Consumer Reports just released its latest report on automobile reliability (October 2007), and for the first time in several years, three of Toyota's models did not make the recommended list. It just goes to show that even an organization perceived in the marketplace as the quality/reliability marketplace leader is susceptible to an occasional hiccup.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Toyota slipped from first place last year to fifth place this year on the Consumer Reports list, with Honda now occupying the top company spot. Singled out for problems were Toyota's 6-cylinder Camry and the all-wheel drive Tundra truck. Are things falling apart within this Japanese icon? Clearly not Combined, Toyota, Lexus, and Scion still account for 44% of the list of CR's most reliable models (17 of 39 on the full list).
Quality remains a top priority for the company, and it continues to enjoy outstanding results due to its focus on performance excellence. But the current Consumer Reports list still points to an organizational "fact of life." Even the best struggle to sustain their performance at consistently high levels. It's one of the primary reasons that performance excellence systems like those embodied by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria are so important to long-term organizational success. Companies need an approach that will get them to the top, but they also need that same system to help them stay on top and sustain the gain. Be assured that by the time any of us read about a problem with the 2006 Camry V-6, Toyota was well ahead of us, and their systematic feedback had long before alerted them to where things needed to be improved, and they were actively engaged in correcting identified problems. [Joe Alexander, Associate Dean and Senior Professor of Performance Excellence]