Toyota reliability

[Bper]

Hi guys,

In conversation today with other car owners and was wondering 

Do owners of todays Toyota cars stil consider its reputation as a top reliable manufacturer despite increasing problems with faults on cars being reported.

Is the over reliance on computer technology affecting build quality.

 

Would be great to read feedback

 

Bob

[FROSTYBALLS]

Moved to General Discussions.

[Cyker]

I do; All the Toyotas I've had so far have been rock solid aside from the Mk2 Yaris, and long may it continue! You can see that they've put the money and resources into the important things first, whereas other manufacturers tend to put e.g. interior materials feel first.

I also like that they are more proactive with recalls, even minor ones, than most other manufacturers, who tend to only issue recalls when enough people have been killed by the fault that the DVLA forces them to.

I do think increased computer usage is affecting reliability across the board, as car manufacturers are terrible at debugging the increasingly large codebases in newer and newer cars, but that's another reason I like Toyota as they have been much more conservative on that front - Slow evolutions rather than rapid prototyping - so what their software lacks in cutting edge stuff it gains in reliability. The KISS principle, so to speak.

[Smani]

22 hours ago, Bper said:

Hi guys,

In conversation today with other car owners and was wondering 

Do owners of todays Toyota cars stil consider its reputation as a top reliable manufacturer despite increasing problems with faults on cars being reported.

Is the over reliance on computer technology affecting build quality.

 

Would be great to read feedback

 

Bob

Hope so, because I moved to Toyota solely because of reviews, friends references and historical searches about the manufacturer reliability.  I can give my own consideration after few years.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Our last four Toyota have been absolutely fine. Only had one warranty claim for three (tailgate struts replaced on two, and O2 sensor replaced on one), none for the other. Otherwise just routine servicing.

[APS]

By the very nature of it, this is an impossible question to give a true answer to right now as the truth lies in the future. But we can always pontificate.

On the whole I think the reliability is still there. What you see more problems with are ancillary things like in car entertainment etc. not so much mechanical problems (correct me if I'm wrong here). It's not necessarily the electronics that are problematic per se, but the added complexity they allow. Complexity is the enemy of security ...and reliability. Keep things simple and you decrease the risk of things going wrong. 

To me, the heyday of Toyota reliability were in the first decade of this century. This was a point in time when Toyota really tried to take on European manufacturers not only in terms of quality but in perceived quality. The new corolla launched in 2002 had engineers spending man years on getting the door shut sound just right and 'fridge like'. The cockpit was more traditionally European, Optitron instrument clusters and door handles were brought over from Lexus models. The same happened with the Yaris, Avensis and RAV4. If you look at these cars today, now around 10 and 20 years old, you see that many are still running and many have little to no rust (yes, some Yaris have succumbed). Generally much better than many European contemporary cars.

With the broader implementation of HSD in the 2010's, engines and drivelines got more reliable. Diesel's got poor rep mostly due to clogged DPFs and dual mass flywheels.  

What we are seeing now is Toyota driving some level of excitement in the products, allowing bolder and more interesting designs in newer models. 

At the heart, Toyota is typically Japanese with a  highly conservative culture. It focuses on making iterative changes in order to continuously improve on existing components and processes. This continues to this day. If you open the bonnet or look underneath a new Toyota you will recognise the way they put things together. It has looked the same for many years now and for good reasons; it works. This is not to say everything is perfect or that they don't get things wrong and that there aren't problems with new Toyota's. Still, all things considered, I'm confident about the quality and would feel better spending my hard earned cash on a Toyota/Lexus than just about any other car make.

[Roy124]

Only a 12v Battery problem but not unique to Toyota. 

[Aamir2892]

My Compressor is the most reliable car I've had, 6 years always starts and drives no issues. Only major thing was the clutch replaced, other than that nothing else apart from usual servicing etc.

It being a 3 door though is taking its toll with having to take family around on weekends etc, so been looking at another car, 5 door, Auto. Been looking at Lexus, and even the dark side of Audi & BMW. Used car market is a joke right now, high mileage and people expecting a high price.

[RUToyota]

Over the many Toyota vehicles I've had they have all been brilliant in terms of reliability...needing only routine service items/normal consumables.

It's why we buy nothing but Toyota now.

[2toyos]

I have 3 Toyota's, all various ages, 28yrs, 17yrs and a 62plate hybrid, touch wood, not 1 has actually left me stranded on the side of the road, any issue Ive had, they always carry on home, and just replace the issues, because of their age, I don't mind, everything has a shelf life, my family are Toyota drivers, part from my brother, who loves the Germans, in the 4years I've had my 2nd hand, used and abused land cruiser, he has had 8 different examples of the finest German engineering, they all went bang, fun fact, the most used ground military vehicle EVER, are Toyota land cruisers

[Cyker]

Yeah it's a bit like being in some weird alternative universe, when I talk to other people and they talk about replacing shocks and suspension arms and bushes and exhausts and drive shafts and head gaskets and stuff as if it's normal and routine, and I'm like... well, it's had its oil changed...?