Copyright SlashGear
You know something's up when Scotty Kilmer starts slating Toyota's quality. He's previously been a fantastic advocate for the brand, even explaining in this recent video that his decision to buy Toyota models was partly down to not wanting to work on his own cars. In other words, they don't break down, or rather, they didn't used to. Now, I might not have as much experience with Toyota models as Scotty, but having owned and worked on a variety of examples from multiple generations, I do feel qualified enough to at least question his claims. Is Scotty justified in slating Toyota's current quality and reliability, or is he judging the automaker unfairly, and through rose-tinted specs? First things first: yes, Toyota has hit some bumps in the road recently when it comes to reliability. From engine and transmission recalls to electrical issues, it hasn't been a great run for the automaker over the past few years. However, Kilmer finds more at fault than just these newer recalls, so let's see whether the harsh criticism is actually deserved or not. On the face of it, it's hard to disagree with Scotty. He lists numerous instances in which he has personally witnessed slipping standards, such as a brand-new Lexus LX with just 5,000 miles on the clock already experiencing a number of issues. He doesn't explain in detail what issues the car is facing, but later on in the video, he does mention the owner doesn't like how the engine "revs up" and that the entertainment screen has been malfunctioning. Kilmer then turns to a family-owned 2007 Camry as an example of a solid, older Toyota. Strangely, though, Kilmer then points out that, for this particular model, Toyota "built the piston rings wrong," and as a result, they burn oil. Kilmer adds that, for his family member, it "drives fine, he just adds oil", though he doesn't explain why a car that regularly burns oil is preferable to a malfunctioning entertainment screen. Later in the video, he says the '07 Camry could be abused; all you had to do was change the oil, and you'd happily see 3, 4, or 500,000 miles. Owners of this particular model don't exactly agree with him, though. According to CarComplaints, the 2007 Camry is the least reliable model year ever produced, with over 1,000 complaints logged against it. Most of these complaints are related to excessive oil consumption, and most of those are from drivers with less than 100,000 miles on the engine. Kilmer suggests that the drop in quality is due to where modern Toyotas are made. However, he uses a 2016 Sienna (which was made in Indiana) as an example. The Sienna has never had any real issues and just needs regular maintenance, as one might expect over the years, but this contradicts his point, in my eyes at least. From here, Scotty Kilmer slates the new Tacoma, highlighting that it's made in Mexico and bringing up issues such as troublesome brake lines, transmission faults, and issues surrounding welds on the rear of the vehicle. I find it tricky to conclude that assembling them in San Antonio or Japan instead of Mexico would fix these issues, but these recurring problems could suggest that quality is slipping for the Japanese giant. Another prevalent point he makes is in reference to current Tundra engines. Toyota has swapped from V8 to V6 turbo engines, and due to ongoing issues, the brand now needs to replace over 120,000 engines. He might have a point here, but he claims Toyota did this to save money, saying a boosted V6 will be cheaper to produce. The reality is that Toyota has not provided an official reason for dropping the V8 engine. In reality, it's more likely due to increasingly strict emissions regulations. Many other automakers have gone down the route of forced induction and downsizing for the same reason. Kilmer does give credit to Toyota, saying the automaker historically learns from its mistakes. As it stands, Toyota is at something of a turning point. The mass implementation of turbocharged engines is fairly new for Toyota, so perhaps we are in an 'issue-ironing-out' phase right now. Even so, while Toyota is having some quality issues right now, it and Lexus are still among the industry leaders when it comes to quality and reliability in 2025, so I think it's not entirely accurate to pretend that Toyota models of old were any less troublesome.
