Drew Dowdell

They'd have to. No one else has ever recalled more vehicles in one year than have been sold in the U.S. in the same amount of time.

Recalling Toyota's Recalls: Over 14 million in past 12 months, 25.6 million since January 2005 November 1, 2010 - Drew Dowdell - Chief Editor CheersandGears.com No one can argue that it hasn't been a roller-coaster year for the world's largest car company. It was a year ago tomorrow that Toyota issued it's largest recall ever for possible gas pedal entrapment caused by loose floor mats. That initial recall of 3.8 million vehicles seemed to unleash a blizzard of further recalls. In the past 12 months, the grand total for Toyota's recalls has been more than 14 million units. To put that in some perspective, there were only 10.4 million vehicles sold, by all manufacturers, in the US in 2009. The industry wide forecast for 2010 is around 12 million units. What is even more stunning for a company that built it's reputation on a perception of high quality vehicles is the 5 year number. Since January 1st, 2005, Toyota has recalled 25.67 million units. Follow the jump for more. Recalling Toyota's Recalls - over 14 million units recalled in past 12 months

Recalling Toyota's Recalls: Over 14 million in past 12 months, 25.6 million since January 2005 November 1, 2010 - Drew Dowdell - Chief Editor CheersandGears.com No one can argue that it hasn't been a roller-coaster year for the world's largest car company. It was a year ago tomorrow that Toyota issued it's largest recall ever for possible gas pedal entrapment caused by loose floor mats. That initial recall of 3.8 million vehicles seemed to unleash a blizzard of further recalls. In the past 12 months, the grand total for Toyota's recalls has been more than 14 million units. To put that in some perspective, there were only 10.4 million vehicles sold, by all manufacturers, in the US in 2009. The industry wide forecast for 2010 is around 12 million units. What is even more stunning for a company that built it's reputation on a perception of high quality vehicles is the 5 year number. Since January 1st, 2005, Toyota has recalled 25.67 million units. What became evident as I was researching on the NHTSA's website was that Toyota's issues with sudden acceleration go back to at least 2005. In every year from 2005 through 2010, with the exception of 2008, Toyota had a recall involving a jammed accelerator pedal in some fashion. The revised pedal assembly is mentioned in the NHTSA's database for the IS250 recall issued December 21st 2005. The flurry of recalls in 2010 compared to previous years leads me to believe that either Toyota really dropped the ball on quality starting around 2008 OR these were issues that Toyota has known about for some time and is taking the time to catch up on stuff that should have been recalled years ago. Either way, it's still a bad thing for Toyota's quality perception. Large recalls are going to be more commonplace in the future and no company will be immune. All it takes is a single component that is used company wide to not function as intended to cause a cascade of recalls. Ford learned this the hard way when an ignition component that had been used on vehicles from 1983 through 1995 sparked a 6.5 million vehicle recall. As manufacturers continue to move closer to becoming globally integrated, this issue becomes magnified. Ford's "One Ford" program where model lines are consolidated globally leave little room for error on this front. All manufacturers are going to have to be more careful and listen to the recommendations of their engineers to make changes even if there is a marginal increase in cost. They also need to pay attention to customer complaints as they come in. Up until the end of last year, Toyota had an untouchable perception regarding quality that was untouchable among the general public. To accuse Toyota of lying or covering up issues was heresy amongst gearheads. We at Cheersandgears.com admit a bias in favor of domestic brands, but we also admit the problems that exist at the domestics and the major steps to remedy them that the Big 3 have taken.... it's all part of being Detroit's biggest fans and toughest critics. It has been Toyota's perception of quality in the general public that has driven GM, Ford, and Chrysler to improve or die. However, in the face of over 25 million units recalled, Toyota needs to take better steps to admit it has a problem. Toyota must change it's culture completely or else it will continue to suffer from these major recalls. While we're no fans of Toyota, competition is a good thing, without the need to continuously improve to beat your competitor, companies become stagnant. <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="502"><col style="width: 64pt;" width="85"> <col style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> <col style="width: 111pt;" width="148"> <tbody><tr style="height: 31.5pt;" height="42"> <td colspan="3" class="xl68" style="height: 31.5pt; width: 377pt;" width="502" height="42">Toyota Recalls - CheersandGears.com</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">Recall Date</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Reason</td> <td class="xl65"> Total vehicle recalled </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/2/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Floor Mat recall </td> <td class="xl65"> 3,800,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/24/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Additional Tundra frame recall</td> <td class="xl65"> 110,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/26/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Floor Mat recall - Brake Override</td> <td class="xl65"> 400,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">12/29/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">China - Oil leak issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 43,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/21/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stuck Gas Pedal</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,300,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/27/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Additional floor mat recall</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,100,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/29/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Europe/China additional gas pedal recall</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,800,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/9/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">ABS problem</td> <td class="xl65"> 400,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/9/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Power Steering Hose /Brake tube</td> <td class="xl65"> 7,300 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/12/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tacoma drive shaft issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 8,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">3/9/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tundra weld issue - 2 vehicles</td> <td class="xl65"> 2 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/16/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Spare Tire Cable</td> <td class="xl65"> 600,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/19/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stability Control System</td> <td class="xl65"> 21,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/28/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stability Control System</td> <td class="xl65"> 50,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">5/21/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Steering system software update</td> <td class="xl65"> 11,500 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">6/25/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Leaking fuel in crash</td> <td class="xl65"> 17,801 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/5/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Valve Spring Issues</td> <td class="xl65"> 270,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/29/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Steering Lock Bar</td> <td class="xl65"> 412,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">8/28/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Engine Control Module</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,130,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/15/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Engine Belt</td> <td class="xl65"> 10,750 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/20/2010</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Replace Brake Master Cylinder Seal</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,530,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> 