AAA - Concerned Camry Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I am writing to you following repeated contact with Toyota Australia in relation to a recent purchase of a 2008 Toyota Camry Altise. In May of this year we purchased a brand new vehicle from a dealership in Brisbane. Upon delivery inspection I made comment to the dealer that the radio appeared bright. The dealer informed me he knew there was a dimming switch, but was advised that the dealer was not aware of the location of the dimmer and that I could visit a service centre. That evening I visited the service centre closest to my residence that could not assist with either locating the dimmer switch or in reducing the level of illumination within the cabin. Contact was made with Toyota Head Office in Melbourne where it was explained that the fault of the highly illuminated was addressed with an upgrade of the radio. I passed on my details to management who informed me he would contact my local service centre for another inspection as it was unaware if my vehicle was fitted with the bright dash display or the second version which had been modified and emitted a lower luminescence. Two weeks passed and I had not received any contact from either Toyota in Melbourne or their dealership in Queensland. I contacted them to ask what was happening with my vehicle and they advised they had no record of my complaint. Following a country trip to in heavy rain last week I went straight to the dealership as the combined effect of the rain, and low light levels the hazardous nature of the illumination made it very difficult to see. When oncoming vehicles approached the visibility of the road reduced completely. I clearly indicated my concerns on the phone to their Service manager. Upon arriving at Toyota I explained my concerns again and requested that urgent follow up occur as I regularly travel in the country and the light was contributing risk to my safety. I was told that someone would contact me the next day (Friday) but up until lunch time Monday I had not received any further contact from Toyota. I then contacted Head Office in Melbourne again to follow up as I felt this may be help expedite my concern and hopefully change to a radio which would not pose such a risk. I spoke with a customer call centre who informed me the matter was being handled by one of their specific managers. It was not until I followed up the next day with the customer service person that they again prompted the manager to return my call. When the manager contacted me he advised that my radio had been identified as one which has received the upgrade, and that Toyota was not prepared to do anything further. I then contacted the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government where I spoke with to person responsibility for physical injury evaluation who explained that there is no Australian Design Regulations pertaining to the maximum level of light a car can have within as long as you can read the speedometer. In addition due to the fault be a continuous problem it has been highlighted that should a driving error occur I would be at fault as I have already identified a problem, which is continuous with the vehicle, and the responsibility of whether the conditions are suitable based on the fault rests with me. I have been informed that should the situation develop whilst driving, I should pull over and contact a tow truck to cart the vehicle, but this would be at the owner’s expense. The person confirmed he also shared the same concerns as I did, and that at least four other people had come forward to make similar complaints that have been advised a similar stance by Toyota. I have owned in excess of seven motor vehicles ranging from Nissan’s, Volvo’s Mercedes, Ford’s in the 19 years I have been driving and have never encountered anything like the problem present with this radio or any other device that emits light continuously whilst driving the vehicle. I have had recommendations by Toyota to remove the radio and place it on the floor, as well as affixing “Velcro” to the dashboard and draping a cloth over radio. Both suggestions would place the passenger at risk of being injured by the loose radio on the floor, or create problems with the air-conditioning as this would also need to be covered based on its location with respect to he radio. I have advised Toyota that I would be prepared to have a cheaper radio fitted with the same functions as the current radio but this has been refused. I would like for the public to become aware of the dangers associated with the new Toyota Camry and Toyota Aurion, and understand these vehicles are also being exported to other countries other than Australia. The actions of Toyota impact on not only the people who may be injured as a result of poor vision caused by the illuminated radio, but also on the quality and reputation of Australia’s automotive industry, which has received countless support from our government. I would ask that Toyota show the same level of commitment we have shown them and voluntarily recall all models to replace the radio to remove to inherent risk of a the bright interior. I would also like to call on Standards Australia to develop limits to the maximum allowable level of lumens (or light intensity) cars’ interior displays so this problem is addressed for all future models sold or produced in Australia. I understand Fujitsu to be the manufacturer of the radio, and I have not contacted or received not received any direct comment from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Thank you for your post. I haven't heard any complaints in the US about the Camry radio lights being too bright. I believe our dimmer switches dim all interior lights including radio lights in all Toyota, Lexus, & Scion models...I know it does on my GS. Any Camry owners have input on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAA - Concerned Camry Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 Thank you for your post. I haven't heard any complaints in the US about the Camry radio lights being too bright. I believe our dimmer switches dim all interior lights including radio lights in all Toyota, Lexus, & Scion models...I know it does on my GS.Any Camry owners have input on this? Hi Leigh, Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately our model does not have a dimmer switch. Toyota already know it is a fault, but as the fault is continuous the legal responsibility of whether to drive the vehicle or not rests with the driver. ....at this stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnslo Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 