Tarzan - I read a report not too long ago that said the most "American" truck was the Toyota Tundra. The claim was substantiated by a percentage of American produced components contained in the surveyed vehicles. Also, these trucks are manufactured here in the USA - in Texas and Indiana.

Sorry "Big 3"... It is not a knock on you as I am a red-white-and blue American, but the facts stand. I formerly worked in an automotive parts plant. Our molds were pulled by GM and sent to SE Asia where the parts could be made and shipped to the Midwest for about 20% of the cost of Americans doing the work.

I'm pulling for you Ford. I am sincerely happy to see the comeback you have made the last few years. Now if we could find a way to get you back to being the 'most American truck'...

cocerned,

I prefer the F-150, but gotta admit the 1/2 ton tundra is a tough truck, it would be my secound choice.

I'd like to get a new F-150 but I'm not too crazy about the new V-6 turbo eco-boost. The old 5.4 Triton was a dog but at least you could work on it and it's reliable... I dunno if I can buy into this new turbo engine... I'm not too keen on taking my truck to the dealership because they're the only one that can work on it...and there is no way in hell I'd consider a 6.2L with gas over $4 gal...Guess I'll wait a year or two and see what happens...

300-V6....nuff said. too bad they quit making it. the 360 V8 was a real workhourse but with the c6 tranny it wouldnt do 75mph if ya pushed it out of a plane.

"wouldnt do 75mph if ya pushed it out of a plane"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Wasn't the 300 an inline 6 and not a V6?

economy, yes i beleive you are correct, been to long.

also, thanks to the gentleman from WV. i forgot to put in the rear end gear ratio issue, which was a big part of the problem.....but then again i should have known ya see... rear ends have always been my downfall......:)

Was it not the first gen. Toyota Tundra that had a recall on the frame rusting out so bad that the spare tire assy can fall out in the road? Now that is fine quality. I worked at a Toyota/GMC dealer and we received more warranty work on Toyota Tundras than on any other vehicle we sold.

George Bush hates F-150's.

Every vehicle has parts sourced from other countries. The difference with Ford, and GM is that the PROFITS stay in the USA.

Even Chrysler's profits now go to Italy.

Buy American.

I hate to agree with Dumbo, but so do I! Not only is it gas guzzling & road hogging but now it's defective too!? They advertise it as fuel effecient and then tell you it gets 22 miles per gallon! They call that fuel efficient? Hell, my 1971 Dodge Charger got 22 miles per gallon back then! I consider fuel efficient 35mpg and above! Especially with todays prices! And whose got em? Not "Found on the road dead"! If this country wants to really save on gas,
they should not make cars that are bigger than 6 cylinders, not allow anyone to have turbo,
nor gas guzzling trucks and/or oversized SUVs unless they have a dam good reason to own one, like they need a truck because they own a business and have to haul stuff or they have 4 kids and need the room of a SUV. That would probably save millions of gallons in oil right there! Also, teens don't get to drive till they are 18! They might stay in school longer and by the time they get their driver's license, they will be "adults" and can get and pay for their own car insurance! If they have to do it themselves and see how much teens cost to insure, they won't be joy-riding around in Daddy's car no more! When they have to pay for their own gas, they will stay home more! I really think they should raise the age to get a license to 18 so parents don't have the burden of expensive kids on their policy, also because 18 yr. olds are more mature than 16 & 17 yr. olds and what do they need a car for anyways unless they have a job after school!! I never got a driver's license till I was 17. I had a job after school but my Dad drove me. I never had a car, which I bought and paid for myself, till I graduated from H.S. and had a full-time job with swing shift hours and the buses didn't run that late! I had no choice! So, I bought my own car, paid my own insurance, graduated and had a full time job when I was 18! If kids now days were made to be more responsible, there'be less car accidents, less gas consumed and more H.S. grads!

With Obama - there will be no profits.

You 71 charger didn't cruse on 70-80 on highways You would see a large drop in MPG.

@schlong61

Obviously you don't need a truck to work. If you did, you might get it that even 22MPG is above average Miles Per Gallon.