14,021,353 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">8/27/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Cold Weather braking concern</td> <td class="xl65"> 97,500 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">5/14/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stainless steel exhaust tips</td> <td class="xl65"> 3,499 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/30/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Stainless steel exhaust tips</td> <td class="xl65"> 39,100 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/29/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Yaris seatbelt pre-tensioners and Exhaust</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,350,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">1/21/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sienna floormat recall - called a "safety improvement campaign"</td> <td class="xl65"> 26,501 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/16/2009</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Aluminum fuel line corrosion</td> <td class="xl65"> 214,570 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> 1,731,170 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">9/8/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sport grill option could cause hood to not latch properly</td> <td class="xl65"> 67 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">6/3/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sienna power rear liftgate strut failures</td> <td class="xl65"> 192,222 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">5/7/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Frame rot on Tacoma</td> <td class="xl65"> 813,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/22/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Highlander 3rd road seatbelt issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 90,189 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">4/10/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Power Window regulater bolts coming loose</td> <td class="xl65"> 662,178 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">2/25/2008</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tundra lugnut issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,555 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> 1,759,211 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">12/18/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">4wd slip yolk issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 15,616 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">11/29/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Cracked fuel lines</td> <td class="xl65"> 33,343 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">9/27/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">All Weather Floor Mats for Camry and ES</td> <td class="xl65"> 55,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/26/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Propeller shaft not welded propperly </td> <td class="xl65"> 108 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/19/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Ball joint problems</td> <td class="xl65"> 533,124 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">1/8/2007</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Engine Sludge issue</td> <td class="xl65"> 3,500,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> 4,137,191 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">12/28/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Side curtain airbag wires routed incorrectly</td> <td class="xl65"> 160 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/27/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Airbag my inadvertantely deploy</td> <td class="xl65"> 29,542 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/29/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Oil can inter crank position sensor</td> <td class="xl65"> 34,771 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">7/13/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">clips from driver side console can come loose and trap the gas pedal</td> <td class="xl65"> 365,594 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">6/1/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Steering intermediate shaft could separate</td> <td class="xl65"> 986,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/16/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Seatbelt tensioner</td> <td class="xl65"> 28,947 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">4/3/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Airbag inflater insufficient</td> <td class="xl65"> 133 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">3/2/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Tire mounted improperly</td> <td class="xl65"> 12,020 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">1/30/2006</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Rear seat seatbelt mount insufficient strength</td> <td class="xl65"> 38,510 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> 1,495,677 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl70" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">12/21/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Accellerator pedal may become stuck in carpet</td> <td class="xl65"> 3,567 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/18/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Sunroof deflector glass</td> <td class="xl65"> 71,392 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">10/14/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Prius Electrical defect</td> <td class="xl65"> 160,000 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">9/7/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Cracked steering relay rod</td> <td class="xl65"> 977,839 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">7/21/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Missing Airbag status light</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,527 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">7/20/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Seatbelt Binding allows for improper fitment on passenger</td> <td class="xl65"> 345,443 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20">6/28/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Seatbelt status sensor connection</td> <td class="xl65"> 11,592 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">6/6/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Missing child seat anchors and passenger seat airbag switch</td> <td class="xl65"> 156,111 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48pt;" height="64"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 48pt;" height="64">5/18/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Improper weld in steering system could cause wheel to seperate from steering shaft</td> <td class="xl65"> 4,855 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">5/17/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Lower front ball joint issue causing increased steering effort</td> <td class="xl65"> 768,379 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 45pt;" height="60"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 45pt;" height="60">3/30/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">TRD dual exhaust may rub against rear brake line on vehicles with stability control</td> <td class="xl65"> 5,726 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 30pt;" height="40"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 30pt;" height="40">2/11/2005</td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Parking brake mount might not be tight enough</td> <td class="xl65"> 22,228 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> 2,529,659 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" width="269"> </td> <td class="xl65"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2010</td> <td class="xl65"> 14,021,353 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2009</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,731,170 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2008</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,759,211 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2007</td> <td class="xl65"> 4,137,191 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2006</td> <td class="xl65"> 1,495,677 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl66" style="width: 202pt;" align="right" width="269">2005</td> <td class="xl65"> 2,529,659 </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> <td class="xl69" style="height: 15pt;" height="20"> </td> <td class="xl67" style="width: 202pt;" width="269">Grand total</td> <td class="xl65"> 25,674,261 </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

