Why Are There So Many Auto Recalls These Days?

Toyota announced a global recall of 6.4 million vehicles on Wednesday — a move that, on the heels of General Motors' recall of 6.3 million vehicles, added up to a public relations crisis for the auto industry.

Industry experts say more recalls are likely for a variety of reasons, including software-related glitches, modular manufacturing processes and, perhaps most of all, mounting fear among other automakers that they may be next.

Todd Turner, a consultant at Car Concepts in Thousand Oaks, Calif., says automakers like Toyota are being proactive to avoid a scandal similar to GM's. "When everyone sees the results of a recall that has been delayed, I think people go back through their processes and ask, 'Is this something we should address or we'll have egg on our face?'" he says. Read more...