• Detroit Free Press, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:39 AM

Toyota's decision to halt production for one week starting Monday on assembly lines at six plants in North America while it works on fixing a flaw with accelerator pedals in eight models has experts debating the impact on the company's image, as well as whether Detroit automakers can make hay of the situation.

Gary Dilts, svp of global automotive operations for J.D. Power and Associates, points out that Toyota has some of the most devoted owners among automakers and feels competitors would have a hard time converting them. "It's not like any other car company that gets caught with this problem," he tells Justin Hyde.

Free Press columnist Tom Walsh, meanwhile, writes that as shocking as it may be that Toyota can be fallible, too, it would be smart for Detroit "TO AVOID ANY GLOATING. Never, ever, give the other team some smart-alecky criticism to post on the bulletin board." That said, the Big Three might want to discreetly trot out their collections of safety or quality awards for public viewing.

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