Toyota Fuel Pump Recall and White Paint Defect - Expert Opinions On Damage to Toyota’s Reputation

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Two very significant challenges are facing Toyota. Here’s what experts say about possible damage to Toyota’s reputation for quality and reliability.

Toyota’s strong brand is built on three pillars; Quality, durability, and reliability. Over the past year, Toyota has struggled to manage two widespread issues. One is the Toyota fuel pump recall affecting millions of owners. The second is a campaign undertaken by Toyota to address the peeling paint defect on two colors of white the company used on many different models.

Background Story: Toyota Extends Warranty On Peeling White Blizzard Pearl Camry, 4Runner, Corolla, Avalon, Scion, Lexus GX - Details Here

Toyota's Paint Defect and Fuel Pump Recall Efforts
Torque News has covered each problem, and both topics are among our top-viewed by readers. Each also has pages of comments from owners expressing frustration and looking for help from fellow owners. Some loyal owners are even going so far as to say they have had enough of this brand and won’t buy another Toyota or Lexus. One of our readers posted a detailed overview of the paint problem and ended his post by saying, “I now have more than two sq ft of bare metal on my Prius. This is my 5th & last Toyota.” Many owners struggling with the fuel pump recall report extended waits to get their car back. One Torque News reader commented, “Been waiting three months. Car in the dealership. Have a rental. Never will buy a Toyota again.”

Background Story: Toyota Updates Its Huge Fuel Pump Recall - Here's The Fix For Your Vehicle

TrueCar Expert Opinion
While Toyota is doing its usual impressive job of trying to help the many affected owners, we wondered if the problem may result in long-term damage to Toyota’s reputation. To find out, we reached out to two experts. The first is Nick Woolard, Director of OEM Analytics at TrueCar. He is also an expert on Toyota’s reliability legacy, having worked with Toyota for a decade as an analyst. We asked Mr. Woolard if Toyota’s reputation may be damaged, and if he felt that the resale value of these vehicles will be impacted. Mr. Woolard was clear with his answer, saying, “Like all brands, Toyota has recalls. Vehicles are complex machines. Consumers generally take a long-term view on a brand to assess durability and quality; given that lens, Toyota remains among the top brands across multiple measures."

Related Topic: Subaru Is Involved In A New 1.5M Car Recall Over Possible Fuel Pump Failure

Consumer Reports Expert Opinion
Our go-to source for many topics is Consumer Reports. When it comes to vehicle owner satisfaction and reliability, our opinion is that Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports Director of Auto Testing, is a top expert. Mr. Fisher has spent two decades involved with vehicle testing and participates in the CR reliability survey data collection and reporting. He has also been a development engineer for automakers. Our request for comment evolved into a conversation and Mr. Fisher helped us understand Toyota’s reliability reputation more clearly.

Mr. Fisher feels that Toyota’s legacy will not be tarnished by these two problems and he backed that up with some history and some insight. First, he explained that the two issues are not related. From his point of view, and CR’s, reliability and quality are separate things. Fisher told us that CR makes a concerted effort to separate the two topics. Quality is more subjective. It can be a fit and finish observation, a feeling one gets from a vehicle, and the impressions during a test drive. All of those are reported by CR in its road tests and customer satisfaction scores. Mr. Fisher told Torque News that as bad as the paint probem is, it is important to realize that Toyota didn’t have to do anything. The company opted to help owners. He says that in his experience this is unusual. Most automakers would not have done so.

Exactly What Is Reliability?
With regard to the massive fuel pump recall, Mr. Fisher also gave us a clear picture of the way reliability is viewed by CR. In its surveys, CR asks owners if their vehicle was the subject of a recall. A “yes” answer does not get recorded as a reliability problem. “We go further if the initial answer is yes,” said Fisher. “We ask a series of follow-up questions. We want to find out if the owner had any problem with their vehicle related to the underlying cause of the recall.” Fisher also added, “Recalls can be a good thing. Some automakers try to avoid addressing problems. We feel Toyota is the opposite. They want to have these cars in for an evaluation and fix all the ones that need attention.”

As Mr. Woolard said, “All manufacturers have recalls.” General Motors made headlines recently by trying to avoid a recall related to airbags. GM lost that appeal. NHTSA insisted it be conducted. Hyundai made headlines recently by being fined millions for avoiding an engine failure recall. By contrast, Toyota is pulling in millions of vehicles to inspect fuel pumps. Many of which are running just fine. Toyota is also trying to resolve a paint defect unrelated to safety as best it can. The paint program is not Toyota’s first rodeo. In the past, Toyota twice paid for full frame replacements on thousands of out-of-warranty trucks and SUVs when the frames suffered premature corrosion.