It's not where the parts are made it is where the profits go that makes a car American.

@sharong61:

So would you want government telling you not to buy certain foods because they aren't the best for you? How about limiting the square footage of the houe you buy? Bigger houses need more energy to heat and cool. We could go on. But free enterprise rules in the purchasing segment too. We are free to buy whatever product we can afford. Those who want a big vehicle pay the costs associated with that purchase. One mold does not fit everyone. The energy problem will be worked out in due time: better economies, different fuels, better technology (at a cost). But government has no business telling me I can't buy a vehicle I want. Cash for clunkers was the biggest waste of public money ever. Perfectly good vehicles were scrapped all because a particular president thought he wanted "gas guzzlers" off the road. He never did say if he got rid of his personal Chevy Surburban I'm guessing he kept that and will get another when he goes home to Illinois in a few years.

Sharong61...you forgot that it was uphill in knee-deep snow both ways. I'll bet that all this ranting about who and who should not drive may put you in jeopardy. How about a suspension of license when you get to old to operate an automobile competently. I think you may lose your driving privileges.

I'm also a wee bit suspicious with his insurance ranting. Insurance rates don't go down when they become 'adults' (18). The insurance industry shoves it up your azz from the time you get your license until you reach magic 25. They use 'industry accident statistics' to justify that, instead of the fair way, how safe a driver you are. (My pet peeve, since I had one black ice accident my first winter of driving, 1968, and have never had another. Also one ticket for speeding back when they lowered the highway speed from 70 to 55, and never another. But I would have been bled for their 'statistics!). Was that way when I got my license (1968) and it's the same way still for my son, who is 21. So back then, my dad registered my car in his name and had it on his policy, and I'm doing the same for my son. I and my son paid for our cars, but my dad took care of my insurance, and I'm taking care of my son's. People who REALLY pay their own insurance would know that.

Where are the Congressional Hearings???

I agree, but are you ready to pay $25 for an air filter...

Exactly....expect to pay $25 for a $5 part because union workers think they are entitled to $30 an hour doing monkey work....

robert

actually last time i dealt with union people ( U.A.W. Mich. in 04 ) it was 75 bucks an hour for monkey labour when you factor in the bennys.

WOW!

You would think the CEO of Ford would be able to get by on less than $54 million a year. I am not good at math but I think that is well in excess of $75/hour. Maybe if he could cut coupons and eat out less often he could settle for $1 million a year and pass the savings on to the customers.

Sorry, guys. My dad worked for GM for 30 years and my brother currently works for them and I've never seen or heard of anyone in there making $75/hour even with the bennies factored in. Where are these numbers coming from?

You HAVE to be kidding...

Stay in the US, pay ungodly union wages, have quality issues out the ying yang and get taxed to hell & back.

lol@that

I knew someone would come up with that.Our company does contract work throughout the U.S. simple fact. our skilled labour on a U.A.W. job pays between 25-35 hour plus perdium at 20 an hour. we are hired because although we make these wages, (our grunt labour, assemblers, get 18-20 plus the same perdieum). why? simple. its cheaper then to hire others and put them on the union scale gravy train.. do the math. As well as the fact we are always willing to work 72 hour or more weeks, ( that's 6-12 hour days for you math impaired folks) add that to the fact that we are there to catch up contracts that "for some reason" are not completed on time and once again i will ask you...why hire us?

LOL: Hmmm. How about electricians punching in then leaving the grounds? How about Cadillac workers dropping bolts in the body panels so they would rattle. These are true stories. I worked with the auto industry and could go on...

How about paying $10,000 more for a vehicle so that retired employees and their families can get medical and great deals on vehicles for the rest of their lives?

You guys can say what you want about the auto industry, GM, or the UAW but it won't change my mind. I live in Michigan. You know: the Car Capitol of America. There isn't a person or business in my area that is not affected by the auto industry and that's a fact. When the workers are paid well, everyone profits and you can thank the UNION for that. Sure Michigan's down now, but if the unions have their hands tied like some on the right would like, then this state WILL go under, not just Detroit, and a ripple effect will be felt across the country.

