EXEERCISE ABUNDANT CAUTION BEFORE PURCHASING TOYOTAS INNOVA

FROM L.GOPALAN,AGM BHEL R&D (RETD),
MANAGING DIRECTOR ,
HETROGENOUS COMMUNICATIO(N TECHNOLOGIES (PVT) LtD,
29 MRC NAGAR SOUTH BEACH AV,
SECOND ST,
RA PURAM,
CHENNAI ,600028
E-mail-,gopalan@hetrogenous.com &
gopalan@gmail.com,
PH +91-44-24935559*

*DEAR TOYOTA, JAPAN*

*Toyota Innova v diesel purchased during May07, REGISTRATION
NO,TN07A50655, ran only 11000km in indian roads without any accident,
suffered very serious quality problem as its two Goodyear tyres picked up
airpockets and a wheel rim got visibly bent.Toyota india is not accepting
and replacing them free under warranty

I would like to appeal to Toyota head office in japan seeking their
inervention to exhaust my
administrative remedy before going public and seeking constitutional
remedies.

I would also like to know from them whether Toyota is designed in such a way
that I have to replace parts and accessories to run it in indian roads once
in six months? Or they have enough third party certification on the quality
level of their products to run it in
india?

Tyre dealers in india, many of them feel that the rim and the tyres chosen
are not good enough for india.

There is also a feeling in India that Toyota is testing new vehicles in
India, first before
improving the quality for supplies to developed countries--

I am also pasting a similar complaint I came across from the web.

Hope my complaint will receive the due consideration

Regards,
Gopalan *NO POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM INDIAN AND JAPANESE TOYOTAS AND HENCE THIS CAUTION NOTE TO ALL FUTURE BUYERS OF INNOVA TO BE CAUTIOUS AND CHECK VERY MANY TIMES BEFORE BUYING THE EXPERIMENTAL INNOVA



* SAID PASTING OF A SIMILAR CASE EXTRACTED FROM MOUTHSHUT.COM et all
http://mouthshut.com/ GIVEN BELOW

I HAVE innova VEHICLE AND ITS 2 TYRES HAVE DEVELOPED BULGES AFTER 9700 KM
DRIVE. THE GOODYEAR PEOPLE have refused to accept that they are
manufacturing defects. It has been quite long since i have been driving
various vehicles but this is first time
my tyres have gone down with just 9700 km drive . i dont expect such a
quality from innova or
goodyear. i dont think Toyota can give such a wonderful and costly vehicle
and compromise on tyres. i dont doubt goodyear but with so little drive if
2 tyres are gone then it seriouly requires consideration . *

* I ALREADY HAD A WORD WITH MR HARPAL FROM SHREE TOYOTA AT JAMMU BUT STILL
NO COMPENSATION COULD BE ARRANGED . THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE BROUUGHT
A DEFECT TO YOUR KIND NOTICE. THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN THERE WAS
MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE AXLE OF MY VEHICLE AND IT WAS REPLACED BY YOUR
COMPANY . IF INNOVA SUFFERS FROM SUCH SMALL DEFECTS THERE WOULD BE FEW
BUYERS FOR THE SAME. IN FIRST CASE ALSO NO INFORMATION WAS GIVEN TO ME AS TO
THE CAUSE OF DEFECT AND ALTHOUGH IT WAS VERBALLY CONVEYED TO ME THAT ACTION
TAKEN WILL BE CONVEYED TO ME. SUCH IRRESPONSIBLE ATTITUTE IS NEVER EXPECTED
FROM THE FINEST AUTOMOBILE COMPANY OF THE WORLD . I HOPE THAT TOYOTA WILL
GIVE ITS HEAVY VEHICLES ON BEST TYRES INSTEAD OF GOODYEAR WHOSE MARKET
REPUTATION IS THE WORST. THE LOCAL DEALER IN PATHANKOT ' JK TYRES HAS
STOPPED WORKING WITH GOODYEAR DUE TO FREQUENT COMPLAINTS AND WORST SERVICES
. I HOPE THAT TOYOTA STUDIES THE MARKET BEFORE PURCHASING ANY OF ITS PART.
I PURCHASED THE NEW INNOVA V MODEL OUT
OF HARD EARNED MONEY AND AFTER STUDYING ALL THE REVIEWS WHICH FAVOURED
TOYOTA. ON THE VERY FIRST DAY THERE WAS SOME PROBLEM WITH TYRE AND
SUSPENSION.
THE VEHICLE WAS IN WARRANTY PERIOD AND THE COMPANY PERSONELL WERE
KIND ENOUGH TO TAKE THE VEHICLE RIGHT FROM MY DOORSTEPS FOR REPAIR BUT
IT TOOK NEARLY FIVE DAYS THE REASONS BEING 1) SPARES WERE NOT AVAILABLE
WITH THE DEALER 2) ON BEING ASKED THEY SAID IT BEING A NEW VEHICLE IN
MARKET SPARES ARE NOT AVAILABLE. MIGHT BE THE COMPANY WAS OVER CONFIDENT
ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THEIR PRODUCT 3) SPARES WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT DELHI
AND HAD TO BE BROGHT FROM BANGALORE .
IT MEANT THAT THE COMPANY IS BUSY WITH OVERPRODUCTION AND FAILED TO CHECK
THE QUALITY AND AVAILABILITY OF SPARES TO AVOID HARRASMENT TO THE CONSUMERS.
WHEN I TRIED TO GET THE VEHICLE CHECKED AT LOCAL MECHANICS THEY EXPRESSED
THEIR INABILITY TO LAY THEIR HAND ON THIS NEW VEHICLE

