Sorry, Toyota Fans...I Tried....

By now, I'm assuming anyone reading this has also been witness to the recent fall from grace by Toyota. The headlines have been brutal for months, now: brake problems, floor mat and pedal entanglements, software issues, runaway Priuses, and so on. People who had staunch belief in Japan's #1 carmaker are looking puzzled, afraid, and even angry at what must seem to be a sudden and terrifying change to the automotive landscape.

Truth be told, the very same media that's running the stories was guilty of burying previous issues for years.

I'm a pretty severe car nut. I like driving, I like working on 'em, I really do buy into the whole idea that Americans are partially defined by our car addictions. That said, I read auto-related news from many sources on a daily basis...and the difference between what news gets to auto sites and what gets to the mainstream media is astounding. For car freaks like myself, the "fall" of Toyota has been anything but sudden.

In the early 2000s, the Detroit automakers were recovering from some of the dumbest and most damaging management(s) they'd ever had. Quality was down, cars were almost ignored while trucks and SUVs continued to sell briskly, and no one is ever quick to change a formula that's making money. Toyota and Honda kept their car efforts in sharp focus, which meant the Accord and the Camry were suddenly miles ahead of largely ignored domestic cars like the Taurus, Stratus, and Malibu. As these trends continued, the press at large began to give free passes to the Japanese imports; their quality was assumed without question.

What didn't make the larger media reports, though, was that Toyota was starting to come under fire from disgruntled owners with increasing regularity. Some issues-particularly "engine sludge" and various steering problems- became very consistent and other reports had Toyota hiding recalls behind the term "Customer Service Opportunities" which kept those problems out of the press...and out of the eye of the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Even a scandal about Tacoma and 4Runners with defective ball joints was kept mostly out of the headlines, yet a problem with GM trucks' tailgate cables was potential front-page fodder.

People like myself watched the Toyota stories get shuffled to the back while any domestic recall was annouced in 36 point print...and were sickened. The same media who'd been singing Toyota's praises was trying to avoid getting egg on its own face; it's always awkward to have been backing the wrong horse. The Prius was becoming the best red-carpet vehicles for celebrities even as they were being investigated/recalled for steering and stalling issues.

Fast forward to today: Toyota had to restrict sales of some of its most popular models due to the growing unintended acceleration problem, and the once-friendly media has fully turned on its former champion with a barrage of reports about the floor mats, the pedal assemblies, the software glitches, and the latest Prius-involved accidents. The quality numbers show a tight group at the top, now, and Detroit is making its presence known in customer satisfaction surveys (minus Chrysler, which languishes until new owner FIAT can bring real help to bear). A few short years ago, Saturday Night Live did a skit saying the Ford Taurus was "for people who have given up on life"; last Sunday at the Oscars, a joke was aired comparing giving someone a new Prius to a mob hit. For anyone confused by all this, I have a suggestion:

Before sinking roughly 30 grand into a new car, do the research and definitely drive as many vehicles in your market niche as possible. Don't rely on just the mainstream media, and they will continue to serve their own interests above all else. You make sure to serve yours.