Toyota's Reputation - Our Conclusion
In the short term, Toyota is taking it on the chin regarding these two large, high-profile issues. However, both Mr. Fisher and Mr. Woolard agree that Toyota is not running from its problems, but rather, trying to help as many customers as it can in the best way possible. Will owners of Toyota cars, crossovers, and trucks with paint and fuel pump problems going to have this same big-picture view after the issues are resolved? Time will tell. Our take is that Toyota won’t be bumped off the reliability awards podium any time soon.

John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. Following his engineering program, John also completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

Submitted by Mark (not verified) on December 17, 2020 - 5:08PM

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As everyone noted all manufacturers have recalls.
Toyota still has an overall record that is the envy of all other makers.
For me reliability is the key indicator and can be statistically tracked. Chrysler had/has a poor record in this regard. I have long admired some Chrysler products but had steered clear because of their poor reliability record. My Dad bought a Dodge Aspen in 1978 and it was profoundly unreliable. It was repeatedly in the shop for various mechanical ills and then for multiple recalls.
That experience kept me away until the second gen Caravan where I convinced myself they had cured the ills of the early models.
I was wrong.
It was the most grievously unreliable piece of garbage I have owned in my life. And this comes from someone who regularly bought $200-$800 cars while in High school to fix and trade.

The quality issue is often related if one can see a pattern. Toyota paint has been excellent for me so I attribute the unhappy Prius owner with a bad example.

Submitted by Mark Day (not verified) on December 17, 2020 - 6:53PM

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Unlike in the movie The Graduate, plastic is not where it’s at. According to a class-action lawsuit the problem with the fuel pump is that it has plastic impellers – genius. What’s next plastic engines, transmissions? Since 2013 Toyota has been on severe cost-cutting campaign, negatively affecting reliability. Here is what Toyota cut from the 2013 RAV4 vs. the equipment in the 2012 – determining my decision to make possibly my last Toyota purchase, a 2012 RAV4 Limited V6 4WD. I’ll probably be looking at Mazda or Hyundai for my next purchase.
RAV4 Features dropped for 2013: V6 Engine option, 3rd row option, Full size spare tire,
Optitron gauges,
Headlamps "ON" indicator,
Valet key on some models,
LED tail lights & brake lights,
Auto OFF headlights (except Limited),
Variable intermittent wipers on LE,
Seat fold-down levers in cargo area,
Sliding adjustable 2nd row seats,
Door sill protectors,
12v Power outlet in cargo area,
Large under floor storage compartment,
Sunglasses storage bin,
Sun visor extensions (except Limited),
Dual-level center console storage,
Locking glove box,
Upper glove box with door,
Footwell lighting (Limited),
110V AC power outlet (Limited),
Real Leather seating,
Cross bars on roof rack,
Hill Assist Control (HAC),
Downhill Assist Control (DAC),
Longer tonneau cover with headrest clips,
Fender flares on Sport and Limited,
Body colored front and rear bumpers,
XM Satellite radio (except with Navigation),
Auto Up/Down driver's power window on LE,

Submitted by reeb cham (not verified) on December 26, 2020 - 3:10PM

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Best thing ever on new RAV's is the electric parking brake...my 2017 highlander had foot operated prking brake and it did NOT hold no matter how far down I mashed the parking pedal, Eggscelent with elec brake.

Submitted by William D. FORDHAM (not verified) on February 23, 2021 - 9:49AM

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We have a 2013 Highlander. My local dealer acted like he had no clue when I spoke with a service rep. He referred me to Toyota's 800 #. I called and spoke to someone who suggested I send an email with photos so I did. I get a response telling me to call an 800 # so I do and am basically told to pound sand. For some reason, our 2013 vehicle is not covered under their recall BUT, older cars are being covered.

We paid extra $ for a so-called "premium" paint and now it is coming off in flakes. I drive a 2006 Tundra. The paint on it looks brand new. HOW can the paint on a 15 year old truck be holding up better than the paint on an 8 year old car? I would insert photos but I guess I am too dumb to figure out how to do so.

Someone in our family has been driving a Toyota for more than 30 years. My wife and youngest son are both planning on getting new vehicles this year. I can guarantee that there will never be another Toyota in my driveway if Toyota doesn't step up and do the right thing. So damn disappointed. NEVER thought Toyota would pull something like this.

Submitted by Ann Thode (not verified) on June 30, 2021 - 4:40PM

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My 2013 Highlander started with the roof and around the windshield. Auto painter told me to expect more. I do expect more, but not more paint peeling but from Toyota that sold me a car that cost more for this paint job. What's up with excluding these cars?