Seeking to Be No. 1, Toyota Traded Quality for Quantity

News that Toyota Motor's (TM) recall of 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. due to faulty gas pedals has been expanded to include additional vehicles in China and Europe is sending reverberations around the automotive world. The beefed-up recall is on top of another similar recall, issued last fall, that was expanded Wednesday to include a total of 5.4 million vehicles which may accelerate unintentionally due to jammed floor mats. Toyota owners around the globe are worried that they could find themselves in the unlucky position of the San Diego driver whose Lexus ES350 sedan accelerated out of control on the highway last August, causing a crash that killed all four occupants.