My colleague here, Heather McPherson, the food editor, is constantly being asked by friends and co-workers to suggest good restaurants, because that's what she does.

And I'm constantly being asked by friends and co-workers to suggest good cars to buy, because that's what I do.

Frequently, when somebody asks about a solid, dependable car — seldom mentioning the fun-to-drive factor, because that would require a different answer — I suggest a Toyota Camry or Toyota Corolla. Until now, no one has complained about that advice, because both are top-quality cars. In my opinion, a base-model Corolla may be the most dependable vehicle on the road.

I can imagine that Roger and Heather occasionally get calls from friends complaining about a movie or a meal they suggested that didn't live up to the recommendation. Of course, movies and meals aren't that expensive. Cars are.

And I've gotten several calls from friends and readers less than pleased about my suggestion that Toyotas are good buys. The most painful: A friend who has a 3-year-old Camry that, due to a suddenly expanded family thanks to several stepchildren his new wife brought to the marriage, is no longer large enough. He wants a Honda minivan. And when he tried to trade his Camry in this week, he found the resale value to be, shall we say, depressed.

And while my friend fell far short of accusing me of recommending a car that suddenly is worth less than it was a few months ago, the point was made: In the auto business, things can change very quickly.

We have seldom seen recalls of the magnitude that now face Toyota, and more recent complaints about Prius brakes — an anomaly I have experienced in several Prius models, that I considered more of an annoyance than a safety issue — and alleged problems with electric power steering in Corolla models are all conspiring to torpedo Toyota's glowing reputation for quality and reliability.

On Wednesday, at the Chicago Auto Show, Toyota executives tried to reveal the new 2011 Avalon, but almost all the post-conference questions were about the recalls. Later that day, at a news conference for Intellichoice, a company that determines residual values for used cars, the speaker — while presenting Toyota with several awards — still had to make mention that the awards were still valid despite the decline in resale value for multiple models. A law professor leading a class-action lawsuit against Toyota suggests that Toyota owners have lost between $2 billion and $4 billion in value for their vehicles.

Really? I think that may be hyperbolic, especially if the current fixes Toyota is applying to various models really solve the complaints. Yes, there's a drop, but yes, there will be a rebound.

And keep in mind too that while these recalls are painful, they are by no means unique – it's just their scale that is sobering, aided by media-friendly incidents that keep them in the news. Example: A reader just forwarded a story about a Camry owner in Tennessee who, supposedly because of a stuck throttle, ran the car into a funeral home. "Sort of cuts out the middleman, huh?" the friend said. How can you ignore that kind of irony?

Keep in mind, too, that there are lots and lots of recalls. Cars.com, partly owned by the Tribune Co., which owns the Orlando Sentinel, keeps a list of recent recalls. A sample since last November:

—2007-2008 Honda Fit: Faulty window switch could lead to fire.

—2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010 Dodge Avenger, 2010 Dodge Nitro, 2009-2010 Dodge Ram, 2010 Jeep Commander, 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2010 Jeep Liberty: Could lose brake booster assist.

—2002-2003 Subaru Impreza WRX: Fuel leakage can lead to fire.

—2010 Volvo XC60; 2001-2005 Volvo S80; 2001-2004 V70, S60, XC70; 2003-2005 XC90: Fuel leakage can lead to fire.

—2006-2009 Hyundai Azera: Faulty wiring can lead to airbag failure.

—2010 Jaguar XF: Engine stalling.

—2008 Nissan Sentra: Brake failure.

—2008-2009 Mitsubishi Lancer and Lancer Evolution: Airbag sensor failure.

—2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler: Transmission fluid overheating can lead to fire.

—2000-2003 Toyota Tundra: Chassis corrosion.

—2010 Volvo XC60: Seat belt failure.

—2009 Mercedes-Benz G-Class 550: Fuel leakage can lead to fire.

—2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Dash seam can prevent airbag deployment.

Granted, these recalls are for much smaller numbers than the Toyota — the Mercedes recall affects just 352 vehicles — but suffice it to say everybody makes mistakes.

Even automotive editors. But I still like base-model Toyota Corollas.