[liquidben]

I'm having trouble tracking down a citation, but Marketplace pointed out that this is the first of these recalls to happen since the burgeoning of social networking. Pintos got written up in newspaper headlines. The SUV/Firestone debacle probably got snarky bylines on Fark. The Toyota "crisis" happened in the full bloom of Twitter et all. The commonality of foreign cars means that Bob can post to Facebook to warn any and all of his friends that they should check their driveway for any of the recalled models.

Furthermore there's an angle on the story: Toyota's reputation is build on reliability. I can't speak for the Pinto, but I don't recall Ford's SUV having that reputation. With sentiments currently against big business, suggestions of deceit are juicy linkbait.

Beyond that, some speak of Toyota's timeliness in issuing an apology. The Asashi, 2nd leading Japanese national newspaper, accuses them of apologizing too late. I personally wouldn't know how much weight that holds, but I find it interesting.