Toyota continues to be plagued by issues in its new truck lineup. In a now-viral TikTok, a car expert blasted the automaker after its 2024 Tacoma began suffering transmission-related issues.
Chris Pearce (@thechristopherpearce), who discusses cars, news, and opinions on his TikTok page, didn’t mince words when it came to the Japanese auto manufacturer.
“Toyota is desperately trying to stop their brand image from taking a straight dumpster dive,” Pearce said. In his video, which amassed more than 257,600 views as of Saturday evening, the content creator explained the latest problems affecting Toyota.
Toyota Tacoma issues
In his video, Pearce confirmed what some Toyota car owners might already know: Tacoma drivers are reporting that their new cars are breaking down.
It seems as though the problems, however, have been specific to those who opted for the eight-speed automatic transmission. But Pearce said the transmission issues were a “huge red flag” given that past Tacoma models “were regularly getting over half a million miles.”
Thankfully, Toyota has stepped up to the plate to offer assistance to affected cars. According to a report from CarScoops, the manufacturer is offering to replace faulty eight-speed transmissions in 2024 model-year Toyota Tacoma trucks. The automaker has made clear, though, that this isn’t a safety “recall.” In fact, Toyota is not replacing transmissions on all Tacoma models—only those that are already broken.
According to CarAndDriver, dealers were only recently made aware of the fix and were given six diagnostic codes to determine who is eligible for a new transmission. At least one of the six possible codes must be present, it noted, for Toyota to award a replacement.
“If your car has the affected eight-speed transmission you will be identified, notified, and you can get it replaced for free,” Pearce said.
@thechristopherpearce Toyota is becoming unreliable #carnews ♬ original sound – Chris Pearce
‘2024 for the Japanese automaker has been hell’
Of course, as Pearce alluded to, this isn’t the only problem Toyota has faced this year.
“2024 for the Japanese automaker has been hell, and now their crown jewel Tacoma is in trouble as well,” he said.
This is true. Separately, in July, Toyota agreed to replace 102,000 engines in 2022 and 2023 Tundra pickups and LX SUVs. The need for new engines followed a recall issued in May; apparently, machining debris left in the engine during the manufacturing process caused the hiccup.
In late July, Toyota confirmed that the full recall population—for this specific issue—included 102,092 cars.
This, notably, is one key difference from the issues Tacoma drivers might face, according to Pearce. For that specific issue, he said, Toyota hasn’t released an official number for how many car owners were affected and they’re not calling it an official recall “even though it sounds like it should be.”
He then posed a question to viewers: “Curious if this changes your opinion on the new Tacoma,” Pearce asked.
Viewers complain about deteriorating car quality
In the comments section of Pearce’s video, viewers claimed that Toyota cars have become less reliable—and more expensive.
“I don’t think I’ve heard one good word of Toyota reliability/quality since 2020,” one woman claimed.
“They’re also insanely expensive for what they offer now,” another said.
“Just got rid of my 23 highlander,” a third viewer shared. “Had it for less than 10 months with transmission problems since week 2. Drove like an old car. Never again Toyota. I’m so done.”
Others, meanwhile, offered rival car manufacturers that they claimed were better.
“Mazda on top rn, everything else is putting cvts,” one man wrote.
“Mazda is the new Toyota,” another viewer confirmed.
“Made the switch. Honda is where it’s at,” a third person wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Pearce via TikTok comment and to Toyota by email.
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