As opposed to Ford’s subpar customer service for the Bronco, the peeps at Toyota aren’t taking chances with the Tundra. Take, for instance, the brand-new Tundra owned by Tim Esterdahl of Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk.
With 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) on the clock, the rig’s driver-side door lock started going haywire for no apparent reason. You can see the issue for yourself at the 3:17 mark and a little bit more at the 8:59 mark of the video below. But fortunately for Tim, the automaker flew no fewer than five engineers at Scottsbluff Toyota in Nebraska to investigate the problem that... wait for it... had fixed itself before the truck arrived at the dealership.
The reason the company reacted this way is pretty obvious: Toyota simply wanted to nip this problem in the bud. As it happens, the engineers found that a piece of trim was impacting the way the door was operating, a quality-related issue most likely stemming from an out-of-spec plastic component or molding machine. Having worked late into the night, the engineers were able to replicate the problem and send the data back to the automaker.
“They were having immediate conference calls about this truck, and Toyota went over every detail,” said Tim. “I got the truck back. It’s washed, it has a full tank of gas, (…) and I have to be honest with you: I had a great experience.” Considering how the Ford Motor Company handled the Bronco’s multiple quality-related issues, this is a great experience indeed.
Available with a twin-turbo V6 or a hybrid twin-turbo V6, the brand-new Tundra is rocking the GA-F platform of the Land Cruiser and LX. Priced at $35,950 excluding taxes for the SR Double Cab with the 6.5-foot bed and the lower-powered engine and rear-wheel drive, the half-ton workhorse is assembled in San Antonio on the site where the JLC ranch used to be.
Established in 1794, the cattle ranch served as inspiration for the range-topping 1794 trim level that comes exclusively as a CrewMax with the 5.5- or 6.5-foot box. Not long now, the TRD Pro trim level will join the lineup with off-road goodies that include Fox shocks and 32.5-inch rubber shoes.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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