My 08 SE has a dimming function for the dash lights. Without one these would blind you for sure, they are very bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Must be just an Australia issue...I know every Toyota & Lexus I've had since my first 1986 Supra have had a dimmer switch for instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naz Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I had a loaner 07 camry no nav LE and the interior/radio lights were pretty bright. but I kinda liked it? liked it a lot actually. lol Guess thats the generation Y inside of me talking :) I"m sure your camry must have a dimmer switch every toyota car I have ever been in has had one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAA - Concerned Camry Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 I had a loaner 07 camry no nav LE and the interior/radio lights were pretty bright. but I kinda liked it? liked it a lot actually. lol Guess thats the generation Y inside of me talking :) I"m sure your camry must have a dimmer switch every toyota car I have ever been in has had one. Just like a Y not able to judge what is safe or not. Probably too young to even know anyone who has died in a motor vehicle accident caused by the fault of the manufacturer. http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200...1184094437.html Probably too young to even remember the Bridgestone recall in 2000.... http://usgovinfo.about.com/blfirestone.htm (But daddy the tyres look cool man!) I suppose your inner "would sue them $%^&^s" but this could be hard if your injured or worse! BTW no there is no dimmer, except for the one preceding. PS. Accidents only happen in the movies. I can speak Y too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 On that Bridgestone topic...I'm still firmly convinced it had nothing to do with Bridgestone. Did anyone other than me happen to notice that it only happened to Fords? Hmmm.... I have had several perfectly good sets of Bridgestone high performance tires on many of my cars, and I have yet to have any issues at all. And at the same time Ford was installing Bridgestone/Firestones and having problems, Toyota was installing the same Bridgestone/Firestone tires on the Toyota Tacomas and having absolutely no issues. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAA - Concerned Camry Posted August 7, 2008 Author Share Posted August 7, 2008 On that Bridgestone topic...I'm still firmly convinced it had nothing to do with Bridgestone. Did anyone other than me happen to notice that it only happened to Fords? Hmmm.... I have had several perfectly good sets of Bridgestone high performance tires on many of my cars, and I have yet to have any issues at all. And at the same time Ford was installing Bridgestone/Firestones and having problems, Toyota was installing the same Bridgestone/Firestone tires on the Toyota Tacomas and having absolutely no issues. Hmmm... Oh of course the largest car company in the world was only playing games with the largest tyre manufacturer. Perhaps Ford are more concerned about the lives of people driving their cars, as opposed to just the dollar. Shows that to be number one you need to act number one. Toyota produce crap! The only reason Toyota have eeven done anything to my car is because my boss buys a lot of their cars, again monetary driven. Hows your mortgage? Need to rob your next door neighbor to pay the bills, or is that unethical? :!: BTW who started Toyota? Was is little miss Ota, I know who started Ford.. I think his name was Henry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 The guy that started Toyota actually started as a business before Henry Ford. It's a similar naming strategy: Henry Ford = Ford Motors, Sakichi Toyoda = Toyota. He started the Toyoda company around 1890 as a loom manufacturer, and the company moved into automotive manufacturing when his son, Kiichiro Toyoda, was interested in the industry. Toyota Motors was formally founded in 1937, and manufactured their first cars in 1938. So Toyota has been building cars for sale for 70 years, and has been in business for 118 years. In that time, Toyota has actually become the world's largest auto manufacturer (it was GM prior for a long time prior to that, Ford isn't even close), and has been the recipient of quality award after quality award in many countries. Those quality awards are big reason for the success of the company...Toyota operates under a manufacturing policy of continuous improvement, and you can see the results in the sales numbers. As far as safety is concerned: yes, Ford does a good job over all. However, I think if you do the research, you'll find that Toyota as a manufacturer has a slight edge in the ratings over Ford. Both, however, are excellent, and ahead of most of the rest of the manufacturers. Safety ratings sell cars, so all manufacturers pay close attention to the independent ratings. As for mortgages: Toyota employs about 380,000 people worldwide, including 36,000 in the US. That certainly helps to pay a few mortgages. Ford, on the other hand, has only about 250,000 employees worldwide. That doesn't include the dealer network, which pays a few more mortgages for their employees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAA - Concerned Camry Posted August 9, 2008 Author Share Posted August 9, 2008 Perhaps they should return to their roots and go back to knitting. If they started in 1938 the US must have had a big influence, perhaps even two. "Toyota Racing Development, TRD, All we left out was U" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Perhaps they should return to their roots and go back to knitting. If they started in 1938 the US must have had a big influence, perhaps even two."Toyota Racing Development, TRD, All we left out was U" Of course the US had a big influence...and Toyota has had a huge influence on the US and all around the world. You've heard of the Chevy Nova, the Geo Prizm, the Pontiac G6, the Pontiac Vibe, the Lotus Elise, and the Ford Escape Hybrid in the US? All licensed Toyota technology, motors, or platforms, and in the case of the Escape Hybrid, Toyota's old hybrid system that was no longer being used was sold to Ford for lack of anything better to do with it. Toyota may not be the innovator of the car, but they have a conservative policy of developing other good but flawed ideas to perfection before production. Look at the Sienna, the Tundra, and the LS400/430/460 for prime examples. Did you happen to see this? "Lexus Ranks Highest in Vehicle Dependability for a 14th Consecutive