Toyota's troubles are dividing the nation into two warring camps, with both sides reflecting deeply held beliefs -- and prejudices.

"It's amazing how big a litmus test this has become," said Jack Nerad, editorial director of Kelley Blue Book. "In its owner base, Toyota Motor Corp. has attracted a great deal of loyalty. People who own them are extremely protective of the brand and are evangelistic about the brand.

"On the other side, there are many who see Toyota as a foreign colossus that has come to steal away American business ... . They are missing the point that this is an American business, and it is ingrained in American business."

The automaker's longtime reputation for making a high quality product has helped deepen the response to this crisis of confidence.

"It just all goes back to that reputation that the company built. That brings a lot of loyalty from buyers, but when the very reason they purchased a car they love is being questioned and challenged, the people who have bought them become so defensive," said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting and product analysis with J.D. Power and Associates.

Much of the emotion is directed at how dangerous driving a Toyota could be.

Carnegie Mellon University's Paul Fischbeck, a risk expert, calculated the risk of driving a recalled Toyota and found that the accelerator problem increases by 2 percent the driving risk that occurs anytime anyone gets behind the wheel of any car. Walking or using a cell phone is far riskier, he added.

He said that in this country there's a little more than one fatality for every 100 million miles driven. The average vehicle covers about 13,000 miles annually. Based on that, he said, for the 2.3 million Toyotas being recalled, there are about 340 fatalities every year for causes unrelated to the accelerator.

"There's no question that they've identified a potential risk, and that risk has to be fixed. The bottom line is to get the car fixed," Dr. Fischbeck said. "Should you now change your driving habits? Should you park your car? Should you give up driving places? The answers to all of those questions is 'no.'"

Mr. Shuster said the automaker's past success has painted a giant bull's-eye on its back. "The height of the Toyota mountain has been so significant that everybody takes shots at them," he said.

A visit to the website of the Detroit News, the hometown paper for the domestic auto industry, and to Toyota's media website strikingly demonstrate the cultural divide that has formed.

On the Detroit News site, one Ohio blogger who called himself Ronniebob wrote of Toyota president Akio Toyoda: "Mr. Toyoda showed no remorse for the Americans that have died as a result of his poor workmanship. In other words, his unsafe tin can [is] junk ... . I for one would never buy this foreign piece of crap and hope the American public will wise up to what is going on. I hope Toyota goes under. They deserve it!"

On the other side of the issue, some visitors have been saving their attacks for Detroit's carmakers. "'I would say that the Big Three have been clueless for the last three decades, taking the state of Michigan down with them," one writer said.

A Toyota website visitor who called himself Mark was among the staunchest defenders of the brand.

"The domestics do not compare to Toyota, and now that the U.S. government decided to take over the U.S. carmakers, I would not want one for sure now. I am sure the [Obama] administration is behind the gigantic hype on this and wants to destroy Toyota. This is nothing compared to what all GM, Ford and Chrysler has done wrong to the American car-buying public. Toyota will come out even better than ever after this, I have no doubt about it."

But another visitor to the website expressed disappointment: "I am a loyal Toyota customer and have purchased three in the last two years. However, my problem with the company is their arrogance ... . When I did have a problem, Toyota was quick to deny any possible blame. I believe that if the company truly stands behind products, they should immediately implement a much longer warranty than their current three years, 36,000 miles."

Analysts say the fallout demonstrates how emotional people are about the cars they buy, which can become personal expressions of identity.

The irony is that Toyota has almost never been considered by auto writers to be a car that stirs the blood of car enthusiasts -- until now.

"One would think that when it comes to car brands, among the least involving is Toyota," said Kelley's Mr. Nerad. "Most enthusiasts picture Toyota as a kind of appliance. And how excited do you get about appliances?

"But this whole thing demonstrates that a lot of people feel very emotionally attached to Toyota -- and they feel a personal affront when Toyota is being attacked."

"Money Q&A" and "Company Town" are featured exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.