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Lexus recalls 4,200 NX crossovers due to missing welds

Lexus is recalling about 4,200 units of the 2022 NX due to missing spot-welds. Announced in April 2022, the campaign includes the NX250, the NX350, the NX350h, and the NX450h+, and the Japanese company has asked its dealers to stop selling the vehicles in their inventory. Documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) explain that some spot-welds might have been missed during the production process. They're located around the mounting areas for the front shock absorbers. Leaving out these welds can cause some of the other welds and the surrounding panels to weaken or crack over time, which could in turn make it possible for the front shock absorbers to separate from their mounting area. This would increase the risk of a crash by causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The recall includes 4,215 examples of the NX, though Lexus estimates that fewer than 1% of those are missing welds. It will begin notifying owners of potentially affected vehicles by mail on June 6, 2022. They'll be asked to take their NX to an authorized dealer so that a mechanic can check for missing welds. Lexus is still developing a solution to the problem. In the meantime, it has asked its dealers to stop selling the NXs potentially affected by the recall that are still in inventories across the nation, though as of writing only 12 units have been identified. Weld-related recalls are mercifully rare but not unheard of. In 2019, Subaru recalled 2,107 new Outback and Legacy models due to faulty welds below the cowl panel, and 293 units of the Ascent were recalled in 2018 because they were missing a series of spot welds on the B-pillar. At the time, the company explained that the 293 crossovers without the proper welds would be destroyed and replaced. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

MT digs deep, learns more about hot Lexus RC coupe

As we patiently wait for the all-new Lexus RC to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in November, Motor Trend has dug up some tasty info on the Japanese automaker's new coupe for us to discuss. While we already knew some speculative, but credible, details on the upcoming two-door Lexus, MT reportedly has the dish on some details of the hotter RC F coupe (shown in the spy shots above).
The article says that the F will carry a six-figure MSRP and use a 455-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 with cylinder deactivation, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Carbon fiber body components will help reduce curb weight, and the scooped hood is said to optimize aerodynamics as the car will reach a top speed of around 186 miles per hour. Specific high-speed handling improvements include specially developed Brembo brakes, a beefed-up suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires and an automatic decklid spoiler.
As for other RC models, MT mentions the hybrid and V6 variants we already heard about, but it also says that the car could get a 2.0-liter turbo engine. This will probably be the engine used in the base model, which is expected to start at around $40,000. Head on over to Motor Trend for the full article, including a rendered image of the RC F.

Lexus tops Consumer Reports reliability rankings, unseating Mazda

Lexus is back on top of Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings. Toyota Motor Corp's luxury division dethrones last year's winner, upstart Mazda, to second place, while the Toyota brand itself rounds out the podium in third place. In general, while Asian brands topped the list, Europeans ranked second, and domestics brought up the rear.  Lexus' high marks stem from the Land Cruiser Prado-based GX SUV, which got a perfect score of 100. Mazda's second place finish was the result of strong showings by the Miata, CX-9, CX-5, and CX-30, but dragged down by the Mazda 3's mid-pack score. Likewise, nearly all of Toyota's lineup, from Prius to Avalon, all had very high marks, but the RAV4 and Corolla Hatchback brought down the class average. Like last year, the only American brand to break into the top ten was Buick, which ranked 5th thanks to good scores for the Envision and Encore (though the Enclave ranked sub-par). Eight of the top 10 brands were Japanese, with Infiniti in 4th, and Honda, Subaru, Acura and Nissan following Buick in that order. Mini, in 10th place, was the only European brand in the top 10. The bottom spots went to Jeep, Tesla, and once again Lincoln in dead last. While all Lincolns received poor scores, the Aviator was notable for getting only 3 points out of 100. Similarly, last year's lowest-scoring vehicle was the Ford Explorer, with which the Aviator shares a platform. It wasn't all gloom from the domestics, however. The Chevrolet Trailblazer tied the Lexus GX with a perfect score, but overall Chevy brand ranked 14th, pulled down by the Corvette, Silverado 1500 and Tahoe. The Tahoe tied with the GMC Yukon with the lowest scores this year, just 2 points each. Both the Silverado 2500HD and the nearly identical GMC Sierra 2500HD were among to top scoring American vehicles, along with the Ford Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach E, Ranger and Chrysler 300. Consumer Reports also points out that the oft-said line that electric vehicles are less prone to problems due to fewer moving parts isn't necessarily true. The Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model X each got a score of 5, the lowest of their respective brands, due to more and more technology being crammed into these higher-priced EVs. For a complete list of rankings by company and of individual models, check out the full study at Consumer Reports. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.