The faulty gas pedal issue that Toyota has been dealing with for some time has now forced the company to suspend sales of all Camrys and other models in the U.S.Toyota is trying desperately to stay in front of the gas pedal defect that it has in most of its new fleet. To date, there have been no confirmed injuries or deaths in the U.S. as a result of the problem, but with so many cars on the road, it may only be a matter of time. The gas pedals in many of the Toyota models have been observed to stick, causing unwanted acceleration that a driver would be unable to stop.

"Toyota is suspending sales of the following vehicles: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia."

That still leaves several models of Toyota active in the market place, including the Prius and all hybrid Camrys. But the impact on the world's number one auto company has been unprecedented and it remains to be seen exactly what the financial and image fall-out will be from this episode.

Some may call into question the impeccable quality reputation that Toyota has built over the years, but the fact that the company seems to be out in front of this problem actually says more than the problem itself. At least, that's a reasonable perception among American consumers. The problem was brought to light in Japan, where the vehicles have been on the road longer.