CHICAGO — As Congress continues to investigate the potential safety concerns that sparked recent Toyota recalls, consumer interest in popular new Toyota cars and trucks continues to slide on Cars.com.
The Camry, which had the largest share of consumer contacts to dealers for midsized sedans during the Cash for Clunkers program, now ranks 5th behind the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion.
"It's clear that the constant government and media scrutiny of safety issues with the various recalled Toyota products has affected which vehicles consumers are considering on Cars.com," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com’s editor in chief. "What remains to be seen is how much damage has been done and which manufacturer will be the beneficiary of Toyota's current troubles."
In the midsized sedan category, Hyundai has benefited both from Toyota's problems as well as from an aggressive marketing program that included advertising in the Super Bowl to boost consumer interest in their newly redesigned Sonata. The Sonata, which ranked 8th in the midsized sedan category before the Toyota's recall now ranks 2nd.
Prior to the recall, the Toyota Corolla ranked near the top of new compact cars in terms of the amount of consumer contacts to dealers. The Corolla was neck and neck with the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Jetta before the recall, but post-recall, the Corolla now ranks 8th among compact cars on Cars.com.
When it comes to full-sized pickup trucks, the Tundra hit a peak in May 2009 when it commanded 17 percent of the consumer contacts to dealers through Cars.com. After the recall, the Tundra's share on Cars.com has dropped by more than half, to 8 percent.
Toyota Woes Impact Consumer Interest for Its New Vehicles
As Congress continues to investigate the potential safety concerns that sparked recent Toyota recalls, consumer interest in popular new Toyota cars and trucks continues to slide on Cars.com.
More F&I

Explore the 12 Rules for an F&I Life at EFI
EFI 2026 will take place April 13–15 at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.
Read More →
Creating Your Own Economy
In this video, Reese Dailey explains how effective follow-up drives better results across the dealership, including increased sales, higher F&I penetration, and stronger customer retention.
Read More →
Prove You Can Do F&I at EFI
‘So You Think You Can Do F&I’ is a live role-play contest taking place at the 2026 Ethical F&I Managers Conference.
Read More →
Report Finds Year-End F&I Strength
Deal volume ebbed and flowed throughout 2025, but product performance remained steady, according to automotive technology and data intelligence solutions provider StoneEagle.
Read More →
Some Auto Brands Cheaper to Insure
A new top 10 list ranks the least expensive for average full insurance coverage on a clean driving record and high driver credit scores.
Read More →
Business Office Blueprint
Try following these 20 steps to greater success in the dealer F&I office this year.
Read More →
Insurance Shopping on the Rise
A TransUnion study found that relationship-driven sales models proved to be important, as consumers who used an agent had a lower shopping intensity than those going it alone.
Read More →
Auto Insurance Cost Reprieve
2025 brought consumers relief after years of rate hikes, but 2026 could bring renewed policy pain, depending on how U.S. trade policy affects prices.
Read More →
Cash Deal Strategies
In this video, Reese Dailey of the Automotive Training Academy by Assurant reveals strategies to make cash deals profitable without relying on monthly payment bumps.
Read More →
Cox Auto Says Dealertrack Offers Greater Finance Efficiency
Suite of new APIs, product enhancements and integrations is designed to help maximize contracting and funding efficiency for lenders and their dealer partners.
Read More →
