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Honda, Subaru airlifting parts to bypass port labor diputes

It should be abundantly obvious that a vital element in building cars is actually having the components on hand to assemble them. A labor dispute on the West Coast between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and management is not making that quite so easy for some Japanese automakers. Work slowdowns at the ports have pushed Honda and Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries into flying some parts into the country. The two automakers began shipping by airplane late last month to avoid production delays, according to Bloomberg, but it has been an expensive solution. Subaru's chief financial officer said the decision cost around $60 million more per month than sending components by cargo ship. They aren't the only companies dealing with the problem, either. Toyota reportedly stopped overtime assembly at some of its factories here because of the delays in getting parts, according to Bloomberg. The dockworkers have been negotiating on a new contract since May 2014, and the current offer on the table to them has offered a 3 percent raise, according to Bloomberg. Although, the union is reportedly considering another slowdown at 29 ports along the West Coast in the coming days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Nick Ut / AP Photo Auto News UAW/Unions Honda Subaru Toyota shipping port labor dispute

Toyota recalls power window switches for 6.5 million vehicles [UPDATE]

UPDATE: There was one incident of someone in the US getting a burn to the hand from this issue Toyota spokesperson Cindy Knight tells Autoblog that. "We have 11 reports where part of the door trim and/or switch was burnt," she said. The company isn't aware of any crashes from the problem, though. Because of a potential short circuit in the driver's side power window switch, Toyota is recalling 6.5 million vehicles worldwide, Reuters reports. Of those, the automaker says around 2 million are in the US. The affected models here are: 2007 and 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid 2009-2011 Corolla 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid 2009-2011 Matrix 2006-2011 RAV4 2009-2011 Sequoia 2009-2011 Tundra 2006-2010 Yaris 2009-2011 Scion xB 2009-2010 Scion xD According to Toyota, the switch might not have received adequate lubricant grease during manufacturing, and over time this could lead to a short circuit. In a worst-case scenario, the part might even overheat, melt and cause a fire. As a fix, dealers will inspect the component on these vehicles and apply heat-resistant grease to it, and any broken examples will have an internal circuit board replaced. Toyota already issued one recall for this problem in 2012 when it had to repair 7.5 million vehicles globally from the 2007-2009 model years, including 2.5 million in the US. These latest models had the grease applied in a different way. Related Video: Toyota Recalls Certain Vehicles for Power Window Master Switch October 21, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 20, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is conducting a safety recall of approximately 2,000,000 vehicles related to the driver's side Power Window Master Switch. The involved vehicles include certain: 2007 and 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid 2009-2011 Corolla 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid 2009-2011 Matrix 2006-2011 RAV4 2009-2011 Sequoia 2009-2011 Tundra 2006-2010 Yaris 2009-2011 Scion xB 2009-2010 Scion xD The Power Window Master Switch in the involved vehicles may have been manufactured with insufficient lubricant grease. If not enough grease is applied, under certain conditions the switch may develop a short circuit that can cause the switch assembly to overheat and melt. A melting switch can produce smoke and potentially lead to a fire. Toyota previously recalled certain 2007-2009 model year vehicles for a similar condition.

Toyota releases its Le Mans recap, 'The Ultimate Endurance Race'

Two weeks ago, Audi released its short video about this years 24 Hours of Le Mans, and now Toyota has put the experience into its own words and pictures. Called The Ultimate Endurance Race, the clip and accompanying press release focus on how hybrid power helped Toyota claim second and fourth places with the TS030 Hybrid in just its second year competing at Le Mans.
There are some brief scenes of the battles had this year, like when Lucas di Grassi in the Toyota almost kissed Allan McNish in the Audi above, but the best part might be when Toyota promises it will be back. Next year, it's gonna be good. You'll find the relevant words and the images just below.