What has been happening to two of the best known if not biggest car manufacturers?

Toyota seems to be in meltdown with recalls across lots of their models, now Prius and some of the Lexus!

Honda now has a recall for air bags!

Once the staple diet of being maybe a bit boring but ultra reliable and safe looks like a culture of hidding problems and no one wanting to tackle this earlier when quite clearly some of these have been known problems for some time.

What a shame, I hope they grasp the nettle and perfect "NDF" (No Dangerous Faults)

How many other big car manufacturers fob customers off with known problems? Quite a lot I reckon.

I kind of feel sorry for the engineer that designed the accelerator for the Toyota. Seeing as how it goes he probably knew it was not 100% reliable but was forced to design it this way due to cost restaints and management pressure. Knowing something you designed killed a few people must be the worst feeling ever...

I think also the Japenese culture does not help where people are not willing to make a fuss due to the "dis-honour" culture.

Seriously worrying though where people have losts lives.

I read one of the reports of an off duty police officer who did not know how to switch the engine off on a Lexus "out of control" in that he needed to hold the start button for more than 3 seconds. It was a hire car, honestly I would not have known that either.

I have owned a couple of Toyotas in my time and they were excellent, so I am left with quite a sinking feeling about this. A push by all corporations to make money and keep making more profit year on year. The reality is there is real limits to most market places.

Wasn't the america company CTS the supplier / designer ?

I'm suprised more companies haven't done recalls with the toyota recall grabbing all the headlines, a perfect time for honda to get there major recall done without it sounding major (compared to toyota)

Also worth remembering that most manufacters do recalls without you even knowing about it, take your car in for a service and the recall work its done, happened a couple of times on my renaults, I only found out when I came to sell one of them to a dealer and they called up weather the recall had been done.

Sad indeed. I used to drive old Toyota's and they were very reliable long distance trips. Nowadays, it is a manufacturing race and turn around times are becoming unrealistic for common engineers to deliver. The pressure from management is another nail to the coffin. Being an engineer myself (not car builder) there is never 100% solution and lots of decisions need to ne made in process of development. At the end of the day engineer has least to say and can only feel guilty afterwards. It is like in classical "Challenger" movie which I had to discuss during Leadership Challenge Program few weeks ago.

We have owned our prius for just over 1.5 years. relocated to switzerland 4 months ago and decided we want to bring it over. we can get it to port and looks like 2500 to ship it which seems to include all taxes,etc. anyone shipped a prius here and is so what hidden costs or things should we expect. does it require much modification as we think not but not sure.

anyone else surprised that this spate of recalls comes at the heels of the US Auto industry's implosion??

If you were GM or Chrysler, what would realllly realllly make your day, eh??