Lexus Announces Intention to Recall Certain U.S. Market Vehicles to Replace Engine Valve Springs
TORRANCE, Calif. (July 2, 2010) — Lexus intends to file a Defect Information Report (DIR) regarding approximately 138,000 Lexus vehicles, powered by 4.6 and 5.0 liter V8 and 3.5 liter V6 engines in certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS, IS and LS models in the U.S. The formal report will be filed this week.

In the covered vehicles, a small number of the valve springs may be contaminated. If a vehicle is affected, the contamination could potentially result in abnormal engine noise or idling. In rare instances, the engine may stop while the vehicle is in operation.

Lexus estimates that the likelihood of a customer vehicle experiencing this condition is two-tenths of one percent (0.2 %). Lexus has received no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition. No vehicles from the current 2010 model year nor 2009 are affected.

Lexus will send owners of the involved vehicles a recall notification via first class mail. Owners are requested to contact their local Lexus dealer for diagnosis and repair after receiving their notification. The repair will involve replacement of the engine’s valve springs at no charge.

Owners can continue to drive their vehicles. If symptoms are noticed, such as vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds or poor performance, the vehicle should be brought to a Lexus dealer for service.

Certain Lexus vehicles produced among the following models and years are covered:
2007 and 2008 GS 350
2007 and 2008 GS 450h
2008 GS 460
2006, 2007 and 2008 IS 350
2007 and 2008 LS 460
2007 and 2008 LS 460 L
2008 LS 600h L

Lexus has announced a new round of recalls for the 2010 Lexus HS 250h. During NHTSA crash tests, the car spilled fuel sparking Toyota to stop delivery and announce the pending recall of 17,000 vehicles.

The test, performed by an independent contractor, replicated “extreme conditions” and resulted in a “very small amount” of fuel to spill, according to Toyota.

In the test, the vehicle was struck from behind at 50 mph then mounted on a device that spun it around to simulate a rollover. The spill occurred while the vehicle was on its side.

Toyota has not announced a fix for the problem, stating that they will have to replicate the conditions to find out what went wrong before they can address the problem.

Toyota will announce a solution to owners when it becomes available. Owners can continue to drive the car, says Toyota, citing the extreme nature of the test.

Lexus had previously suspended sales of the GX 460 SUV after Consumer Reports rated the vehicle as unsafe. During routine tests, Consumer Reports discovered that if a driver took a sharp turn and abruptly lifted his foot off of the accelerator, the rear of the vehicle would skid sideways dangerously. This presented a rollover risk as the rear would skid to a degree that would likely cause the back tire to leave the pavement or hit a curb.

Lexus has offered free loaner cars to its GX 460 customers until a solution could be found.

Effective April 19, Toyota is officially recalling the Lexus GX 460 worldwide and the Land Cruiser Prado, which is not available in the US. The recall affects 21,000 Prados worldwide and 13,000 GX 460s. About 9,400 of the GX 460s were sold in the US, the rest were sold in the Middle East and Russia.

Dealers will update the software on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, which should correct the problem. All dealers are expected to have the software update available by the end of April and Toyota will begin sending letters to customers in early May. The software update is expected to take roughly one hour.

Toyota has asked dealers to suspend sales of the Lexus GX 460 SUV after Consumer Reports issued a safety warning regarding it.

After tests done by Consumer Reports indicated a potential rollover problem with the SUV, it designated the vehicle with as, “Don’t Buy: Safety Risk.” The special designation hasn’t been used since 2001 when Consumer Reports gave it to the Mitsubishi Montero Limited.

In response, Toyota has suspended sales of the 2010 GX 460 and is offering a loaner car to any of the 5,000 people who have already purchased one, “until a remedy is available.”

Toyota maintains that the GX 460 meets or exceeds all government safety regulations.

Consumer Reports found the defect in a test for “lift-off oversteer.” In the test, the driver enters a sharp turn and lifts his foot off of the accelerator. Tests showed that the GX 460′s rearend, “slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control.”

The test simulates a driving condition such as when a driver takes an exit and suddenly encounters an obstacle, for example. Natural impulse is to suddenly take one’s foot off of the accelerator.

With the rear of the vehicle skidding out so dramatically, it is likely that the rear tire will strike a curb or leave the pavement, inviting the rollover risk.

The Toyota 4Runner shares the same platform as the GX 460, but it passed similar tests done by Consumer Reports.

In response to continued issues of unintended acceleration, Toyota has created a process for “quick evaluation of unintended acceleration reports.” The program, called the “SMART Business Process” (“Swift Market Analysis Response Team”) is intended to speed up the process by which Toyota deals with each report of unintended acceleration.

In each case, Toyota hopes to respond to customers within 24 hours to set up a “comprehensive on-site vehicle analysis.”

Toyota hopes to diffuse complaints caused by its poor handling of recent massive recalls- both from a legal standpoint as well as from a customer-satisfaction standpoint. It also hopes that the program will restore some faith in its quality.

It may be too little, too late once again for Toyota as it continues to trail behind its problems and customer concerns. Given the severity of this issue (from either a safety or even just a PR perspective), a 24-hour response time is something Toyota should have been doing some time ago. Advertising it may just seem disingenuous.

Lexus is showcasing several vehicles at the New York International Auto Show. The centerpiece of Lexus’ exhibit is the Lexus CT 200h premium compact hybrid, which will be on display for the first time in North America. As the only dedicated hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment, the CT 200h is expected to lead the class in fuel economy numbers and standard safety features including eight airbags.

The CT200h exhibit is entitled, “The Darker Side of Green,” a slogan that will appeal to a more aggressive buyer. Playing at the exhibit is a pulsing, flashing 60-second trailer for the vehicle on a multi-screen system. It is designed to appear to be a trailer more for an explosive action film than for a compact hybrid.

So it appears that Lexus’ intent is to produce a sensible car, but its marketing will attempt to downplay everything sensible and instead try to sell it as adventurous and sexy. This one will be aggressively eco-friendly- the rich man’s Prius.

Truly adventurous is the Lexus LFA, the automaker’s first world-class, 550 hp supercar, will also be featured. Only a limited number of these hand-built vehicles will be distributed worldwide. Visitors can interact with the “LFA Configurator,” which gives them an opportunity to build their own computerized dream car – with selected colors, wheels and calipers – and send the image to an email address or post to their favorite social media web site.