What is the old saying? It never rains but it pours.

And, it is pouring for Toyota Motor Company right now.

An interesting phenomenon to watch, particularly in the wake of all the other woes in Autoland. Generally speaking, Toyota customers are a fiercely loyal bunch, but they differ in their responses to the news. Some are patiently riding it out; others, it seems, are going for bear; ready to turn their die-hard Toyota backs on the automaker. Take for instance a Chicago customer who purchased a Camry for his daughter.Interviewed by the Chicago Tribune as he was on his way back to the dealership, invoice in hand, the buyer was bent on returning the Camry so that he could go out and buy a 'safer' car for his daughter to drive. What possessed him to buy a Toyota product in the first place? Dependability, safety and a good history of making fine automobiles would be my guess. Whereís that loyalty now?

As with other such loyalties in life (or lack thereof), Toyota owners can be fair-weather friends, too: Supporting Toyota when times are good (and repairs are few and far between), yet growing angry when the manufacturer shows its vulnerability.

As odds dictate, and I am no statistician, it only makes sense that sooner or later, with a bazillion cars on the road, Toyota, like every auto manufacturer is bound to have a faulty product, or two, eventually.

Toyota sales have been temporarily suspended on 8 models of new cars and production halted at seven North American plants until these problems can be fixed. The largest such move ever by an automaker in the U.S., Toyota Motor Company willingly, and not without embarrassment, recalled a total of more than 5 million vehicles. Toyota now has targeted 4.8 million cars that need problems corrected. The estimate for repairing these defective parts, at Toyotaís own expense, paired with sales losses (due to halted sales of affected models) will be nearly $2 billion; or more. The fact that Toyota is a profitable auto manufacturer means they will be able to sustain this hit. However, itís a bitter pill to swallow.

And right on the heels of the accelerator/floor mat problems comes a formal defect investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) Administration into 100 allegations that the brakes in the 2010 Prius lose braking power when the car goes over uneven roads or hits potholes. According to Brian Lyons, spokesman for Toyotaís domestic operations, reports out of China suggest that 270,000 Priusí have been recalled regarding this electronic problem with braking. The NTSHA is currently evaluating 124 complaints.

Not every model recalled has a gas pedal that sticks or a floor mat that traps the pedal. Two of the recalls going on now include sticking accelerator pedals and the October 2009 recall of cars with pedals trapped by floor mats. These recalls can be tied to 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

The models affected with a sticking pedal include certain 2009-2010 RAV4s; certain 2009-2010 Corollas; 2009-2010 Matrix; 2005-2010 Avalon; certain 2007-2010 Camrys; certain 2010 Highlanders, 2007-2010 Tundras and 2008-2010 Sequoias.

Those Toyota vehicles affected by the faulty floor mats include 2007-2010 Camrys; 2005-2010 Avalons; 2004-2009 Priusí; 2005-2010 Tacomas, 2007-2010 Highlanders; 2009-2010 Matrix; 2009-2010 Corollas; 2009-2010 Venzas.

The Lexus models affected include the 2006-2010 IS 250; 2006-2010 IS 350; and 2007-2010 ES 350.

If you own one of the above Toyota products and you are experiencing any problems with accelerator pedals, you should contact your dealer right away.

Owners will be receiving a notification from Toyota directing them to take their car into the dealer. However, owners do not have to wait until receiving a notice. The repair program is already underway, and in some cases, dealerships will remain open for 24 hours until the affected vehicles are repaired. New pedals will be made for those vehicles that have mechanical problems causing the pedal to stick in a partially depressed position or that return slowly to idle position.

The recall involving floor mats involves pedals that have been stuck due to incorrectly made mats, or that are out of place. The pedals are being reconfigured and mats replaced. For now, Toyota is recommending owners remove the mats. It is said that this problem has been linked to 19 deaths and more than 2,000 complaints.

As each day passes, the hits keep coming. Just today, State Farm Insurance announced that as far back as 2007, they were seeing ìtrendsî among owners who drove Toyota vehicles, of some of the same faults involved in the most recent recalls. What remains to be discovered is where these faulty parts were made. China, Japan, the U.S.?

It just keeps pouring.