1990 Lexus Ls400 Base Sedan 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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NHTSA may investigate new Toyota unintended acceleration case

After paying a $1.2-billion settlement to the US government last year, Toyota largely put the unintended acceleration recall behind it. Although, there were still some civil lawsuits to handle. A new case where the owner of a 2009 Lexus ES350 is petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open another analysis could draw the issue back to the forefront. Investigators are still deciding whether to research these claims further, though. According to this petition, the owner's wife was driving the ES350 in February 2015. While pulling into a parking space, the sedan allegedly surged forward, and there was a low-speed accident. The claim asserts there are at least two other similar cases in NHTSA's database: one in a 2009 Camry in 2009 and another in a 2010 Corolla in 2014. Specifically, this person wants an "investigation into low-speed surging in different models of Toyota automobiles in which the car starts accelerating and the engine RPM increases even when the accelerator pedal is not depressed," according to the agency. NHTSA will do further research into this person's claim and will decide whether to conduct a full investigation into the alleged issue. This won't be the first reappraisal of unintended acceleration in Toyotas by the agency in recent months, though. Between September 2014 and May 2015, NHTSA evaluated a similar petition with allegations covering 2006-2010 Corollas, and the government body decided to deny that one because the problem couldn't be replicated. Related Video: INVESTIGATION Subject : Low-speed surging Date Investigation Opened: JUL 09, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: DP15005 Component(s): VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL All Products Associated with this Investigation close Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) LEXUS ES350 2009 Details Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation SUMMARY: In a letter dated June 19, 2015, a consumer petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for an "investigation into low-speed surging in different models of Toyota automobiles in which the car starts accelerating and the engine RPM increases even when the accelerator pedal is not depressed." The petition was prompted by a February 2015 crash involving a model year (MY) 2009 Lexus ES350, which allegedly surged as the petitioner's wife was pulling into a parking spot.

2018 Lexus LX 570 drops $5,000 in new 2-row trim

People love SUVs and crossovers, but not everyone uses them to haul a litter of children and a couple of pets. At this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, Lexus has debuted the two-row LX 570. The updated model ditches the third row, helping expand cargo capacity by 15 percent without the need to deal with removing the seats. The two-row model comes in a single mono-spec trim, dropping the base price to $86,175, which is $5,000 less than the three-row model. The mono-spec trim of the two-row LX means customers only have the choice of exterior and interior colors. Customers still get a full-leather interior, four-zone automatic climate control, power tailgate, roof rails, a moonroof and 20-inch wheels. Parking assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are all standard. Cameras on the outside help show blind spots when parking or off-roading. The new model also comes with Lexus's Enform Safety Connect service for 10 years. Customers can call in case of an emergency anytime day or night. The new variant still comes with all of the Toyota Land Cruiser-sourced goodness as the standard LX 570. That means a 5.7-liter V8 making 383 horsepower and 403 pound-feet of torque, giving the Lexus a 7,000-pound tow rating. The body-on-frame SUV comes with full-time four-wheel drive and Lexus's Active Traction Control system and Multi-Terrain Select system to handle wheel slip on various road surfaces. Other off-road systems include crawl control and hill-start assist. The two-row 2018 Lexus LX 570 goes on sale next year. Related Video:

Lexus, Mazda win KBB 5-Year Cost To Own Awards

We focus a lot on what new cars are like to drive, but it's difficult on a one-week loan to really get a sense of what a car is like to live with. Sure, we try to recreate that sense with our long-term vehicles, but even after a year, it's impossible to know fully learn about a car, particularly in terms of reliability and cost of repairs. For 2014 model year vehicles, Kelley Blue Book has put together a list of the most affordable vehicles over a five-year period.
At the tippy top of the list are Mazda and Lexus, with the Zoom-Zoom automaker winning the award for best non-luxury brand. Lexus, meanwhile, was the most affordable luxury marque over a five-year period. It's interesting to note, though, that not a single Mazda won its segment in this year's awards.
General Motors did quite well, taking eight segments, including both the subcompact and plug-in segments, with the gas-powered Chevrolet Spark and Spark EV. The Chevy Camaro SS and ZL1 took the high-performance car award. Toyota was well represented, with five winners split between the main brand (Corolla, Prius C and Tacoma) and Lexus (LS and RX).