There is literally a war named after the Hilux because it was such a combination of cheap and super reliable despite the terrible conditions that it’s what all the local warlords used. There is a top gear episode where they roll over one with a monster truck several times and it refuses to stop working. Toyota doesn’t need any lessons from us manufacturers about reliability.

I'm really tired of this "hurr-durr Hilux indestructible" meme. They used it because they were there and available. In areas with limited supply chain infrastructure there is very much a network effect when it comes to machines that need a pretty substantial supply chain. It would have been the S10 war or the Ranger war had GM or Ford been the dominant manufacturer in that region. Toyota does not make cars that are magically immune to the laws of physics. They degrade with use like everything else and eventually suffer mechanical failure.

Okay, drop a building on a Ford Ranger and clear the rubble away and try to drive it away after. That is, after you've drowned it in the ocean and set it on fire.

https://www.drivingline.com/articles/top-gear-tries-to-kill-...

When I wrote my original comment I was this >< close to proactively responding to the top gear crap that every fanboy seems to think was handed down from god.

Top gear is automotive themed entertainment not a documentary. Anyone who has ever worked on cars knows this. You can bet there was a lot of off camera hackery to get the truck running each time. It didn't just drive away.

I used to pull these trucks (well, all sorts of vehicles) apart for a living. If you pulled the same stunt 10x with 90s Hiluxes and 90s Rangers you'd have more Rangers driving away in one piece because they have a better (taller web specifically) frame and that was the the weak point (at least in topgear's test it was).

>All of this is to say that I would trust the domestic manufacturers on anything truck related before I would trust one of the foreign companies, Toyota definitely included.

As someone that has owned lots of foreign and domestic trucks and family has as well, this is a completely absurd thing to say. My Dad’s farm truck Toyota Tundra is past 333k miles on the same engine.

2015 Silverado owner, my first “American” car. Got it new, now have 75k miles on it. Went with an American brand because of “they know trucks”. So far, replaced catalytic converter, have a driver seat that shifts when I turn right (quoted $800 to fix), have a touch screen that works when it wants and goes crazy switching between views on its own (dealer said they can replace it for $1000, but the new one may start doing the same because they have problems, those were service reps words), just a couple of weeks ago had a brake vacuum pump go bad (lost breaking power luckily just after exiting highway, $630 replacement)

Yeah it pulls a camper well but what good is that if brakes give out.

> have a driver seat that shifts when I turn right (quoted $800 to fix)

Of anything on that list - I'd get this one fixed. I mean, if it's doing that - what's to say you'll be surprised one day it failing causing you to have an accident? Or it not working correctly in an accident.

You might look into what it would take for a custom shop to replace the seats with something else - even something from another vehicle. Manual controls, etc. Something that would be safer. Might be a lot cheaper than getting it "fixed" (which might just fail again in the future).

I once was in the market looking for a used 2-door Tahoe (not easy to find). I ended up finding one that I was going to test drive; looked like a real sweet ride. But then I did some research on the vehicle - it seems that for that particular model, there was an issue on the driver's side seat, where a bracket would fail, usually on acceleration (like an on-ramp for a freeway), and the seat would fall backward. There was never a recall for it. I considered the thought of having something custom done to fix it, but for something like that, I just noped out of it (good thing, too, as I ended up finding what I really wanted - a 1999 Isuzu VehiCROSS - which, while somewhat of a money-pit, I love).

According to the page OP provided here:

> The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LD and GMC Sierra 1500 Limited, both carryover models from the prior generations, come from Canada.

https://www.cars.com/articles/cars-coms-2019-american-made-i...

I bought a brand new 1969 Chevelle SS and it was made in Canada.

As a counterpoint I have a 2011 Silverado that has never had an issue. I've had to replace normal wear/tear items over the course of 125k miles but that is it. The build quality on Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Toyota is all pretty good these days.

Number 1 hit for "F-150 recalls":

"Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak."

That said, I don't own a pickup from any manufacturer.

