Toyota's Reliability Reduction

The Last Reliable Toyota? 

I have never been a huge fan of Toyotas. While I will concede that Honda has always been a bit of a maverick (if they have grayed slightly in recent years), Toyota has persisted in being a purveyor of soulless auto-appliances to the masses. One purchases a Toyota with the same enthusiasm and consideration that one buys a refrigerator: is it big enough, what color is it, and (maybe) how much energy does it use? Despite this, I have always had to acknowledge their record for superlative build quality. One of my good friends in high school had a Camry with more than 300,000 miles on the clock and it was still going strong (even if it did burn a fair percentage of oil as well as gas).

That is what I find so shocking about this Economist article detailing Toyota's decision to stop producing and selling cars in North America. It seems that new Toyotas have become death traps that propel their occupants at full-throttle into highway embankments. Without any trace of sarcasm and in full seriousness, here is a point of education that may save your life:

If the accelerator in your car sticks:

1) Put the car into neutral
2) Pull slowly to the side of the road if it is safe

If necessary, practice doing this if you don't think you can do this in a panic situation.

Public service announcements aside, this is a reversal of public opinion and character perception that would make even the most depraved former child star proud. One moment you are the faultless darling, the next you're a walking example of poor choices, selfishness, and the destructive pursuit of fame and glory. I wonder if the same sort of hubris that overcame General Motors had infected Toyota, as well. Getting to the top means staying at the top. Too often, though, does success breed complacency. Perhaps slipping will bring out the competitive fire that propelled Toyota to that top spot. It's a rough market these days, though, and now was certainly not a time to tumble.