2004 Lexus on 2040-cars

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Toyota recalling 1.67 million vehicles worldwide in 3 campaigns

Toyota is issuing three separate recalls covering 1.67 million vehicles worldwide with most of those models in Japan. It looks like the campaigns' impact on the US may be smaller, though. According to Reuters, Toyota isn't aware of any accidents, injuries or fatalities affecting the models. Some yet-unnamed Lexus models might also be affected.
The largest of the campaigns does not currently affect any US-market vehicles. About 802,000 units of the Toyota Crown Majesta, Crown, Noah and Voxy in Japan are being repaired to replace a seal that could leak in the brake master cylinder. Those already leaking get a new brake booster, as well, according to Reuters.
The only recall currently believed to affect the US is due to a problem covering approximately 759,000 vehicles with 423,000 of them here. The repair is to fix a faulty fuel delivery pipe that could cause a fire if the fuel leaks out. Unfortunately, we don't know which models it covers. Autoblog spoke to Toyota spokesperson Mona Richard and was told the information was still "under embargo." When exactly that embargo will lift isn't yet known, but we're on the case.

Lexus recalls 4,200 NX crossovers due to missing welds

Lexus is recalling about 4,200 units of the 2022 NX due to missing spot-welds. Announced in April 2022, the campaign includes the NX250, the NX350, the NX350h, and the NX450h+, and the Japanese company has asked its dealers to stop selling the vehicles in their inventory. Documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) explain that some spot-welds might have been missed during the production process. They're located around the mounting areas for the front shock absorbers. Leaving out these welds can cause some of the other welds and the surrounding panels to weaken or crack over time, which could in turn make it possible for the front shock absorbers to separate from their mounting area. This would increase the risk of a crash by causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The recall includes 4,215 examples of the NX, though Lexus estimates that fewer than 1% of those are missing welds. It will begin notifying owners of potentially affected vehicles by mail on June 6, 2022. They'll be asked to take their NX to an authorized dealer so that a mechanic can check for missing welds. Lexus is still developing a solution to the problem. In the meantime, it has asked its dealers to stop selling the NXs potentially affected by the recall that are still in inventories across the nation, though as of writing only 12 units have been identified. Weld-related recalls are mercifully rare but not unheard of. In 2019, Subaru recalled 2,107 new Outback and Legacy models due to faulty welds below the cowl panel, and 293 units of the Ascent were recalled in 2018 because they were missing a series of spot welds on the B-pillar. At the time, the company explained that the 293 crossovers without the proper welds would be destroyed and replaced. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2021 Lexus LC gets modest updates including less weight, new colors

The Lexus LC is already one of our favorite cars, and the 2021 Lexus LC aims to be even a little better. The luxury automaker has made a number of minor changes to the suspension, infotainment and color schemes. Starting under the skin, Lexus found some weight savings in the wheels and suspension. In fact, the new LC has 22 fewer pounds of unsprung weight thanks to lighter rear wheels, aluminum lower control arms, high-strength steel springs, and tubular anti-roll bars rather than solid ones. Lexus says that these improvements along with retuned shocks should give the new LC a softer, smoother ride. That's not all, as Lexus is now including its Active Cornering Assist technology to the stability control system, which brakes the inside wheels in turns to improve cornering ability. Lexus also adjusted the shift logic for the transmissions in both the V8 LC 500 and hybrid LC 500h to be smoother and more responsive. Users of Android phones will also be pleased to know that Android Auto will be standard equipment on the 2021 LC. Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa integration will also continue to be standard. So however you like to interact with your phone and media, you'll be covered. There are a few color updates, too. Cadmium Orange and Nori Green Pearl have been added as exterior colors. The latter you may remember from the limited edition 2020 Lexus Inspiration Series model. Inside, black and tan interiors stick around, while the Rioja Red option is replaced by Flare Red. Sadly, the Bespoke White interior, which featured indigo and orange leather and suede has been discontinued. Pricing and availability for the 2021 Lexus LC has not yet been announced.