Year" http://www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/2008...y-Study-Results http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/rele...pdf/2008115.pdf Hmmm...Lexus...that's not Toyota Motor Corp. by any chance, is it? PS. The nice thing about TRD is that the parts always fit, they're very high quality, they're covered under Toyota factory warranty, and they do amazing things to your car. As a past multiple Supra(s) and TRD parts customer, I can attest to this. Oh, and speaking of racing: did you see the LF-A at Nurburgring in April?...yes, as a matter of fact, I think it did break the track record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Oh...and speaking of roots, perhaps Ford should go back to farming? That's where Henry Ford started out, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAA - Concerned Camry Posted August 10, 2008 Author Share Posted August 10, 2008 Of course the US had a big influence...and Toyota has had a huge influence on the US and all around the world. You've heard of the Chevy Nova, the Geo Prizm, the Pontiac G6, the Pontiac Vibe, the Lotus Elise, and the Ford Escape Hybrid in the US? All licensed Toyota technology, motors, or platforms, and in the case of the Escape Hybrid, Toyota's old hybrid system that was no longer being used was sold to Ford for lack of anything better to do with it. Toyota may not be the innovator of the car, but they have a conservative policy of developing other good but flawed ideas to perfection before production. Look at the Sienna, the Tundra, and the LS400/430/460 for prime examples. Did you happen to see this? "Lexus Ranks Highest in Vehicle Dependability for a 14th Consecutive Year" http://www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/2008...y-Study-Results http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/rele...pdf/2008115.pdf Hmmm...Lexus...that's not Toyota Motor Corp. by any chance, is it? PS. The nice thing about TRD is that the parts always fit, they're very high quality, they're covered under Toyota factory warranty, and they do amazing things to your car. As a past multiple Supra(s) and TRD parts customer, I can attest to this. Oh, and speaking of racing: did you see the LF-A at Nurburgring in April?...yes, as a matter of fact, I think it did break the track record. Whilst on the topic of extreme speeds I beleive you may have omitted the Radical SR8 which pipped your time by 1/2 a minute in 2005. This means you will need to improve a further 7% not taking into account the record is 3 years old. Check out http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2990770163894389660 for proof. And for note the Ford GT in the same year clocked 7:42 sec, yes a Ford, where is Toyota? :o Other street cars which Toyota or Lexus will never aspire to are Mercedes McLaren, Ferrari FXX and Porsche GT. How is Toyota going in the F1 series? Lets have a look http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/teams/ woops 4th....hang on lets combine the Williams-Toyota Team to their score....woops again still 4th. Dont know what sport gives out medals for fourth???? Let me think Gold....Silver....Bronze....Lead woo hoo! :P PS. Everyone needs a farmer. Looked in your fridge lately? Now you are losing credibility, and overlooking the important things...just like Toyota. Great minds think alike, perhaps you should ask them for a job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 The Ford GT is great car...it's only about 20 seconds behind the LF-A. And the LF-A was only there as part of the pre-production testing. I wonder what will happen the production LF-A is raced with the intent to win, not just to be tested? I'm looking forward to that race! Is that Radical a production car? Nope...didn't think so...just a pure race car, not made for the street. I believe it's actually a Suzuki Hayabusa derivative. And while we're on the subject of cars that Toyota or Lexus will never aspire to, let's discuss the McLarens, with their abysmal reliability rating. As I remember, all of the Mclarens in the Gumball 3000 cross country race that came through Vegas a year or two ago broke down due to alternator issues. Porsche GT...do you mean Carrera GT? Yes, thank you for bringing that up; I'll definitely take credit for that one. Remember when Porsche was going down hill rapidly in the early 1990's? Do you know who they hired to teach them to build cars properly? The Toyota Production System is now in full effect in Porsche factories, and Porsches are now a much higher quality automobile than ever before. As for the Ferrari FXX: yes, amazing car. However, comparing the LF-A to the FXX is very much like the comparison you did above between the Ford GT and the Toyota MR-2. They're different car classes, completely different price ranges. Regardless of brand, you will get more if you spend 4 or 5 times the amount. Perhaps the only current car the FXX can compare to is the Veyron (both $1 million+ price tags). Perhaps I will ask them for a job. After all, I could stay in the US as so much of the Toyota operations are based here. For example, if you look at the domestic content of a Camry, it's significantly higher than the domestic content of a comparably sized Ford Fusion. It's unfortunate that a US company would take US jobs and move them elsewhere to save money, and then bring those same cars back to the US for sale, while a foreign brand will actually bring operations into the country it is selling to, thereby improving the economy by generating jobs directly and indirectly through employees and suppliers. Yes, everyone needs food and clothing...I'm not arguing that point. I've been on the production end of those veggies in my fridge, so I am very familiar with farming, especially in Michigan (like Henry Ford). And by the time Toyota has been in Formula 1 for 45 years like Ford, I expect they'll be much better. Quality and reliability goes a long ways in those races, after all. Remember Kimi in Monaco with the broken down Mclaren? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAA - Concerned Camry Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 Oh what a feeling. Finally Kharma has caught up with these fools. Hope the recall make you think about safety. LMAO $$$$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Oh what a feeling. Finally Kharma has caught up with these fools. Hope the recall make you think about safety. LMAO $$$ Really? Those 6 cars with proven problems out of 8 million vehicles are just terrifying me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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