Last week I answered a question from a reader who wanted to know my thoughts on the GM recall that is ongoing. That same reader e-mailed back with another question:
Hello again IT Nerd.
Toyota just announced a new recall that covers over six million cars. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this seeing as you were kind enough to comment on the GM recall? Plus you’re a Toyota owner which means you have an interest in this.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading and thanks for the question. I see this latest Toyota recall in a couple of ways. First, in my answer to your question about GM’s recalls, I said that Toyota is going be subject to government oversight for the next three years. Thus I have a feeling that either they were trying to address anything else that could be considered a safety issue before that oversight begins, or if that oversight has begun already, it is forcing Toyota to clean house.
Second, Toyota’s brand equity that I spoke of in my previous answer about GM is going to be affected by this recall. People buy Toyota’s because of the quality factor. Now one massive recall will affect that brand equity and that perception of quality. But they can and have recovered from that. Having a second recall of a similar scale creates the possibility that they can’t recover from that in the long term. You have to think that this is scaring a lot of people at Toyota HQ right now. Why? Take yours truly for example. My Matrix is on the list of recalled cars and I will get it addressed when the notice comes. But this is the fourth recall I’ve had since buying this Matrix not to mention the electrical issue that I had that I’ve documented here. Will it affect what I purchase when the time comes to replace the Matrix? Yes. Does that mean that I will abandon Toyota. I cannot say at this point. But I will admit that my mind is open to other brands given what has gone on with Toyota over the last few years. If many other people who own Toyota products are thinking the same thing, the company has a major problem on their hands.