Go ahead, say it! SAY IT! When some of you saw the news that Consumer Reports is no longer recommendingone of the Toyota Camry's (6 cylinder), Tundra's (V-8 4WD) and Lexus GS (AWD) the first thing you thought is, "I told you so!!!"
There's no doubt the Consumer Reports auto reliability survey of 1.3 million people found cracks in Toyota's reputation for quality. But before you Toyota bashers start planning a party in downtown Detroit, keep a few things in mind.
First, while Toyota slipped from #4 to #5 in overall quality, remember the brand is still #5!!!!!!!!!!! Ahead of Chevy , Ford , Chrysler, Dodge, and a whole host of others.
Second, of the 39 models Consumer Reports deemed "most reliable", 17 are from Toyota. Easily the most from any brand.
Now, I can hear some of you saying, "There goes Toyota Phil defending the Japanese automaker." Fact is, I'm simply trying to keep things in perspective. Yes, Toyota's quality appears to be slipping, but overall it's still quite impressive.
Toyota's challenge now is keeping reliability as strong as possible even as it continues expanding in the U.S. And given Toyota's track record of growing while maintaining quality, I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota succeeds at staying on top.
So go ahead and say the second thing you wanted to say, "Toyota Phil, you make me sick!"
Questions? Comments? BehindTheWheel@cnbc.com