- Toyota falls from 6th position in 2009 to 21st in J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. Initial Quality Study.
- Overall, domestic automakers rank higher in initial quality than import brands for the first time.
- Porsche leads the overall nameplate rankings; Land Rover holds the last place./li>
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California — Toyota's image problems continued on Thursday, with the results of an influential study showing that the Japanese automaker's quality rankings took a dramatic tumble in the aftermath of its massive recalls. The J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. Initial Quality Study said that Toyota fell from 6th position in 2009 to 21st in 2010 due to an increase in "problem count."
"Clearly, Toyota has endured a difficult year," said Dave Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Recent consumer concerns regarding Toyota's quality are reflected in the nameplate's performance in the 2010 study."
In sharp contrast, the domestic auto brands demonstrated higher initial quality than import brands for the first time, the study pointed out. "Substantial improvements by many domestic models, including the Ford Focus, Ram 1500 and Buick Enclave, drive the overall improvement of domestic automakers in 2010," the study said.
Porsche leads the overall nameplate rankings, the study said, with Land Rover holding down last place. Mini posted the largest improvement in 2010, the study reported.
As the study results were being released, Toyota was hosting a media conference to tout the restarting of work on its Mississippi assembly facility. Toyota's U.S. CEO, Jim Lentz, was asked if the conference call was designed to take the edge off the J.D. Power survey results.
"The timing is coincidental," Lentz said. "I think overall, we're probably disappointed, but probably not surprised [in the results]. The survey was right during the heart of the recall and the intense coverage around the recall. It was the vehicles involved in the recall that were hit pretty hard. But we had six segment award winners [in the study]. We are paying close attention to what the customers are telling us through J.D. Power and we'll make adjustments as necessary."
The study said the Honda Accord Crosstour and the redesigned Ford Mustang, Ford Taurus and Lexus GX 460 each rank highest in initial quality in their respective segments. The Ford Fusion, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe and sedan and Porsche Panamera also "launch with notably high initial quality levels," the study said.
Inside Line says: The quality report card comes out and Toyota takes a pounding, but the domestic automakers have reason to celebrate. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
tbone85 says:
03:10 PM, 06/21/2010
I'm going to take a wild guess, and assume you had no problem with the methodology of this exact same report in previous years when Toyota was at the top?
Hopefully Toyota is not taking this same delusional tack. One report is not the be all or end all, however, it's certainly worth considering what this snapshot means. A manufacturer hiding their head in the sand is an irrational reaction--and precisely what happened to Detroit 30 years ago.
auto_llol says:
08:38 PM, 06/20/2010
"Toyota, toyota, toyota, u cant stop pushing it but it wont stop. i have heard anybody write about the explosive recalls from GM. simply attack of foreign products. someone talks about hyundai and u forget it is korean. Te survey is poor, 90 days cant tell what will happen to the car in its life time. Ui hardly see GM cars with 200K miles or plus which is so common with foreign cars. Until you make up to that us still have alot of word to unleash but we want action, proven action. i cant get rid of my prius giving 50mpg what u got to match that???
vetteboy68 says:
06:43 PM, 06/18/2010
As someone who was raised on GM, and in my adult life has owned everything from GM trucks to BMW's to Hondas to Nissans to Lexuses, I can make the argument that Toyota has gotten very greedy and complacent the past several years. I owned two Lexuses, an 07 an an 08, both purchased with the hopes that they would live up to the quality reputation, and both had build quality and drivetrain issues that you would not have expected in a Toyota product. Yes, most of what GM pushed out in the 80's and 90's was crap, but in the last few years I have seen some real impressive stuff. The quality is way up, the dynamics are on par with the best, even stuff from Ford, which I have never been a fan of, is impressive. This is definately showing a new era of American poducts that people actually WANT to buy. Every Toyota product that I have seen and driven in the past few years (including the new Tundra, which even though they filmed a commercial of it plowing, I was told putting a plow on one would void the warrantee) has felt and looked like the workmanship you would expect out of an 80's Monte Carlo. They need to go back to their old ways, and remember what they were doing that put them on top 30 years ago, because they have obviously forgotten what it was. Or they just don't care.
hollowtek says:
05:41 PM, 06/18/2010
one way to solve this is to never buy any car featured in nascar.
rodger_victor says:
08:31 AM, 06/18/2010
Oh I forgot, Edmunds.com is only for "pro Japanese" comments. If I am so anti Japanese, why is there a Honda Odyssey in my driveway? I have owned vehicles from Japanese, American, and European manufacturers. But quite frankly, I have had the most problems with the Japanese nameplates that have graced my garage. So, yes. I can comment on my owning them.
lostboyz says:
08:08 AM, 06/18/2010
its obviously been edited, though it would've been nice to see a comment on it, or they couldve just deleted the post entirely and saved the confusion
fuhteng says:
08:03 AM, 06/18/2010
+ tbone85. What exactly did rodge_victor say? I will chime in - Toyota got what was coming to it for flaws in their products. Now I'm racist for saying that? Sweet. Good thing we have people like igo1 and supra4 to dictate what we can and can't say about a foreign company.
tbone85 says:
07:43 AM, 06/18/2010
Unless it's been edited, what exactly was racist in rodger_victor's post? As the post stands now, he mentioned nothing about race or nationality. He doesn't like Toyota and he alledges they were paying off the feds. Whether you agree or disagree with that opinion, it's not like he said all workers or companies from a particular country suck.
After the statements made on these boards many times about all American companies and workers none of those posting below made any mention of racism. Here we have a comment specific to a single company, and you're dredging up that kind of charge? So is any criticism of Toyota now considered racist? Is criticism of Chrysler also racist?
lostboyz says:
04:41 AM, 06/18/2010
@quatlen
how exactly is toyota back on track again? They haven't solved anything, and the lawsuits have just begun. The only reason it isn't on the news anymore is because of the oil spill.
supra4 says:
03:22 AM, 06/18/2010
rodger_victor:
Your racist comments are not wanted or tolerated here. For future reference, you should keep your rather large character flaws (bigotry) to yourself. Such attitudes and sentiments discredit any valid claims you may (and thats a long shot) make.