"Brand loyalty" is a very good thing, since there is the presumption that the new thing you buy will be at least somewhat like the previous one you bought.

It is possible, however, that attention to what made the previous one you best choice may slip into the background in favor of attention to "other features" before you come due for the next purchase; so it is always a good idea to look at the model currently for sale with a reasonably critical eye.

The specific complaints about unintentional acceleration and erratic braking are "minor" if viewed only in the context of the number of reports from users, and the number of incidents recorded in official records; but if one of them happens to you it is a "critical event."

Toyota assembly quality has undeniably slipped since the few years ago when they were working very hard, and very specifically, at making sure all the seams were straight. Their record with respect to functional defects has approached a very big zero.

Incident reports on record with the US NHTSA include an unusual number of individual items, some several years old, for which comment from Toyota has been demanded by NHTSA, with reply - per the regs - required within specific times spelled out in the complaints. Toyota has failed to reply to many notices of suspected problems, and has given no indication that corrective actions have been taken or even are being considered.

A notice of this kind gives the manufacturer the option of explaining that no action is required, and Toyota has consistently failed even to produce an argument.

There is some feeling, within the industry, that the current "stop sales & production" action, is little more than a "grand gesture" by Toyota to reassure buyers that Toyota is willing to take drastic measures (on relatively unimportant items?) in order to divert attention from more common and more critical problems that are "harder to correct."

It might be ventured that the order from the NHTSA to stop sales (on some models currently included in the Toyota response) might have been more to impress Toyota with the requirement to respond promptly to notices, on a long-ignored randomly selected item, than based on how critical the included item(s) are for the buying/using public.

The (also current) recall by Honda, to correct air bag installations that kill and maim, has a somewhat similar record of "stonewalling" by Honda on the initial complaints, and probably is a more critical defect, so it's not just a "Toyota thing."

The recent "this is not a recall" by Ford "adjusts" a behavior that is suspiciously similar to the Toyota braking problem, so it's not just a "Japanese thing" - perhaps.

It's probably no longer safe to assume that "it's better 'cause its a Toyota," but the current recalls shouldn't bar one from buying a new Toyota if that's what they like; but a careful buyer will look critically at what's on the lot in addition to past reputation.

John