Toyota has been know for reliability over the last 15 to 20 years. They have overtaken other automotive companies to become the most successful car company on the planet. They have been known for safety, performance, comfort, and most importantly, reliability. However, the most recent recall is tarnishing Toyota's image.

4.26 million Toyota vehicles have been recalled due to floor mats interfereing with the accelerator pedal. An additional 2.3 Million vehicles were recalled due to stuck accelerator issues, and Wednesday January 27th an additional 1.09 million vehicles in the US were recalled due to the floor mat issue. On top of that, on Tuesday January 26th, Toyota halted sales on all affected models. This has affected Toyota's stock (TM down 7.01 dollars on Wednesday 1/27/10), but has more noticably affected the confidence of consumers around the country and abroad.

Currently affected vehicles are the 2008 through 2010 Toyota Sequoia, 2007 through 2010 Toyota Tundra, 2010 Toyota Highlander, 2005 through 2010 Toyota Avalon, 2009 and 2010 Toyota Matrix, 2007 through 2010 Toyota Camry, 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla, and the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Rav4.

However, there have been reports that previous years might also be affected. An independent agency has done a study and found that 275 crashes and 18 deaths since 1999 have occured due to accelerator issues whether it be the floor mats of the mechanical function of the pedal. There have also been reports of possible lawsuits and disgruntaled Toyota owners due to these issues. Because of this, various automotive companies are taking advantage of the situation by offering incentives for owners, of affected Toyota models, to trade in their Toyota for a different make. GM is one of the companies offering these incentives. Other dealerships, such as a Honda dealership in Dallas, are breading fear to some Toyota owners by posting signs that state "our accelerators don't stick"

Toyota and the makers of the accelerators (CTS Corp) are at odds on what is actually causing the acceleratord to stick. Toyota Motor Corp told the government that a friction problem in the accelerator may make the pedal "harder to depress, slower to return, or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position." CTS Corp stats that the less than a dozen incidents of stuck accelerators due to friction problems "and in no instance did the accelerator actually become stuck in a partially depressed condition." That being said, on Wednesday the 27th, 2010, Toyota and CTS Corp have announced that they have a solution to the problem and will begin testing immediately.

Regardless of this recall, all car makers in the world have recalls. In my personal opinion, I believe Toyota is a good organization and will rebound with a quality product and solution that is worthy of the name Toyota. How long that will take to implement is another question, but rest assured, Toyota will weather this storm and be back on track in the near future.