Floor mat.
Accelerator.
Brakes.

What else is left?? How can so many things be wrong with Toyota’s vehicles? Come on Toyota: you built your brand on dependability and reliability. When did you throw it out the f#%$-ing window? I am shocked and appalled that Toyota – the stellar manufacturer that it is – currently has more than 5 million vehicles on recall for defective floor mats, 2.3 million of its top-selling models on recall for unintended acceleration, and now the Prius on recall for faulty brakes – who knows how many cars that will affect?!

Toyota only has one chance to make this right. And it’s got to be all about the consumer. Toyota must empower its dealers to solve the problem…the right way. This means doing everything they possibly can to satisfy the customer, no questions asked. I propose the following:

Dear Toyota,

I don’t know if you missed “Basic Rules of Customer Service 101,” but the customer is always right. You should make an announcement to every one of your customers that is driving a recalled vehicle: “Pull your car over immediately. Call your local Toyota dealer, tell them you need a rental car right away and that your car needs to be towed to the service department to be fixed.” Dealers should assure customers that any and all costs associated with these recalls – rental car, towing, parts, service – will all be handled by Toyota.

Do not let this become a consumer problem when it is a manufacturer problem. Do not let this become a dealer problem when it is a manufacturer problem. The dealers have a hard enough job to do in their market places keeping the brand front-of-mind and keeping customers connected. These recalls are already making their jobs even harder – don’t make it worse.

Toyota needs to take immediate and aggressive action. Or they’re doomed.