Originally posted by deadwolfbones I heard of a few isolated incidents that were made into a typical media circus. Hadn't heard about the frame problems, though. Despite the recalls and whatnot I'd still consider Toyota one of the most reputable brands out there.
Top Gear had a great segment a few years ago with an old Toyota Hi-Lux, simulating typical usage: running it into stuff, dropping stuff on it, submerging it in the ocean, putting it on the roof of a 28 story apartment block due for demolition and blowing up the building, etc. It fared pretty well.
To the original point, I think Pentax does what the OP suggests, just with cameras, not super-telephoto lenses.