Yesterday, Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) announced that it will launch a voluntary safety recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that will impact roughly 96,000 Toyota and Scion vehicles sold in the U.S. thanks to possible brake problems.

The problem occurs in extremely cold temperatures in the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, along with the 2008 and 2009 Scion xD vehicles, all of which come equipped with 1.8 liter engines. Toyota will notify vehicle owners from 19 affected states in early September 2009. Toyota dealers will install a newly designed intake air connector to correct the problem.

As the saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em -- or at least hire 'em to join you. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) announced late yesterday that it has hired James D. Farley as its new marketing chief. Until recently, Farley was a VP at Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) and general manager of Toyota's luxury Lexus division. Before heading Lexus, he helped launch Scion, Toyota's successful new brand aimed at youthful buyers.

The Detroit News, which covers the car industry like a hungry dog on a juicy ham bone, has this to say: "It's hard to overstate the symbolism of Farley's appointment by Ford. That a rising Toyota star, the head of Lexus and a founder of its Scion youth brand would bolt the Japanese juggernaut for the struggling Blue Oval is a testament to Mulally's leadership, the strength of Ford's current lineup, the promise of its future products and the upside in it all."

Ford is not the first American car company to raid the world's leading auto producer. A month ago, Chrysler snagged James Press, the top-ranking Toyota executive in North America who joined the Chrysler Group as Vice Chairman and President. And it hired Deborah Wahl Meyer, the former head of marketing for Lexus, to be its chief marketing officer.

It's hard to see this as anything but good for Ford and the American car makers. Decades ago, foreign producers visited Detroit to learn how the world leaders made cars. Now the playing field is much more even, with Toyota in particular giving Ford and General Motors (NYSE: GM) a run for the money. In the recent hiring of Toyota executives, we can see that the American companies have finally admitted that they are no longer the best at what they do, and that they are willing to learn from their competitors. With any luck, the end result will be stronger American cars that can better compete with already excellent products coming from overseas.