Beautiful 2006 Toyota Solara Sle Convertible Well Maintained 1 Owner Florida Car on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota recalls 690,000 Tacoma trucks for rusty leaf springs, fire risk

Toyota has announced that it will be issuing a recall of 690,000 Tacoma pickups from model years 2005 through 2011. The affected vehicles include both the four-wheel-drive model and the two-wheel-drive PreRunner (but not the standard 4x2 pickups), which may have a rather serious problem with their rear suspensions.
In some cases, corrosion and stress could cause one of the three or four leaves in the rear suspension's leaf springs to fracture. While the trucks can still be driven with a broken leaf, Toyota is concerned that it could move out of position and impact other components in the rear of the truck, with a particular focus on the fuel tank. Needless to say, but a piece of metal continuously impacting anything, let alone the fuel tank, is cause for concern.
As of this writing, there have been no reports of crashes, injuries, fires or deaths due to this problem, although that won't stop Toyota from informing all affected customers of the issue. Those 690,000 owners will need to report in to dealers for inspections and, if necessary, repairs.

At least 15 states jockeying for Toyota and Mazda factory jobs

Just a few weeks ago, Mazda and Toyota announced a partnership that would lead to an all-new $1.6 billion plant here in the United States. The plant will build EVs and is expected to employ roughly 4,000 people directly while creating thousands of indirect jobs through suppliers, shipping and more. The Detroit Free Press reports that as many as 15 Midwestern and Southern states are understandably interested in striking a deal with the automakers. Most of the states already have ties to the auto industry. While the Midwest has traditionally been home to auto manufacturing in the United States, in the past 25 years or so, the South has made a big push, offering tax incentives and a union-free workforce. Alabama alone is home to facilities from Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. Others house a burgeoning tech or manufacturing industry ripe for the picking. Freep breaks down the pros and cons for each state, with much of the focus being on supply chains and a reliable and plentiful workforce. The latter is of particular concern in states like Alabama and Michigan that already have a big auto industry. Toyota may feel those areas have already been tapped for talent. Most of the states are along or adjacent to Interstate 75 and its extended roots, so others like Texas and Iowa will have to fight hard if they want this facility. It's only been a few weeks, though. With manufacturing jobs in such great demand and elected officials eager to show they're seeking them for their states, it wouldn't be surprising if a few more joined the fray. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Detroit Free Press Green Plants/Manufacturing Mazda Toyota

Toyota nudges US sales projections up to 2.25M

Toyota has raised its expectations for 2013's US sales for the third time since the end of 2012. The new target rests at 2.25 million units, when sales of Toyota, Lexus and Scion are taken as one. Subtracting Lexus, Toyota is still expecting to move over two million vehicles in the US by the end of 2013.
According to a report from Automotive News, the sales expectations came from Bob Carter, senior VP of automotive operations for Toyota USA, during a dealers during a meeting in Atlanta. The heightened expectations go along with Toyota's predictions for the US market as a whole, which it expects to grow to 15.5 million units by the end of 2013.
Besides an overall, national uptick in new vehicle sales, Toyota is also expecting a big push as it puts the next-generation Corolla to market during the second half of this year, along with the Tundra pickup truck. Meanwhile, dealers were shown images of a refreshed Camry, set to arrive in 2015, and reported that it's "more than a nip and a tuck," according to the AN report.