MY ADVICE TO ALL PROSPECTIVE BUYERS IS THAT TO WAIT FOR SOME MORE
TIME AND GIVE TIME SO THAT THE NEW VEHICLE SPARES ARE AVAILABLE ALL OVER
INDIA AND MORE MECHANICS ARE TRAINED AT HANDLING THIS NEW VEHICLE.
OTHERWISE IF YOU GET STUCK AT A PLACE WITH NO LOCAL DEALER YOU WILL HAVE TO
ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE EVEN FOR MINOR PROBLEMS
_BRAND TOYOTA PUT TO SHAME BY INNOVA PERFORMANCE Comments on this review

PUNIA said: Aug 07, 2006 01:50 PM Dear All, Going through this Post just reaffirmed my belief that customers in India tend to accept a lot of ''NONSENCE'' and actually PAY FOR IT TOO. This man must have and like most others. A whole lot of this lies with the fact that we do not REACT AND DEMAND PERFECTION. The mentality which keeps us behind always. \Did you know TOYOTA also had a labour strike that lasted months ??? Anyway, it is touch to get around these scavengers who thrive on innocent peoples money. ALSO CHAPS WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE AND YOU FIND MNC'S RULING US LIKE THE MOGUALS, BRITISH, AND NOW THESE DIRTY POLITICIANS.

menon_rr said: Aug 21, 2006 03:21 PM Hi Vikas, I had written the review on the basis on the test drive and the data I could collect. The points mentioned by you are very well valid and usually overlooked by the consumer due to its love for the vehicle. No one will know how many kms were driven by TKM before certifying etc.. Any diesel vehicle starts with smoke no matter how good the catlytic converter is. May be it is wise to buy a new Innova after sometime, by which they may be able to rectify all the issues. Thanks to you for bringing all the issues in mouthshut. I am yet to buy it but by reading your review I will have to be more careful on this product now!!! One thing is that everyone is exp. on Indians to get the product certified. In US/UK they will sue toyota if any such issue happens.

vikaassharma said: Jun 17, 2007 02:29 PM Hello Friends, When I first started to write about my experience on the Innova about a year ago there were people who found my statements out of place. People thought that it was in search of some cheap lime-light that I was making such statements against the Japanese Manufacturer. A year later I find many people are experiencing similar problems. There seems to be something seriously wrong with the front suspension of the vehicle and I have had near fatal experiences on the road driving the car with family. Result front leaked front shocker, worn out treads in the tyres and so on.My insistance that TKM was testing the vehicle at the customers expense did cause a flutter when simple errands took more than 6 - 8 visits to their dealierships, repeated telephone calls to who's who in TKM, media and a mail box full of communication. The level of competence of TKM dealers and OEM suppliers for wipers, seats upholstery, etc, etc is indeed questionable no matter what the company claims. You, never faced a problem with the Quallis because it was a model that was tried tested and withdrawn by Toyota from most International Markets. Quallis was brought into India to test the markets acceptance for the brand and once the same was achieved the company withdrew it completely leaving us with these new experiments. Here is one car that is being tested in India and also exported to countries like Thiland while the R&D keeps upgrading the product before launching it in the Western Markets. Vikaas - # 09313515838