BigBaldGuy: GM put food on my family's table for many years and it took a lot out of my dad. I, for one, believe he and other retirees deserve whatever they can get. Go buy a Toyota if you don't like GM or Ford's prices (there really isn't much difference- so where's THAT money going from Toyota sales) but I prefer to keep my money here in the U.S. instead of shipping it to Japan.

lol@that, you mean the State that let the Democrats run wild for the past 8 years. You do realize that there is a reason that Michigan was the only state that had a population decline from the 2000 census, and don't blame the federal government either. Sorry for getting political but if workers are paid well, that increases the expenses to make up for the pay. And if they are all unioned, then we are paying to keep poor performing employees as much as the great employees. And where in Michigan do you live? I think we should be more focussed on the housing issues than the auto industry. They can fend for themselves, atleast Ford can.

Jackal... I don't believe either party would have stopped the economic collapse in Michigan. So you blame Granholm and the Democrats? I blame Engler and the Republicans for starting the whole mess before that. If workers are paid well, then they spend more and hopefully jumpstart the economy. Unions have done nothing but protect the working man and woman for the past 100 years and give you and I the work conditions that we take for granted. And it doesn't matter where in Michigan I live, the effects of an economic collapse in the auto industry is far reaching.

lol, I won't disagree that the unions were useful in getting workers rights. But I believe, as most good things do, they shall be put to end. And if all workers are paid well, who loses the money to pay them better?

Unions have done nothing but protect the working man and woman

Remember that they are protecting the bad workers as much as the good worker. Just like they protected my teacher in middle school that constantly had booze in her desk drawer or the science teacher that gave every girl an A for showing cleavage. If you were a good worker, you would get paid more with a raise and not need protection now. I can see how you would want to make sure everyone has a job but if they can't do their job properly and efficiently, they really don't deserve it do they?

Jackal... but for every one or two bad workers that slip through there are hundreds of good workers benefitting from the help that unions provide. The whole debate over the unions is because of those one or two that try to screw it up for the majority. I'll agree that it isn't perfect, but what in America is? What I'm afraid of is that if the unions are abolished then we go back to where we were 100 years ago, i.e. working 80 hours a week for $1/hour (OK, that's an exaggeration, but you see what I'm getting at). Hey, wasn't this about a recall somewhere? The statement I was trying to make is: I like Ford trucks!

lol: You have the right to your opinion and I have the right to mine. That is the beauty of this great country. We all vote with our wallets, which is another great thing about this country...

BBG... agreed. And I agree to disagree with you. I may not like what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. How bout kittens? You like kittens? You want a kitten? Free kittens!

lol: I would be happy if the unions would just stop protecting bad workers. I've seen it too many times where bad workers get to ride on the coattails of the good workers. Unions are good that they can give the workers a single voice but I don't think that you should have to be part of the union to work a job and I think that they union should have a cap on what percentage increase they can ask for when they negotiate and let their workers get extra pay increases based on performance. Because I really don't see a reason to be a good worker in a union once you get tenure. You will probably get the same raise as anyone else and your job is protected.

But like you, I like Ford Trucks. I just love the sound and feel of a diesel engine. Purrs like a kitten.

I, for one, believe he and other retirees deserve whatever they can get

Well, my father never worked a union job. He was only a sergeant in the town I grew up. After he put on his 20 years and retired - the only thing he got was a pension that he put in for - a salary equal to that of 1/2 of a patrolman's salary. Yes a patrolman - the lowest rung on the police ladder. Health insurance in his pension? Don't make me laugh early in the morning - I don't want to have to clean coffee off my screen. He got 1/2 a patrolman's salary - that's it - that's his pension for 20 years of police work. Screw the unions - they've screwed us and U.S. long enough.

Well, sorry about your dad's luck. Maybe that union he should have joined may have fought for a better retirement package for him.

Well, sorry about your dad's luck. Maybe that union he should have joined may have fought for a better retirement package for him.

What union? State of Indiana wouldn't allow unions for public employees at that time. But they also didn't allow collective bargaining. Unions have been sitting too cushy for too long. They don't protect the middle class - they only protect the useless workers and their own pockets.

