17th Aug 2011, 06:48

You have some valid points, but still you are not hitting the target. Regarding the recalls; manufacturers have different policies related to this. As a previous Ford owner I know this, since my Ford Focus was in a production series with a known serious brake defect where the ABS/traction control unit can fail at any time. I actually demanded that Ford changing this unit, especially since the cost is in the $2,500 region for this unit. The Ford representative said there was no way they would cover any repair like this, unless I took them to court, and that was the last of it.

So I actually think it's reassuring that Toyota are doing recalls, even for minor things like a loose floor mat. To me that tells me that Toyota is taking safety seriously, unlike Ford that doesn't do recalls even for know, serious defects. Talking about loose door mats, I actually had one in my Focus too, since both mountings for the driver side mat are made of flimsy plastics. I asked Ford to cover that too, but they claimed I broke those myself.

Relating to what you can read on the Internet: Internet is quickly becoming a junk yard of information where you simply can find any fact that will support your point of view. Toyota sells tens of millions of vehicles worldwide, so finding someone that are unhappy should be easy. But that really doesn't tell you anything.

Hard statistics from sources like JD Power is more interesting, as well as personal experiences from people actually owning a Camry (and not people claiming that they own one, bad mouthing everything from Toyota and Honda).