Toyota repeatedly halted Mexico plant after suppliers hit by worker shortage

I wonder if this could be affecting the quality of parts Toyota is receiving.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/toyota-repeatedly-halted-mexico-plant-after-suppliers-hit-by-worker-shortage-2024-05-17/

 

I saw this and was thinking same thing. Also wonder if that’s why certain packages like premium and stabilizer disconnect are harder to come by.

 

I'm sure it does to some extent along with the low wages that's causing factory worker turnover. Interesting paragraph about Toyota fibbing their plant safety test and failing in that article.

Too bad they can't make these trucks here in the US or Japan along with parts. Gotta save a buck to make two and then undercut the employees while ripping off the consumer. Capitalism at its finest.

 

I was saying to myself it happened already and it could happen again. Hopefully it doesn’t but it seems like they’re having serious issues at the plant

 

Quality of anything went out the window after covid ….manufactures are cutting corners to save on build costs . Personally I wouldn’t waste my money on these overpriced trucks .

 

Billy is going to be paying a markbup if he still wants that 24 Trailhunter. Toyota was probably well aware of the challenges they would face, Toyota delayed moving production from SA to all 3G production in Guanajuato around 2020. When Toyota was facing similar challenges.

Toyota want's to build trucks, but Toyota wants to sell trucks which isn't happening at the pace they would like. Look at the iForce Tundras sitting on sold. There isn't a large demand for electrified trucks, people aren't borrowing to make large purchases.

Not building as many hybrid Toyota trucks might make sense, if there isn't enough people to buy them. I can't see Toyota selling many EV in the next couple years, so why build them? Their bZ4x didn't see great sales, I've seen those with O% apr incentives. Most people would rather buy a gas Rav4 for the same price or less.

Telsa the US biggest producer of EV has layed off workers and cut production.

 

Definitely makes you want to jump in both feet into the 4th gen. Wonder if the remaining third gens are outselling the fourth

 

Didn’t a lot of folks (TFL) blame the EPA for earlier delays?

Gotta choose to communicate directly with your customers, or you risk giving greater credibility to click-hungry YouTube conspiracy theorists and ambiguous & unflattering articles like this one.

Definitely not a textbook recipe on how to sell people $45-50k SR5’s (with painfully obvious cost cutting) sitting next to discounted Tundras…

 

Bullshit vague story from Toyota corp to keep the prices high? Naw, they wouldn’t do that.

 

Please...lay some wisdom on us. What exactly is the "painfully obvious cost cutting" in 2024 Tacomas?

 

I think he referring to moving manufacturing to Mexico.

 

Doesn’t really make sense that they moved Tacoma production from Texas to Mexico just so they could make room for the Sequoia since that model is low volume and only sells about 2000 units per month.

 

Setting up manufacturing in Mexico for North American sales is a no-brainer. Especially since many components are manufactured and assembled elsewhere, and final assembly is mostly automated. So you need mostly a pool of semi-skilled labor, a few highly skilled technicians, and competent management.

Easy to do in Mexico until all your experienced labor decides to just wander over the border, unchecked, and get a UAW job in the states where they can strike and bitch about low pay and not enough coffee breaks.

 

Interesting that the Baja plant was halted for 19 days but no mention of the Guanajuato plant which is only a few years old. I guess they kept that plant going full throttle. All Tacomas shipped to Ontario Canada are from Guanajuato.

 

You post is what they refer to as hitting the nail on the head. Interesting. Very interesting.

 

My wisdom is running a quart low tonight, however, the list of cheapness is extensive, and obvious to most prior Tacoma owners who likely paid a whole lot less for their trucks:

-card board skid plates on OR package ($65k Pro gets real metal..)
-replacement of full-size spares w trail donuts
-deletion of power seats on TRD/SR5 w/o purchase of packages
-deletion of power rear slider w/o purchase of packages
-deletion of side mirror blinkers on TRD’s w/o packages
-1980’s pong-style digital gauge cluster on all SR5’s
-large blank plastic surrounds on smaller infotainment screen apparently just to shame you daily for paying less
-passenger-side A-pillar “faux grip” replaces the actual A-pillar pull handles on all trims
-blank buttons everywhere, all trims, including on center console in $55k Limiteds & $65k Pro
- deletion of leather surfaces, all trims. $65k TH/Pro only come with vinyl seats
- Nissan-spec seat cloth is standard on lower trims including several that now crest $50k
-deletion of engine cover, lower trims
-deletion of standard bed inverters w/o purchase of package
-replacement of hard plastic surface underneath rear bench with cheap carpet
-hard plastic rear door arm rests

Most ‘24 Tacomas I’ve inspected costing $45k+ have QC issues (uneven gaps, loose trim & door handles, haphazardly installed gloveboxes, inconsistent paint jobs, and temperamental tailgates). I guess they’ll work it out eventually but, they shouldn’t make it to the dealer in that condition, and isn’t it fair to wonder what parts they cut corners on that we can’t see…like mechanical stuff?

To be fair, I see no difference in initial quality between a ‘24 Mexican Tacoma or a ‘24 USA Frontier. So please make mine in Tahara, if possible.

 

The more you own the more you are owned. Sage wisdom.

Some of the multi thousand dollar products we sell are built in Mexico. Not all, but a good portion. The workers down there receive precisely 120 seconds of “training” on how to properly make a glue joint in pressurized plumbing lines.

1st hand in field results tell me that’s not nearly enough. Materials matter but so does the quality of the labor installing the parts. Even then, try as we might humans can’t perform the same task the exact same way every time. Variances no matter how small will occur. Defects are guaranteed. Planned obsolescence even more so.

Act and shop accordingly. Not having a vehicle payment has been tits for the past 8 years. Do that; buy used. Vote with your wallet.

 

I don’t think a Tacoma has ever had leather from the factory.

 

Well call me curious, what do you sell?

 

Hot tubs and swim spas among other stuff and things. Been at it for 17 years.