But the system is working as it should
It’s been over a decade since the subject of automotive recalls has received as much public, political and media attention as it has recently. Back then it was Ford on the hot seat; now it’s Toyota. But the point is, it could be any automaker. And the frenzy surrounding the current Toyota situation is bad not only for Toyota but for the entire industry.
Recalls are a fact of automotive life. Today’s automobiles are highly complex devices. So much so that some unforeseen problems are almost certain to occur in any brand, regardless of how thoroughly its vehicles may be developed and tested.
From a consumer’s perspective, recalls should be considered a good thing. They demonstrate that the system is working – that manufacturers are and must be responsible for their products.
Such has not always been the case. If you have been around this business as long as some of us, you know well that there was a time when even serious defects might have been swept under the rug altogether. Or if handled at all, only as a secret “campaign” – fixed if an individual customer complained about the specific problem but otherwise ignored.
Such is no longer the case. Consumers are notified and fixes installed on their vehicles if there is even the remotest chance – miniscule fractions of one percent – that their vehicle might be susceptible to a problem. Not just if and when a problem occurs.
It’s an effective and highly responsible system. And it works. But when it does, the mass media treats it as a scandal, not something positive.
That’s a problem for all of us because it reflects badly on our business and hurts the credibility of everyone associated with it. It also opens the door to further political interference that is, at best, probably unnecessary and at worst probably counterproductive.
Let’s hope, for all our sakes, that this issue is soon behind us.
