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Weekly Recap: Things you might not know about the 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats

If you're an enthusiast, and you don't know that Dodge spawned another Hellcat this week, you really must have been living in cave. The 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is probably the biggest news for enthusiasts since the reveal of, well the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
But, there are some things you might not know or might have missed about the new Charger and Challenger Hellcats. For starters, reports that the Hellcat production would be limited to a low volume are not true.
"We have not capped the Hellcat on either the Challenger or the Charger," Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said.

Toyota Hilux gets heart transplant from Lexus IS F

The Toyota Hilux might not be sold in the US, but Toyota's venerable pickup has an international reputation of being able to go anywhere and do just about anything. The trucks aren't really known for their speed, though, at least until Toyota South Africa Motorsport's new, one-off project. This bruiser ditches the usual diesel engine and replaces it with an unrestricted 5.0-liter V8 from a Lexus IS F making 449 horsepower. Of course, it takes more than power to handle the rigors of high speed off-roading. The motorsport team also adds bigger, competition-spec brakes, fully adjustable dampers, new springs, and retuned gearing to make the truck look practically ready for the Dakar Rally. The gearbox is really the only part that carries over. The V8 gives the special Hilux quite a mean growl, too. With the new Tacoma just launching in the US, maybe the engineers at TRD need to apply this same concept over here for its own Lexus-engined, one-off pickup.

Toyota recalls 337,000 RAV4s and HS250h models for tie rod failure

UPDATE: The post has been updated with additional information from NHTSA. The Basics: Toyota is recalling 337,000 2006-2011 model year Toyota RAV4 crossovers built between October 31, 2005 and September 7, 2010 as well as 2010 model year Lexus HS250h cars built between July 6, 2009 and August 26, 2010. The Problem: When either an affected RAV4 or HS250h is given an alignment and the tie rod adjustment nut on the rear control arm isn't tightened properly, the threads on the tie rod can start to rust. If this happens, the nut may break off and throw off the alignment drastically and suddenly. This isn't a case of the car simply pulling to one side, either. This would seriously upset the balance of the car and could cause the driver to lose control and crash. This is also the third time these vehicles have been recalled for the same issue. Injuries/Deaths: It's unknown if this control arm issue has resulted in any injuries or deaths. Autoblog reached out to Toyota for more information, but a company representative told us that the company isn't able to discuss injuries or deaths caused by this issue (if any) at this time. Based on information from NHTSA documents, it does not appear that any crashes, injuries or deaths have been attributed to the defect addressed in the current recall. The Fix: The dealer will completely replace the rear suspension assemblies at no cost to the owner. The tie rods and nuts will also be coated in epoxy to prevent future rusting from occurring. According to Car and Driver, the previous recalls involved tightening nuts, coating decent tie rods in epoxy and completely replacing rusted ones. The car magazine reports that further complaints were filed and the company is now replacing all components regardless of condition. If you own one: Toyota will notify owners of affected cars by mail. Owners can also check whether their cars are affected by entering the VIN at safercar.gov/vin. Owners with questions can also reach Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2012 Toyota RAV4 View 16 Photos News Source: Car and Driver, Toyota, National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationImage Credit: Toyota Recalls Lexus Toyota Safety lexus hs 250h lexus hs250h