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The winner is BlackViper!

Two pictures were disqualified The winner is BlackViper!

I don't decorate because I feel it's a waste of money. Giving out food to beggars on the street would be socialism. If they want food they should just get a job and quit being so lazy. Now GET OFF MY LAWN! *shakes cane*

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1 hour and 20 minutes left to vote!

Platinums seem to be sensitive to the type of ignition being run. They tend to work best with modern electronic ignition. The Torondo has an HEI, but I don't know if that's ok with the platinums. The job was easy enough to do that I don't even mind just swapping them out every 12k if it needs it, if that's what keeps it running smooth. Edit: Apparently what I removed were A/C Delco Rapid fire platinum plugs - whatever.. they weren't rapid firing enough for my taste.

The thing is, a lot of stuff on this car is still original. These plugs just seem very old from the outside. I didn't bother to check the gap on them. I'm just happy it starts right away on the first twist now, runs smoother, and has a better spring in it's step.

I replaced the plugs today. I'm guessing these haven't seen the light of day since 1981. Not too bad for what could be 90k miles. I replaced them with NGK Iridiums - supposedly they are able to fire with 5,000 volts less than a normal plugs which gives them a more reliable spark. I immediately notice that it starts a lot easier and when driving it's a lot more ready, willing, and able, especially highways speed. 75 mph is now effortless instead of a bit of a struggle.

Just a few hours left to vote!

I know that a Cutlass Coupe cost more to insure than a civic back in the day....

The Sonata for U.S. consumption is built in the U.S.

Sorry Balth, Lexus in the 90s partially got where they are today by using the I6 from the Supra in the GS. Once they took the I6 out, the GS lost all of it's cred. Who cares if it even turns 6,500 rpm if it gets you to 80 at 3,000?

The Suzuki Verona had a transverse mounted I6. Look how great that sold.

because they know they could never afford the insurance on one.... and if Daddy is buying, they'd rather have a CPO 3-series for the same price.

My first Chevy was an Oldsmobile My first Chevy that was actually a Chevy was an '83 Caprice V6

Wouldn't that small leak allow coolant out as well?

Is there still and issue with the intake manifold bolts?

The difference here may be the country of origin. While Korea does care about "honour", they don't get suicidal over it like the Japanese do...... therefore I think it's unlikely we'd see a "deny and deflect" campaign the likes that Toyota and Mitsubishi put on if there were to be a large flaw with one of the Hyundais.

You guys who entered are allowed to "campaign" if you want.

Voting is open!

Which is what I was getting at. More torque available at a lower RPM also gives the feeling of being more powerful.