Toyota Loses Quality Grade

Mag denies carmaker rubber stamp as Ford, US cars close reliability gap
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2007 8:16 PM CDT
Toyota Loses Quality Grade
A man sits in the Harrisburg Toyota showroom in Harrisburg, Pa., Friday, Sept. 28, 2007. Retail sales posted a stronger-than-expected gain and prices at the wholesale level jumped up significantly in September. The Commerce Department reported Friday, Oct. 12, 2007 that retail sales increased 0.6 percent...   (Associated Press)

Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey won't rubber stamp Toyotas with a high grade anymore, the Wall Street Journal reports. Recent low marks for the Camry V-6 and Tundra V-8 have robbed the carmaker of its automatic okay, while Ford and other US firms are closing the reliability gap. Toyota's other recent problems include a rash of defections and declining sales.

But Asian cars still rank best in overall reliability, and Toyota is third-most reliable after Honda and Subaru. "We believe Toyota is aware of its issues and is trying to fix problems quickly," says a Consumer Reports director.The carmaker now has to submit "reliability data" for each model to receive a grade from the mag. Deemed least reliable by Consumer Reports was Land Rover, a brand that Ford is trying to sell. (More Toyota stories.)

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