The cruise control recalls were great. Basically, the engineers figured it would be a great idea to route power through a cruise control switch at all times (even when parked). Then to really make the design awesome, they put the switch next to hydraulic brake lines. Over the years corrosion does its thing and would cause cause the switch to arc into the brake fluid.

A neighbor of mine had a Ford Explorer affected by it, he ignored the recall notice. It eventually burst into flames one day while parked in his driveway and the fire department had a great time smashing his windows while putting it out.

Anyways Ford knew about the problem in the mid-90's but was in love with this design so much that they kept it in place until 2004. Check out the list! https://www.autosafety.org/ford-cruise-control-deactivation-...

I lost count of how many recalls there were for my Ford Focus, including one for my transmission software after 4 trips to my dealer to report a problem they wouldn’t fix.

I would strongly recommend avoiding Ford products.

The thing is, even though I've pretty much always owned a car with a foreign nameplate, I really like most of the domestic cars I've driven. Most Fords look attractive to me, Chevys are getting better lookswise, and most of the time the suspension tuning in domestic cars seems better than I'm used to in Japanese vehicles. I drove a Chevy Sonic once, which is, I believe basically a Korean car, and the sort of car often described as a "shitbox", but I was amazingly planted when going over bumpy pavement at high speed, unlike, say, Hondas that I've driven that feel like they want to skitter off the road.

But there's always been a dealbreaker. Frequently the transmission. I mean, even before it was fully verified that the DCT in the Focus was a disaster, I certainly expected it to have problems and never understood why they would take the risk on a low-end car. People always blame "bean counters" for automotive failures, but it seems (based on my imagination as an outsider) like it's more an unhealthy intersection of cost-cutting and engineers that want to be daring.

GM recall 159k trucks for fire risk: https://www.autoblog.com/2019/07/12/chevrolet-silverado-gmc-...

GM recall 368k trucks for fire risk: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-recall/gm-recalls-3680...

GM recall 1mil trucks for power steering problems: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-09-1...

Well...

Weird.

I follow auto news a lot, and I hear the opposite.

Chevy Silverado is one of the worst truck up there with Dodge. Dodge isn't even domestic any more.

Agreed on the Ridgeline, it packs neither capability nor efficiency.

OTOH, a Lexus GX or Land Cruiser should do fine for modest towing duty, reliability, and low-ish depreciation.

>it packs neither capability nor efficiency.

There's something to be said for an Odyssey with an uncovered cargo area (the styling on the current generation really drives that point home IMO). For that kind of use the Ridgeline is great.

Take a look at the 4Runner. Might be right up your alley.

It's no less capable than any other truck of its class.

>Honda says it has received no reports of fires, crashes, or injuries related to this issue.

Got any evidence one of those has actually caught on fire in a car wash?

50,000 miles, no fires. No problems of any kind.

Except you didn't buy a truck, you bought a tall unibody car with a bed. It has vastly less utility than a frame based truck/suv. If you are happy that's great and ultimately that is all that matters, but to compare ridgeline to silverado or f-150 is just plain wrong, apples and oranges.

Not a Ridgeline owner, but... the reality of pickup ownership in America is that on average they never get used for things that couldn't be done with a wagon or small SUV. Which makes the Ridgeline the best truck out there for most people who buy pickups -- the in-bed storage is super practical, the flat floor provides more usable space in the bed, towing capacity is reasonable for a U-haul / smaller boat / motorcycles.

It would be at the top of my shopping list for when my '05 RAM finally dies but for the bed being too short for most of my motorcycles. I wish 'utes would make a come-back in America and up-size to be more competitive with pickups, a four-door 'ute w/ a 76-inch bed and 1,000lbs of payload would suit me perfectly.

Probably I'll just buy a trailer and put a receiver on my R-350, it can tow plenty and replaced a lot of trips in the RAM.

You've described the reality of upper middle class pickup ownership.

As you go down the economic ladder people become more willing to shoehorn vehicles into uses that would make wealthier people hem and haw.

I can't disagree with you but I'd still like to respect the definition of 'truck'. It has a specific meaning within the car world.