Michael Fumento

Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, has obtained and reviewed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaint database. A key finding: Toyota was the subject of 9.1 percent of the complaints from 2001 through 2010 (through February 3), even while selling 13.5 percent of all new cars in the U.S. This puts it third in sales, but 17th in complaints.

And not incidentally, Toyota came out far and away the top quality auto maker according to Consumer Reports' 2010 Car Brand Perception Survey handily beating Number Two Ford. (See inset.)