My two Kel_Tecs have been very reliable as well, though I did have one incident of rimlock with my Gen-2 P32 while breaking it in (I was shooting ammunition with a short OAL-profile, and have since eliminated the issue with KT's rimlock spacer.)
I don't get the comments about car companies introducing flawless products more often than gun companies. Seems to me that recalls are issued for cars far more often. Heck, since they started making them mostly in the US, even Toyota is wrought with them!
But, yeah, for the price, I'd expect some risk in buying anything in this bracket level of firearm.