vikaassharma said: Jun 25, 2007 11:25 AM Friends, Slowly as other Innova owners are taking courage in sharing their experiences with the car and respective dealers - my initial fears are all falling into place. Indeed the product and support is not befitting brand Toyota or the price that is being charged for the vehicle. While you continue to struggle and get to terms with the situation at hand my only advise to you all is to drive safely. No matter what the vehicle has had history of unstale front suspension and poor control beyon 120 Km on the road. While all of you should get into a habbit of writing your complaints to your dealers marking copies to TKM CR in Bangalore - you should also make it a point to follow up. Remeber it is important because it concerns your life and that of the co-passengers (usually your near and dear ones) - you must stay alert and be smart. Good Luck.

Whistleblower lawsuit says serious auto defect reports altered at Toyota-GM California plant By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP

TOKYO -- An employee at a California plant run jointly by General Motors and Toyota is accusing her managers of allowing serious defects to go unchecked, including faulty seat belts and braking, and retaliating when she resisted, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.

In the case before Alameda County Superior Court in California, Katy Cameron, a certified auditor who has worked for 23 years at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., says management routinely deleted or downgraded defects from her reports on vehicles since 2005.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 6, demands unspecified damages for retaliation against a whistleblower and intentional infliction of emotional distress from NUMMI, Toyota Motor Corp., Toyota in North America and General Motors Corp.

According to legal documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, defects that were intentionally passed over included broken seat belts, faulty headlights, inadequate braking, mirrors falling off, engine oil leaks and steering wheel alignment problems - all in an effort to decrease the number of defects. It is not clear whether any defects resulted in accidents.

When Cameron, a trained expert at spotting defects, complained, her bosses struck back, demoting her twice, accusing her of being crazy and violent, forcing her to submit to mental fitness tests, according to the documents.

An officer at NUMMI, the Freemont, California-based joint venture, threatened to fire her and then tried to get the personnel department to dismiss her, they say.

"NUMMI has done everything in its power to try to break Cameron psychologically and force her from the workplace," the lawsuit said. "Cameron is an American hero who will not be silenced by multibillion dollar corporations at the expense of hardworking American consumers and families."

As a result of the persistent on-the-job maltreatment and harassment, Cameron has been getting medical treatment for stress, depression, fatigue, insomnia and panic attacks, it said. She is now on medical leave.

Toyota in Japan declined comment on the lawsuit, saying it was still looking into the allegations. But it did release a statement Tuesday saying it was "tackling quality problems as a top priority."

GM spokesman in Tokyo Michihiro Yamamori said he did not know about the lawsuit.

NUMMI, set up as a joint venture in 1984, produces the Corolla subcompact, Tacoma pickup and Pontiac Vibe wagon. One of the plant's purposes was to have American workers learn Toyota's production methods. It has been the topic of numerous labor relations studies, and the company claims teamwork and safety among its "core values."

Quality problems have been creeping up at Toyota, which traditionally has a stellar reputation for reliability. Toyota's recalls have ballooned over the last couple of years, and President Katsuaki Watanabe has promised to beef up quality control.

Last month, Consumer Reports said Toyota "is showing cracks in its armor" and will no longer get automatic recommendations from the magazine when it releases new or redesigned vehicles. It also removed several Toyota vehicles from its recommended list because of quality issues.

Toyota, which appears to be on track to beat GM as the world's biggest automaker by sales as soon as this year, recalled 766,000 vehicles in the United States last year, down from 2.2 million in 2005, but up from 210,000 in 2003.

The lawsuit says NUMMI management blocked Cameron from communicating with other departments, including the quality division at Toyota in Japan, by barring her from meetings and denying her an opportunity to be considered for travel assignments

NOTE---FEW SAMPLES ONLY AND NOT EXHAUSTIVE COVERAGE

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