Toyota: Grasping at Straws to Keep Customers?
Boy, when I had my Jeep, I was beginning to wish that I had purchased an extended warranty because no sooner had I hit the 36,000 mile mark; that’s when things starting to really go wrong. Actually, if I back up a bit, I should admit that things had already been going wrong. It made me wonder why car dealers didn’t just simply offer car warranties that covered the life of the vehicle. On a similar note, in recent news, Toyota Motor Corp. may now be offering incentives and/or increase the length of the warranties on its vehicles as it tries to battle the recent onslaught of criticism stemming from a seemingly endless line of safety-related recalls. According to a recent news article printed by the Associated Press:
The company has not decided exactly what it will do after it gets past the recalls, which include more than 8 million vehicles worldwide, for sticky gas pedals, floor mats that can snag the accelerator and a software glitch in the brakes of its Prius gas-electric hybrid, said Group Vice President Bob Carter.
Carter told reporters at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention in Orlando, Fla., that it is focused on repairing customer cars and restoring their faith in the brand, which has had a reputation for bulletproof reliability for years.
Toyota already is offering zero percent financing for 60 months in some of its regions, as well as cash to dealers to help sweeten deals, and Carter said the company may do an incentive campaign once it gets through the recalls. [source]
While no one could have predicted what would befall the once safe and reliable automobile maker, this evolving news story reiterates the fact that when you shop for a vehicle (whether new or used), you should always make sure that you do your research ahead of time and read the reviews. If I had done that, I would have certainly purchased a different vehicle. As for the future of Toyota? Only time will tell.
For more information about car repair or to find a reputable auto repair shop, contact Pinnacle Automotive Servicetoday at 919.828.3113.
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