Cars Come & Cars Go, SomeThoughts On The Toyota Problem--

We know so many Toyota owners, it reminds me of the 60's when just about every family owned a Chevy. It's good that Toyota made a public recall, for at least now, the owners of these questionable cars can hopefully "get some satisfaction", & be safe. The safety part is what remains in question, & is most important for the people continuing to drive these cars. They are being told by news reports how to readjust their driving, in hopes of not running a muck. I think more assurance of safety is needed here, as it's a real stress knowing that people during their every day commutes are at dangerous risk.

Ralph Nader thankfully can be credited in obtaining the first automotive recall for Chevrolet's Corvair from his book, "Unsafe At Any Speed." Since then other major recalls have been put in place against the car industry, Ford for it's Pinto, & Volkswagen for it's ejector seats, just to name a few.

We just replaced my 15 year old Volvo. When we got it, it was 3 years old, & all the recalls by then had been taken care of. Recently as we were looking for a replacement car, Toyota had definitely been in view, the reliability & quality was constantly in the forefront of our thinking, but in the end I stuck with the car I had become most familiar with. We owned a Toyota back in the early 70's, it had belonged to my friend's brother, as he & his family were moving to Canada, & they replaced it with a new one. Even though we had all the service records of that Corona we were never happy with it, for the engine blew, & the investment we had made was a total loss. That may be the ultimate reason as to why I never became a Toyota fan again, just couldn't forget that short termed ownership chapter.

Toyota will rise again, & regain their reputation, but it will take hard work & a positive pr. They can do it, but for now anyway they are not "simply the best". Perhaps in time, there will be a renewed appreciation of the American car industry in Detroit. The universe holds the possibility of more than one shining star, & Toyota will have to sing a different song in their next galactic orbit.