Well, I won't apologize for my father getting a better retirement package than yours, so I'm not sure what we're still discussing, or why this part of the discussion started at all. I've already stated my opinion on the union debate and moved on. Could have sworn I said I liked Ford trucks and kittens...

I bought a Chevy Spectrum in 1989 that had a plate inside the door I didn't notice for 2 months after purchasing. It said, "Manufactured by the Isuzu Motor Company of Japan". So much for buying American...

Actually your wrong Old Philosopher. The assembly of the automobile is a very small part of a much larger picture when you consider the entire organization that is responsible for the product sitting on the showroom floor. The organization has several engineering divisions for chassis, power-train, interior design, styling, safety, asssembly efficiency, systems integration, etc... Then you have the Marketing division and product research. You have Finance for the front end and back side operations. You have operations and logistics to supply material inputs. Don't forget about the suits in the big offices either. There are thousands of peripheral jobs as well like security, PR and recruiting. Bottom line is that simple assembly here is not going to cut it in the long run. We have to employ the entire chain in order to keep us (USA) in the game and the domestics do that better than the visitors. So next time someone shoots off their mouth about their Texas Toyota it's because they need a class in macroeconomics. Yes I will include Chrysler in this domestic class as well as Ford and GM. All the wizards who pop off about Fiat do not realize that Fiat is a minority owner of Chrysler (30%) while the UAW own 60%.

I had a Spectrum too. Great car!

When Lee Iacoca said made in America, he meant South and Central America.

Karen,

that is a DEALERSHIP problem, remember it, and tell others. no company wants bad dealers. be it ford. chevy. toyota, etc.

Sounds like your real problem is where you work whos your boss Adolph Hitler. Or maybe you could use the dealership night drop and get a ride to work for one day. Avoid the points and missed pay.

Karen, you need to find a new dealer. I know one by me that even after the mechanics leave at 5, there is an office person there until 9 so people can drop off or pick up their vehicle and they give a free loaner car of equal necessity or greater. So you would get a truck, car drivers get cars, SUVs are loaned other SUVs. The only thing you have to do is return it with a gas tank above 50% or pay 20 cents a mile.

Most dealerships will work with you so you don't have to miss work. They should have told you they didn't have parts in stock before the first appointment. Sounds like a dealer problem, not a Ford Motor company problem. Dealers in our area have early bird drop off or can provide transportation/pickup.

Actually Jackal, that's not true. I had warranty work on my Ranger once, and although the dealer did give me a courtesy vehicle - it was a Mercury Mistaque. And yes, I know that's not the real name of the car. I've intentionally spelled it wrong (sound it out, though). The "mistake" is that they ever tried to power a family sedan with a gerbil. Zero to Sixty could be timed with a calendar. Small animals would stop on the side of the on-ramp and laugh at the foolishness of that poor gerbil under the hood - imagine him thinking he could get 2 tons moving that quick in such a short span of time and distance.

I spent a good part of my life as a service advisor in Ford dealerships and every one I worked for would go to whatever lengths necessary to accomodate a customer. As for the comment made by Thomas Pain(intentionally spelled wrong), I have owned the Ford version of that vehicle with the 4 cylinder and the 2.5 V-6. Mr. Pain, if you were competing in the NHRA or street racing, I could understand your caustic comment. You are complaining about a free service from a dealer. If I had been your service advisor and you made the comment to me, that would have the last time you ever received a courtesy car.

Thomas, first, you can't tell me that my experiences aren't true with a repair shop isn't true with an experience from your shop. And like I said, all repair shops are not the same so shop around. Obviously they can't always give you a comparable car because they can't tell who will be loaning a car at that time. There were a couple of times when I got a van when they were fixing my car and a car when they fixed my Chevy Tahoe.

See Jackal, you proved my point. You don't always get like-kind and -quality for a loaner vehicle. But other than that, I agree that a loaner vehicle should have been provided. I remember when my mom had taken in her Olds Cutlass and for a loaner they gave her a Chevy Cavalier.

