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Houston road rage incident devolves into all-out brawl

The video is no longer available. It appears the associated account has been terminated. Chaos erupted on a Houston freeway last weekend when an altercation spiraled out of control and ended up in a battle-royale style brawl in the middle of traffic. According to KTRK, David Dao and his daughter were traveling along FM 1960 on the morning of May 14 when they came upon a white Honda and a blue Ram truck parked in the right lane. The drivers and passengers of the vehicles were engaged in a spirited argument about something that had happened moments before Dao pulled up. Dao parked in his lane to block traffic in an attempt at making sure other drivers didn't hit the people fighting in the right lane, and instructed his daughter to start filming the incident in case they were needed as witnesses. As Dao's daughter filmed, the incident quickly escalated–harsh words were exchanged, a drink was thrown in a woman's face, and then the driver of the Ram kicked in the Honda's grille. "I couldn't believe it. As soon as he kicked the grille, I was like, 'This is going down now," said Dao. "I was thinking this is going to be bad. At that time, I knew because there was physical damage." As soon as the Ram driver kicked the Honda the entire situation went sideways and devolved into a huge brawl, with the people from both vehicles throwing wild punches and grappling with one another. A woman who was a passenger in the Ram attempted to break up the scrum but took a haymaker in the face for her troubles. Eventually, the fight broke up and the people returned to their vehicles which Dao assumed meant that the altercation was over. Apparently though, the Ram driver felt he hadn't made his point, and he reversed at high speed into the Honda, smashing the fascia and buckling the hood. The Ram then sped off westbound on U.S. 290 with the Honda on its tail. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the incident was not reported and there is no word what happened to the brawlers after they left the scene. Related Video: News Source: KTRK Weird Car News Dodge Lexus RAM Driving Safety Truck Videos Sedan road rage houston fight

Toyota recalls pre-collision system on Avalon and ES models

Toyota is recalling 31,000 US examples of the 2013-2015 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Lexus ES350, and ES 300h because the Pre-Collision System could potentially cause an accident. According to the company, it's possible for the safety aid to misidentify a steel joint or plate in the road as a hazard and apply the brakes. The sudden, unexpected activation could lead to a crash. Toyota spokesperson Cindy Knight told Autoblog that the company has reports of two accidents in the US related to this issue, and there are also two alleged injuries. The company has no reports of fatalities. Toyota is taking a serious approach to deal with this problem. First, the company plans to disable the system on these sedans. Once the parts are available, dealers will replace the system with improved components. The company doesn't yet know when these repairs will begin, but owners should receive notification of the recall in November, according to Knight. Toyota isn't alone in needing to tweak safety equipment. Ford faced a similar issue when the company recalled 36,857 examples of the 2015 F-150 because passing a large, reflective semi could inadvertently activate the collision warning system. An update for the adaptive cruise control module software fixed the problem. TOYOTA RECALLS CERTAIN AVALON AND LEXUS ES VEHICLES TORRANCE, Calif., November 3, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. today announced that it is conducting a safety recall of approximately 31,000 Model Year 2013-2015 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Lexus ES350 and ES300h sedans. In the involved vehicles, under certain situations, the PCS (Pre-Collision System) could interpret a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object that triggers PCS activation. If this occurs, the PCS warning buzzer sounds and the system may apply the service brake automatically. Unexpected braking could increase the risk of a crash. For all involved vehicles, the PCS function will be disabled as an interim remedy. As the permanent remedy, Toyota dealers will replace PCS components with improved ones. Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time. For the most up-to-date Safety Recall information on Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicles, customers should check their vehicle's status by visiting toyota.com/recall and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Safety Recall inquiry by individual VIN is also available at the NHTSA site: safercar.gov/vin.

Updated Lexus CT200h coming next year, new variants reported

Lexus has had a minor success on its hands with the CT200h, a funky, five-door, sport-luxury hybrid that burst onto the scene in 2011, and managed just over 17,000 US sales in 2012. Worked out to a monthly average, that's nearly 50 percent more units per month than Lexus initially targeted when the car went on sale.
Though it's done well, the CT has been left behind while designers and engineers have reworked the rest of the Lexus lineup, bringing out fully revamped versions of the GS, IS and LS over the past few years. According to a report from Down Under, though, the little CT will get some attention soon.
Speaking to Sean Hanley, boss of Lexus Australia, Aussie site The Motor Report picked up a telling quote about the execs affections for the CT, when he said, "We see the CT200h as our greatest opportunity." Hanley added that a refresh of the CT could happen early in 2014, while a clean-sheet reworking would happen around 2016.