Toyota recalls 3,800 Lexus cars for steering fix

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it is recalling about 3,800 Lexus LS sedans in the U.S. to fix a problem with the vehicle's steering system following a similar recall in Japan.

The company said the recall affects some 2009 and 2010 LS 460 and LS 600h sedans. The recall is designed to fix a problem in which the steering wheel becomes off-center after a specific driving maneuver. The problem should not occur during normal driving, the company said.

Toyota earlier Friday recalled 4,500 of the same models in Japan to address the steering issue. The recall affects roughly 2,750 vehicles elsewhere around the world.

The automaker has been working to react faster to problems after coming under government scrutiny and being slapped with a record $16.4 million U.S. fine for its slow response to its accelerator pedal recalls. It is also facing hundreds of state and federal lawsuits. Those recalls affected more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.

On Thursday, lawmakers in the U.S House of Representatives accused Toyota of failing to keep its promise to get to the bottom of what caused unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles. Jim Lentz, Toyota's top U.S. sales executive, told lawmakers that the company has no evidence that electronics are to blame for the sudden acceleration reports.

Toyota's safety concerns have triggered to the first major review of U.S. auto safety laws in Congress since the large tire recalls by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. in 2000.

On models affected by its latest recall, Toyota said the steering wheel can briefly become out of alignment with the car's wheels when the steering wheel is turned to the extreme right or left and then re-centered. Toyota will remedy the problem by replacing the computer processor in the vehicle's variable gear ratio steering system, Toyota spokesman John Hanson said.

Full hybrid Lexus GS 450h enhanced for 2010

Lexus has introduced a series of styling, technical and equipment revisions that further strengthen the full hybrid GS 450h's appeal in the premium saloon market. It has rationalised the model line-up into two equipment grades – SE and SE-L – and introduced new exterior colour choices, alloy wheel designs and interior trims.

Lexus GS 450h

The GS, powered by a smooth and ultra-efficient combination of a 3.5-lire petrol V6 and a compact 650V electric motor, delivers sharp performance with fuel economy and emissions that are unmatched by its conventional petrol-powered rivals.

The Pre-Crash Safety system in the GS 450h has been revised to include pre-crash brake technology to support the established pre-crash seatbelt and brake assist functions.

Both front seats have new, inflator-operated active headrests, which are activated by a signal from the ECU should the car suffer a rear-end impact.

Toyota will recall Lexus LS flagship on Friday

Ouch. This one is going to hurt: Toyota will recall its Lexus LS flagship, the super-premium car that is the only in its lineup to list for more than $100,000, over steering problems on Friday, the company just said.

Normally, the embarrassment might be considered just another recall. But atop all the other recalls that Toyota has had this year, including another congressional hearing tomorrow and a mood of general discouragement, this one could be painful.

In the U.S., it's only 3,800 cars. Worldwide, it's 11,500. Small numbers, but this is the ultimate Lexus, the one car that Toyota tries to make perfect. Toyota has tried its best to insulate its Lexus line from the raft of recalls involving its Toyotas:

The incident that sparked the nightmare, the crash near San Diego last year that killed a California Highway Patrolman and his family, was in a Lexus ES. Just last month, Lexus recalled and briefly stopped selling the GX 460 sport-utility vehicle after Consumer Reports said it posed a rollover risk. But Lexus sales never dipped like those of Toyota as a whole.

2010 Lexus HS 250h Luxury Hybrid sale is down

Well, it seems like the U.S. market agrees with us. While Lexus had expected to sell 20,000 or more HS models a year--down from projections of 30,000 before the recession--Ward's Auto now reports that the total may be considerably lower than that.

Demand in Japan has been high for the car, so high in fact that early reports suggested U.S. supplies of the car might be affected. But Ward's projects U.S. sales of less than 14,000 units.

Part of the problem may be that upper-end models of the 2010 Toyota Prius not only offer a higher level of luxury equipment than on any previous Prius, but also get considerably higher gas mileage: 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway versus 35 mpg city, 34 mpg highway for the HS.

The situation could change if fuel prices rise again, but so far this spring, increases have been moderate.

2010 Lexus HS 250h Road test

the HS 250h is something of a misfit. The four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine naturally doesn't have the refinement of the V6s and V8s that power the other Lexus hybrids (RX 450h, GS 450h and LS 600hL). It's suitably inconspicuous at cruising speeds, but it gets raucous when acceleration is called for. There's also some whine from the electric motor under deceleration. More vexing is the wind, road and tire noise at highway speeds -- each is not overly obtrusive, but, cumulatively, it's enough to intrude on the quietude that's expected. The ride, for the most part, is firm not harsh, although sharper tarmac imperfections will make their presence known. The electric power steering has a slightly numb feel to it, but the sedan turns where and when it's supposed to and body roll is minimal.

2010 Lexus HS 250h

Moving inside, the HS's interior is more upscale than luxurious. The car has a starting price of $39,900; the topline Ultra Premium edition (there's also Premium and Premium Sport) adds another $8,850 to the sticker, all of it in content. That includes heated and ventilated leather seats, voice-activated navigation system with integrated backup camera, outstanding 15-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, auto-levelling LED headlamps, 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, power rear sunshade and auto-dimming side-view mirrors.

The front seats are almost bisected by the protruding centre stack, which contains the audio and climate controls as well as flip-up nav screen and "Remote Touch" joystick controller. While it's all busy and off-putting at first, the various control functions are within easy reach. The joystick and its computer mouselike interface work well, keeping the eyes at windshield level. However, programming the radio presets are overly complicated, requiring more steps than should be necessary.

One cool feature is the fact that 30% of the combined interior and trunk are covered in "Ecological Plastic," a bioplastic material that uses plant sources as raw material and is used for parts of the upholstery as well as a number of injection-moulded, foam and board components throughout the car, including trunk compartment trim, cowl side trim, door scuff plates, seat cushions and the package tray.

Warning Is Lifted On a Lexus S.U.V.

Consumer Reports magazine is lifting a “Don’t Buy” warning for a Lexus sport utility vehicle that failed an emergency handling test.

The magazine said on Friday that the 2010 Lexus GX 460 luxury S.U.V. passed its test after a dealership updated the software that runs the vehicle’s electronic stability control system.

The Toyota Motor Corporation recalled about 10,000 of the S.U.V.’s in the United States in April after the magazine told readers not to buy them. The automaker also stopped selling them.

Mark Templin, the Lexus group vice president and general manager, said in a statement that the automaker was pleased that the magazine had lifted the designation. He said about 75 percent of GX 460 vehicles had received the software update.