So much for that toyota quality..
For you Toyota haters out there
.. Can you name some really good, reliable American cars made in the last 10 years? I may be in the market
..
Im not looking for a truck or SUV.
I would like suggestions that offer good MPGs and a proven long term reliability record.
Thanks for any help you can give.
American made or American owned? I will continue to say it: Asian quality doesn't belong to Honda and Toyota anymore. It does, however belong to Hyundai. American made, the Sonata is made in Alabama. Take a look at the new '10 on the website. And the 2.0L and 2.4L that Hyundai is using is the same one that came from the Global Platform design that's based on the Chrysler 2.0L and 2.4L in the Caliber, etc.
American owned? I'd throw the Fusion against anything foreign. Coming from a former Ford tech who's not a big fan of anything new Ford from having to work on 'em I will say that car is right on the nose. Maybe it's because they didn't come off the truck needing recalls done. They didn't turn right around and come back in a week later with some stupid complaint against them.
Both cars in 4 cyl trim are estimated 34-35 mpg. Real world experience from a former co-worker on his 2.3/5-speed Fusion (non-hybrid) was getting 38 mpg highway.
As for the Toyota I'm not surprised, especially with the Fed's launching an investigation if the company knew something going back to '06 on the Pruis. This is the same company which internal memoes from the engineers revealed an oiling issue, remember? Internal memoes which the bean counters and the corporate suits decided to ignore, watched the engines blow, and then blamed it on the customers. They then decided to charge the customers for new engines and lost a class action lawsuit once the internal memoes were revealed in court that the engineers knew the internal oil passages would be an issue. That's called corporate malfeasance, the very same way the tobacco industry lost it's case in court. So, through history, Toyota has something against them that already has set them up for government investigation. Like it or not, the suit they lost previously has put a target on them.
As for panic situations, yes, as has been pointed out, this is very true. Defensive driving courses and driving schools deal with this, but how many people think of themselves as such great drivers that they don't need further education on the subject? Brakes go out? Isn't that what the e-brake it for? How many will think to use the e-brake? Ford got in trouble in this some time ago because of exploding tires and people panicking.
I like the idea that "well, such and such uses the same system." Yeah and Dodge used the same Firestones which were exploding on the Explorer. Ever think that it's compatible with the other makes and not Toyota. Someone said: the OE supplier in Japan is Denso for this unit, but for the American assembled cars it's someone else. Ever think there's something incompatible between the unit currently in use and the ECU? Perhaps the ECU is programmed to use the Denso unit and through a small variance in resistance this one just isn't the same, therefore hanging up. If that's the case, then it
is the company's fault for not using the appropriate components.