Automakers scramble after record-breaking '04 recalls

Here's the $1 million a day question… If the quality of autos is higher than it has ever been, then why did recalls go up nearly a third last year to 30.6 million vehicles? Experts and automakers blame tighter federal requirements for reporting defects, the growing use of the same part on multiple platforms to save money and the complexity of modern vehicles. With hundreds of millions of dollars a year at stake, automakers are doing everything to stop recalls from happening. Personally, I think cars are not only getting too complicated, but the mad scramble to buy parts by the lowest possible bidder can blow the quality right out the window.