Toprak explained that the recalls encourage consumers with minor problems, some having nothing to do with manufacturing flaws, to demand a return or a free fix. “Everybody and their cousins - they are going to come out of the woodwork to complain that their car doesn’t work and they had an accident because of this issue,” he said.

Toyota cut back on factory production in several U.S. plants because of the fall in retail sales.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, went before a congressional panel and offered an apology for the problems.

Toprak says getting the "bugs" out of its cars now will likely result in a better product in the long run. “The better news for Toyota is that once they go through this problem and fix issues, Toyotas are still going to be some of the best vehicles money can buy, simply because they will not be able to afford to go through this situation once again,” he said.

Toprak advises a large incentive program to increase Toyota car sales. “Any new marketing campaign Toyota comes up with, the effectiveness of this campaign is going to depend on how aggressive it is,” he explained “They have to spend at least $1,000 if not more [per car] to get people in,” he said.

“I think it is not only the deal that they offer but it is also the confidence they put on their vehicles and this could be done by offering longer term warranties,” Toprak said. He suggests the factory bumper-to-bumper warranty on a Toyota, which is now 3 years or 36,000 miles [in the U.S.], should be increased to 4 years or 50,000 miles with a power train warranty of 10 years and 100,000 miles.