What is the greatest threat to the U.S. manufacturer? The great recession? Close, but not quite. Corporate espionage? Save it for the movies. Obamacare? Let’s not go there. A product recall can make every other problem seem trivial.

The folks at Toyota know something about that. The 2009–2010 unintended sudden acceleration recall affected 4.3 million vehicles and immeasurably damaged Toyota’s reputation for quality and safety.

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