forzav12, you make a valid point.
But- having been intimately involved in the service end of things with both the domestics and imports- I can say unequivocally the import brands reaction to quality issues has been much better than the domestics (with the exception of VW) and from what I saw Toyota ranked as one of the best. Of the domestics, Chrysler and GM sucked. Ford was TERRIBLE for many years but over the last 10 years they have made huge strides.
Toyota has had their problems, yes. But they have over and over stepped up to the plate.
Sludged engines, aka 'oil gelling?' Please. Every manufacturer- read that carefully- EVERY MANUFACTURER- has had issues with engine sludge. Don't believe me? Do the research. Toyota was, AFAIK, the ONLY one willing to help out even though (IMHO) it's not really their problem.
The rusty truck frames? When's the last time you saw Ford or GM offer to buy back a rusty vehicle at full NADA? Give it a shot. Let me know what happens. I'll wait.
So what is wrong with asking for outside QC assistance? Makes damn good sense if you ask me. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes see something you might have missed.
Could they have handled this last fiasco better? Of course. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20. The infotainment media smells blood in the water (which translates to ratings which translates to ad revenue) so a careful measured approach to a real fix for a problem becomes a 'cover up'. 'Clueless fixes'? That's what happens when you jump the gun. So you take some time so you fix it right the first time, the newsies call you 'heartless' for 'taking too long'. Can't friggin' win.
Want to know who has some of the worst initial quality I have ever seen and also the worst support? Mercedes Benz. Beautiful cars. Interiors, body gaps, paint and NVH are flawless. OTOH, transmissions puke, electronics are spastic, oil leaks you'd have to see to believe, control arm bushings and ball joints worn to the point of sloppy at 60,000 miles, catalytic converters bad at 85,000 miles (the Fed emissions warranty is 8 years/80,000 miles), EXPENSIVE!!! door and window control modules bad at 60,000 miles, all KINDS of stuff happens. They also are of the opinion that if your car has a 36 month/50,000 mile warranty 36 months/1day or 50,001 miles means you are out of warranty. Just saw it happen again this week. I get PLENTY of business from the local Mercedes dealer.
Want to know who had the best after the warranty support I have ever seen?
Wait for it...
KIA. They were MORE than willing to step up to the plate and fix stuff and they did it QUICK.