Being young, spry, and of above-average height for an American male, Iâm not so sure I would have noticed the grab handles on our Toyota Tundra if not for an injury I sustained just before I was scheduled to captain the big truck.
The failing body-part was my knee. I managed to disrupt its internal working while
Given the Tundraâs size, I was pretty sure I would need to run, jump, AND climb just to reach the door handles. I had no idea how I was going to wrangle myself inside of the leviathan.
I hobbled up to the Tundra, opened the door, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the grab handle jutting from the A-pillar. I'm sure there are warnings somewhere in Toyota's literature against this practice, but let it be known that the handles will, in fact, hold the weight of an adult male.
Getting out with one good leg was a different and far less engaging story.
Stay tuned for part II: Same discombobulated knee but a different long-term test Truck!
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 7,000 miles.
I hobbled up to the Tundra, opened the door, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the grab handle jutting from the A-pillar. I'm sure there are warnings somewhere in Toyota's literature against this practice, but let it be known that the handles will, in fact, hold the weight of an adult male.
Getting out with one good leg was a different and far less engaging story.
Stay tuned for part II: Same discombobulated knee but a different long-term test Truck!
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 7,000 miles.
sodaguy says:
12:19 PM, 11/ 6/07
Mike,
Will you be making a blog post soon on the truck's service visit? I notice that it has 7k miles now, 2k past the first service at 5k.
carlisimo says:
12:38 PM, 11/ 6/07
Fighting pirates. Nice!
The Tundra would make a good start for a Mad Max vehicle.
stingray454 says:
01:39 PM, 11/ 6/07
Just don't sit on the tailgate - you might crack it! (BTW, this is a slam on the Tundra, not on your weight or anything).
opfreak says:
03:05 PM, 11/ 6/07
this must have beeen WEEEEEEKS ago. the post below this one shows the truck at 7,000 miles
daytona_500 says:
04:33 PM, 11/ 6/07
You would have been screwed had this been the Silverado, I remember reading a post a while back about it lacking the handle.
thebigal says:
05:36 PM, 11/ 6/07
I'll bet that other long term truck is the Silverado... I do find it odd that a grab handle isn't in the SIverado, but then again you can always grab the steering wheel... not was it was intended for of course, but...
billt9 says:
08:20 PM, 11/ 6/07
GM hates handles.
GM continues its handle hating in the 2008 Chevy Malibu too.
Death to handles GM says.
Toyota loves handles. Is that some reflection that Americans have more muscle mass than Japanese, and thus aid from handles are not required? Mystery mystery...
drinkduff77 says:
12:31 AM, 11/ 7/07
power to weight ratio, billt9....power to weight ratio
stovt001 says:
08:27 AM, 11/ 7/07
Well the G8 does include ohmygawd handles for the passenger. Solstice does too. GM just includes handles for different purposes, thats all.
stingray454 says:
01:22 PM, 11/ 7/07
My '99 Suburban has grab handles all over the place - TWO for the front passenger, one each for the rear passengers, but none for the driver. I guess they figure you'll just grab the steering wheel, which does seem to work fine. I'm in good shape and I use the running board to climb in so I don't need a handle anyway. A handle would be nice to have for those who need it though. It does seem like an obvious oversight.
skierx420 says:
09:21 AM, 11/ 8/07
Dodge Ram's have grab handles too. In the same spot I might add.