Other car choices comparable to recent Toyota model recalls

Recent recall news surrounding Toyota – Floor Mat Entrapment recall on 9 models last September, Accelerator Pedal recall on 11 models in January and Brake Issues for the 2010 Prius model in February – could cause consumers to be reluctant to purchase a Toyota until these issues are resolved. Hopefully, Toyota can rebuild their reputation (fast) and remain a top competitor for economical vehicles.
However, if you’re in the market to purchase a vehicle and were contemplating on buying a Toyota, don’t discount their competitors. Almost all automakers have cars in the same class. In this article, we’ll focus on the popular Toyota Camry and Corolla with similar models.

Camry competitors include:

Honda Accord
Nissan Altima
Ford Fusion
Chevy Malibu
Mazda 6

Corolla competitors include:

Honda Civic
Nissan Sentra
Ford Focus
Chevy Cobalt
Mazda 3

All of the models listed above offer similar features, options, and safety standards. The American competitors like Ford and Chevy have made marked improvements over the last few years and often offer cash rebates and great financing rates. In fact, the Ford Fusion won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year! And, the Ford Fusion hybrid is the most fuel-efficient full size sedan.

In addition, many automakers offer brake-override systems according to a recent Wall Street Journal article and these models include some of the ones listed above. Unfortunately, Toyota didn’t offer brake-override systems,

which is a system built into most of their cars that cuts off a car's acceleration if the driver is hitting both the gas and brake at the same time.  The computer system—known in the industry as "Smart Pedal" —tells the engine to disregard the accelerator if both the brake and gas pedal are pushed while the vehicle is moving.

Nissan Motor Co. and General Motor Co., including the four-cylinder Chevy Malibu, both offer the brake-override system.

Ford Motor Co. is employing the technology on its Fiesta subcompact car, which will be introduced in the U.S. later this year. Ford plans to roll the feature out to its other vehicles although a timetable hasn't been disclosed.