A massive global recall of its vehicles has been quite a shock for the Japanese auto giant which assiduously built a reputation for quality and reliability over the years.

In 2008, it replaced US-based General Motors as the world's largest automaker.

Its lean and efficient business model was known as the "Toyota Way."

It inspired numerous books, and other corporations worked tirelessly to copy its strategy.

But since October 2009, Toyota has suffered major setbacks after it was forced to recall eight million vehicles due to unintended acceleration, braking and floor-mat problems.

That created a public relations nightmare causing a drop in sales, triggering law suits as well as a congressional investigation in the US.

Critics say Toyota suffered because it sacrificed quality for growth.

On Wednesday's Riz Khan we ask: Has Toyota become the victim of its own success? And how can Toyota recover from the battering its image has taken after a massive global recall of its vehicles?

Joining the programme will be Jeffrey K. Liker, a professor of industrial and operations engineering at the University of Michigan, and John McElroy, a journalist who hosts an auto-based TV show in the US and reports extensively about the auto industry on the web and radio.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired on Wednesday, March 24, 2010.