Thomas, you aren't making any sense. I say that the OP should've found a better place that was more flexible and that I found one that would give a comparable loaner but that isn't always the case. Then you say that my statement isn't true. So then I ask how one example makes my statement that some repair shops give comparable loaner vehicles and apparently that proves your point.

1. The story merely leads into a Japanese connection, it does not state at least for now, the airbags were made there.

2; problem solved? are you kidding me? Shoddy, way to expensive union made parts are why they went overseas to begin with.

John,

Two reasons that Ford resisted the expanding recall:

1. Extra expense of replacing the faulty parts, money out of their pockets, not yours.

2. Bad publicity, a couple of hundred thousand recalls instead of 1.5 million or more.

dang it cowboy, did you have to mention that? there goes all the money i put into the toyota hype stock i bought.

testiment to accurate and successful reliability/warranty engineering prediction!

Well let's see - Got 305K on the Toyota before the City of Fullerton decided it needed to be impounded after being parked, while properly registered, in front of the house it was registered at. - Rebuilt the Slave cylinder on the Manual transmission twice - cost $8.50 for parts and twenty minutes under the pickup.

Now I have a Ford Exploder and I need to replace the Slave cylinder in it.. cost $55.00 for the Slave Cylinder - $1100 in labor ---- So glad I bought an American car.

true engineering marvel alright.

kinda like the wiper that only wears out on the one spot that you are looking through.I mean really how in the world did they know how tall i am to get it just right like that? and be able to transfer that knowledge to every single vehicle i have ever bought, used or new.... amazing.

Ia. ScooterTramp

true engineering marvel alright.

kinda like the wiper that only wears out on the one spot that you are looking through.I mean really how in the world did they know how tall i am to get it just right like that? and be able to transfer that knowledge to every single vehicle i have ever bought, used or new.... amazing.

That's funny.

You're really going to bring up Pinto fuel tanks? After 33 years?

If you insist, check the actual numbers. Fires due to rear collision for the Pinto happened at the same rate for most vehicles built the same year.

the ignition switch in my car works great, just blow into it and it will allow it to start.........:)

Really the story here is and should be At Ford Denial is job 1. Owned a New Ford Pickup in 83 Ford denied any need to be responsible for a complete lemon they sold me . Freinds dont let freinds drive Fords !!!

Airbags WIREING problems, Ford dont make the wireing harness, nor do they make the ignitions, last i knew the tires where at fault with the explorer, which of course is top heavy, just like ever other SUV in that era,and Ford don't make tires. Pintos? also vegas,omnis,corvairs,etc. cheap imported steel was to blame, name one auto truck manufacturer who hasn't been recalled in the last 20 years or so.

"job one..." dropped means truth in advertising!

The wiring harnesses were made to Ford's specification. Or are you saying that Ford in not responsible for the parts they put in there vehicles? The Tires had too low inflation specs and had a week design. Don't for get the cruse recall and the springs on the Taurus 2002 that brakes and pops the tires they still refuse to recall the 2003 year that has the same problem. They all like to cover things up.

#17.3 All your fairy tales hold no water.

thats ok pat am 109, keep your head in the sand. Ford was found negligent in all of the recalls because Ford gave the specs to the companys that provided the parts. All parts were made to the very specs that were given by ford engineers. thats why none of the manufacturers were successfully sued during any of the past recalls. How about a real fairy tale- Ford makes quality vehicles with the customer in mind.

17.3 All your fairy tales hold no water.

Keep dreaming with you head in the sand remember your pills.

that's right by gum. whats the matter with them? how do they expect to put our illegals to work without that. he writes on his computer made in................?

sorry gordo,don't mean to pick on ya, but am i the only one who sees the Irony here?

Gordon-3320410

And then where would folks like you find work, when the rest of the world took the same stance? Why don't you try to read some times instead of just copy and paste? Have you ever looked at how many vehicles the big three sell outside of the USA or much money they make? Do you think any of them would be where they are if they were not global companies?
How about some of the other large American companies, like GE, HP. Dell Apple, Boeing, Caterpillar how many American would be out of work if they stopped selling around the world.

