The other day a Ford commercial actually caught my eye. It was touting the automaker's latest model, a crossover SUV called the "Edge" that actually looked much more modern, innovative and exciting relative to other Ford car models. I thought to myself, "Good for them, they are finally catching on to modern consumer tastes, albeit in large gas-guzzlers."

Ford caught my eye again with a rather snazzy looking auto that gets a nice plug in the newest James Bond film, "Casino Royale." The Ford Motor Company needs more exciting marketing initiatives like these to shed its ho-hum image, generate buzz and sell lots of cars.

Then again, this matters little if the company has to recall thousands of vehicles due to faulty cruise control schemes that can potentially set cars on fire, according to The Associated Press. Ford recalled about 155,000 pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles — including 2003 F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty truck, the Ford Excursion SUV and the Lincoln Blackwood pickup — to repair a cruise control switch, according to the AP report. The switch system could corrode over time, overheat and ignite, although there were no reports of fires in these 2003 vehicles yet.

Chrysler is another U.S. automaker experiencing an image and revenue crisis. To put the challenges these two companies face into perspective, look no further than DaimlerChrysler AG Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, who said Tuesday he is confident the plan to re-energize Chrysler will work, but reiterated that all options were still open for the unprofitable U.S. division, according to Manufacturing.net. (See: Divorce and Fanning the Auto Rumor Mill)

Even though Zetsche believes the turnaround plan will work for Chrysler, he also understands the uphill battle he faces in changing the perception of his company's brand. Here are his thoughts:

''I'm sure we will see a rebound of Chrysler,'' Zetsche said at the 77th annual Geneva Motor show, though he offered no timetable. ''We're very confident that the (restructuring plan) is robust and doesn't require further steps.'' However, he acknowledged that DaimlerChrysler underestimated the time it takes to completely change perceptions of brands in the U.S. market place. ''It takes years to change the perception of a company,'' he said.

Can U.S. automakers afford to wait years? Isn't now a critical juncture? A juncture that sees the U.S. accepting hybrid models and green sources of energy on an increasing basis to cure its "addiction to oil". How can U.S. automakers effectively compete in this new age if it still can't make "old school" products the right way or successfully re-vamp its image?

And a recent Frost & Sullivan research report even states as much; that as more autos become packed with electronic gizmos, the need for all of these components to work flawlessly will be a paramount concern. Here's an excerpt:

Electronic components are used in certain important applications including safety, security and powertrain. These require fault-tolerant processors, microcontrollers and other components, as failures in any of these critical mechanisms can cause accidents. As a result, fault-tolerant solutions are gaining increasing importance in the automotive sector.

"The increasing deployment of electronic content in automobiles will drive demand for fault-tolerant solutions in telematics, as well as in vehicle safety and security," notes Frost & Sullivan research analyst Bonnie Varghese K. "Fault-tolerant devices are being widely adopted in areas where there is a higher risk of human error, such as in collision avoidance and driver assistance applications."

So if U.S. automakers can't keep their brands current with modern times, or even make their cars safe, how will they be able to compete effectively with overseas competitors who seem to be doing a better job with innovation and safety?

Related: Toyota's Battle of Perception and Backlash