Nisu ni oni sto su nekad bili.
But lately, customers have had cause to doubt Toyota's quality. Last week, the company recalled 418,570 cars worldwide, all made in 2001. That includes 34,700 Priuses, Echos and other cars sold in the United States.
The problem is a faulty crankshaft position sensor that can stall the engine. The engine then cannot be restarted. Toyota says it is not aware of any accidents caused by the glitch.
Among other U.S. quality issues:
Toyota this spring recalled 170,000 Priuses, or two of every three it had sold, because a portion of the steering shaft assembly could become loose or crack.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Toyota's Scion tC coupe, after receiving nine complaints that the car's glass sunroof can shatter.
Toyota is recalling 367,600 Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX SUVs in the United States. A defective carpet clip could interfere with the accelerator.
More woes
In Japan, Toyota has recalled 1.1 million vehicles this year through Thursday, July 20. That's a big increase since 2002, when Toyota recalled 485,000 vehicles worldwide for the entire year.
One particular recall now haunts Toyota. It involves a defect in the steering assembly of 4Runner SUVs and T100 and Tacoma pickups, built between 1988 and 1996.
That problem caused a Hilux Surf, the Japan market's name for the 4Runner, to swerve and strike a car in the prefecture of Kumamoto in 2004. Five passengers in the other vehicle were injured.
Toyota had investigated the steering assembly in 1996. It altered the assembly for future vehicles but decided no recall was necessary.
After more complaints surfaced in 2004, Toyota reopened its investigation and issued a recall that year. The company recalled similar vehicles in the United States last September.
On Friday, July 21, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation ordered Toyota to report by Aug. 1 on steps it is taking to improve its monitoring of defects. The ministry's regulators did not fine Toyota or rule that it had broken any laws.