If the same thing happen to Honda, Kia, Nissan, such a recall might get only a few paragraphs in the business pages. But  when the Big Cheese catches a cold, the media crow.  As a matter of fact, never mind the media exaggerations and safety frenzy, Toyota has grown too big and too fast, and  its quality has slipped. Of course it is not easy to cut costs while maintaining standards. However, people buy a Toyota for its quality. There is no other reason. Toyotas are not fun to drive. They do not give you that warm glow of ownership satisfaction. You buy it because it works, and works very well. And it keeps working. So a recall for a Ford or a Renault, while a pain, is like taking Buster to the vet. Shit happens. But when your fridge breaks, that’s bad. Toyota will lose some of the faithful motoring illiterates who constitute most of their customer base.

To conclude, Toyota’s quality and production processes are still the most envied in the industry, and it remains the world’s wealthiest car maker. Although they are facing a difficulty now, this hardship will pass and they will power to even greater domination of the world motor industry.