Toyota Hysteria

While driving with my future wife along California's Highway 1 south of Big Sur, my new Toyota MR2 suddenly fishtailed. It shot off a cliff, then rolled 350 feet before stopping. Mary sustained a broken neck and crushed skull, but she made a miraculous recovery. I suffered only scratches and bruises. The pavement was dry, I was under the speed limit, and skid marks testified to my desperate effort to stop.

That was 1991. While Mary was still in the hospital, I discovered Toyota was replacing the model because, according to one car magazine, expert drivers reported that it suffered "radical, often terminal oversteer." The model was never recalled, but it was quickly replaced. We settled out of court, with Toyota making no admission of liability.

You might think I'd be prejudiced against Toyotas after that. But I'm not. I later bought another one, and my wife owns one now...

Toyota hysteria - latimes.com