I believe you're referring to the cruise control recall. It did not cause "lots of fires and deaths". It was a screw-up to be sure. As for the Toyota recall NASA said they could not trace a problem back to the software in Toyota cars not that there was not a problem. The throttles still stuck...thus the massive replacement campaign for all Camry throttle linkages. Also this is front and center for today's headlines for all the import lovers who said that Toyota and Honda have been treated unfairly. Just like all recalls...it starts at the top and by the end of the day migrates down to the business section.

My grandpa's truck caught on fire because of that. He never took it in to get fixed because he only used it as a junk truck to cut wood and the truck was no longer in good shape. It had no inside door handles, the wiper blade was just an old towel, and the gauges never worked anymore.

Typical Ford resposne to a recall. We did nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong and they get away with it because the media doesn't want to tarnish a great American brand. In the end nothing was ever really wrong with the Toyotas but they still go above and beyond with their recalls and never get defensive.

I agree with you mike they didn't even want to expand the recall until they were made too. Maybe they should be fined like toyota was!!!

The Toyota scam was just a way of selling GM junk. Think Zerobama knows anything about a vehicle. He most likely has never even bought gas.

say what - you think but toyota recalls was no scam. toyota is all about JUNK and COVER UPs.

which one the Globe or the economy? the globe i hope, the economy sucks more then gravity .........:)

That's because gravity pulls. Vacuums suck.

Okay...you can get a Honda or Toyota and enjoy recalls from them. The Toyota was almost recalled to death over the last 2 years, or did your memory get recalled?

Since Ford is the competitor of the government owned (bankrupt) car companies of Chrysler and General Motors, it was inevitable that some punishment of Ford is forthcoming.

If this recall doesn't sufficiently harm Ford and cause them to totally give over to little fly-like green cars...in all liklihood NATO will begin bombing Ford dealers forthwith.

Hope the same people who gave us the Chevy Volt will design the bombers. Pedal faster boys!

toyotas recall only lasted 2 yrs because they were fixing the problem. The previous ford recalls all lasted for 10 or more years each because ford fought them everry step of the way. Toyota went to the government to ask for a recall instead of waiting for one to be called. some cover up. And as far as i remember most of the claims rendered against toyota were proven fraudulent but toyota took it seriously and recalled them voluntarily. google it and you will see i am right. Ford will get off easy because its american brand. toyota was all over the news because its foreign. Ill take my chances with an auto maker that has one recall every 60 yrs compared to one every 5 to 10. Especially when the former accepts responsiblilty and the latter denies ever doing anything wrong.

Meanwhile my neighbor has an '05 Ram that's nickle-diming him to death.........

I've found out that all trucks are about the same just depends on how you take care of it. I've seen the good and bad sides of Chevy, Ford, Toyota, and Dodge trucks. If you know how to take care of a truck, it really doesn't matter too much.

Meanwhile, my brother's '96 still starts on the first crank and only needed basic maintenance.

Lemons are everywhere.

Sounds like magic to me.

"Build something that must survive in all conditions to include rain, snow (associated salt), heat, humidity and work perfectly".

Rugged electronics are not cheap either. I agree that in the push to drive prices down it is always tempting to buy something with a few "percent" less quality and cross fingers hoping to dodge a recall.

It is called engineering and analysis...

What year is the truck? I think I'd pay the $300.00 to avoid getting shot but that's just me.

Ya you're right...or tazed...ouch....It's summer now, I'll have to get it fixed....300plus for the part plus the labor if i have the dealer do it. It's a 2004. I just wish it was an improved part, not the original design. if the others fail....they might have to stay broken.

Window regulators are always a problem in the long run. In my old neon, the plastic bushings were always shot so the windows always fell in or drooped, and the issue there was failing in the down position.

On power windows the solenoids can wear down, especially if you push duty cycles through a fair number of cold winters. Contrary to what you think, window regulator parts are indeed exposed to the elements, with little protection from the rain asides from that shim that is supposed to fit between the window glass and the frame. Stuff gets in there...