they were making ugly cars, but now their chief, peter schreyer is changing the culture. their new offerings are very exciting. looking at Soul, forte coupe, a3 concept, new sorrento, VG, and etc, it's clear indication that design will be their for Korean companies.
performance + quality + design + price advantage = success
and soon hyundai's bad brand rep will expire. give them another decade. many people will choose hyundai over honyota just like how many people are choosing samsung over sony. they are equal in quality, design, and performance, but samsung is a bit cheaper than sony. so why would you want to pay more for sony?
i fully expect hyundai to be right up there to honyota. their growth is phenomenal and their new offerings are expected to be much much better. i expect new sonata to be BETTER than accord and camry. spy shots are looking good, and many say it's a baby genesis. when hyundai makes the midsize as good as or better than honyota, then the real war really begin IMO.
Last edited by joe80; 04-22-09 at 07:33 PM.
04-23-09, 12:52 AM
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Samsung is actually gaining pricing power over Sony. Most Chaebols have huge economies of scale, but I still don't see Hyundai building vehicles truely on par with Japan and Germany's best, not yet.
04-23-09, 06:39 AM
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To be fair, the Koreans are taking a page out of the Japanese playbook from 30 years ago. It is much easier and cheaper to copy someone else's technology instead of inventing their own. Thats what the Japanese did in the 60s and 70s, they copy technologies from the German and the Americans. Now the Japanese are getting a taste of their own medicine and getting beat in their own game.
04-23-09, 11:28 AM
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To be fair, the Koreans are taking a page out of the Japanese playbook from 30 years ago. It is much easier and cheaper to copy someone else's technology instead of inventing their own. Thats what the Japanese did in the 60s and 70s, they copy technologies from the German and the Americans. Now the Japanese are getting a taste of their own medicine and getting beat in their own game.
04-23-09, 01:26 PM
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Sorry for the smart remarks, but the truth is, you do get what you pay for. I couldn't even begin to agree more with TRDFantasy's post on the previous page. It's very true everyone has recalls, European cars are not immune either. But when you see suspension control arms separating due to insufficient or non-existant coating on the underside of the vehicle, it's clearly due to cost-cutting.
Keep in mind many auto manufacturers have had this problem, including Japanese makes aside from Toyota w/ the Tacoma.
Nissan Altimas and Maximas in "salt states" are prone to corrosion of the rear subframe bushings and in some cases, even cracking of the car subframe. Nissan is aware of these problems and has issued a service bulletin and extended the Altima and Maxima subframe warranty.
MODELS AFFECTED: 2002-2005 Nissan Altima and 2004-2005 Nissan Maxima vehicles in "salt states".
MODELS AFFECTED: 2002-2005 Nissan Altima and 2004-2005 Nissan Maxima vehicles in "salt states".
Panasonic (next to Pioneer; it's really too bad Pioneer is leaving the market) has the best plasmas (tho, now Samsung is close), but Panasonic's plasma tech came from the US when Panasonic bought the leading US company in plasma technology.
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