When asked which automaker I trust the most, my answer – always first and always – is “Toyota.” But rest assured, I am not a Toyota fanboy. In fact, I have sometimes been so critical of Toyota that I have upset a few corporate executives.

My preference for Toyota as the best car manufacturer is based solely on their consistent reliability and the fact that these models are often the easiest to manage for do-it-yourselfers like me. Everything else like fuel economy, comfort, interior space, etc. are not that important to me. That’s just the way I am.

Recently I had to add “durability” to justify my admiration for Toyota. After a three-week trip over the roughest roads of Africa, I discovered why safari tour companies almost exclusively prefer modified Toyota Land Cruisers – they are the toughest trucks I’ve ever driven around in, and they are a smart choice both functionally and economically for repairs in rough terrain and a country with limited resources.

However, Toyota’s credibility may have waned recently.

Credibility defined

Credibility is not as easy to define as it is to feel. But I will try.

Credibility is a multifactorial phenomenon. Basically, it is a combination of:

• trustworthiness
• expertise
• consistency
• objectivity
• Ethical behavior
• Effective communication
• Social proof
• accountability

In other words, it’s a lot like the Boy Scout Oath. And if you’ve ever been a Boy Scout or a Boy Scout leader, you know what I mean. But basically, it comes down to a foundation of TRUST. Without trust, everything else falls apart, which is why I put “trustworthiness” at the top of the list.

Is Toyota facing a scandal?

Trust in car manufacturers is increasingly becoming a concern for car owners, with abuse of privacy in particular reportedly becoming more and more obvious.

Recently I talked about how FedEx is involved in monitoring potentially every car in the United States, according to a Steve Lehto Episode on the YouTube channel in which the host criticizes the restriction of our civil rights related to car ownership, which prevents us from deciding where we go and what we do with our vehicles.

Recently I read the news about two Toyota GR Corollas being involved in what appear to be engine-related fire damage lawsuits. The news reports focus on how poorly Toyota’s lawsuits have handled customer claims, with vague and unusual denials that refer to actions by owners that void the warranty; possibly because the vehicles were driven at speeds over 85 mph at some point during their ownership. Although this is not entirely clear.

To learn more about the vagueness of Toyota’s response to the allegations, watch the video on Steve Lehto’s YouTube channel here, where he presents his legal side of the story.

Toyota won’t help with engine failure because owner was driving 85 mph

Is the real scandal about privacy?

While the video’s host discusses whether car manufacturers are legally able to deny claims for damages when their owners drive their cars over a set speed limit, another video raises the question of how Toyota (or any other car manufacturer) knows how fast we drive our cars?!

As it turns out, a second recent video shows us that our vehicles are essentially black boxes monitored by their owners, recording and sharing information about us and our driving habits. Worse, that information is being shared (and potentially sold) to insurance companies without our knowledge or consent.

Here is the video with another view of Toyota owners’ complaints:

The Toyota GR Corolla fire scandal is crazy

Should data protection be a question of credibility for car owners?

Privacy is a vanishing right. We give up a piece of it every day, every time we pick up our smartphone, agree to software agreements we never read, fill out a questionnaire, or post photos on social media. That much is clear.

However, after purchasing a Toyota RAV4 this year, I was never told if my driving behavior was being monitored, and if so, Toyota could have shared or sold the information without my consent.

If this is true, the credibility of this basis of trust will be destroyed.

We would love to hear from you

Tell us what you think is right and wrong about owning a car and your expectations of privacy:

1. Should exceeding the speed limit constitute a breach of your car’s warranty?
2. Do car manufacturers have the right to record and report our driving behavior without our consent?
3. Has your warranty claim ever been rejected for reasons you felt were unjustified?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Timothy Boyer is a Cincinnati-based automotive reporter. He has experience restoring old cars and regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications to increase performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics on new and used cars and trucks.

Image source: Deposit Photos