In our discussion of the cost of quality (coq), we note the external costs that occur after delivery of defective products (such as rework, liabilities, lost goodwill, philip crosby, author of quality is free, wrote that the cost of poor quality is understated and "there is absolutely no reason for having errors or defects in any product or service." this new york times article detailing toyota's recently announced recall of 7.4 million vehicles worldwide (including 2.5 million in the u. to repair power-window switches that can break down and start a fire, certainly brings crosby's ideas to the forefront.