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Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.

2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Interior Driveway Test | Lexus at its best

The 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is a blessing in the form of a car. Its 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 makes one of the best sounds in automobiledom, and one look will have anybody’s jaws on the ground. Climb inside, and the hits donÂ’t stop coming. In our specific test car, the first thing we notice are the miles of Toasted Caramel leather. ItÂ’s everywhere, and its expensive feel and quality are second to none at this price point. You can get black or red leather, but the Toasted Caramel tan is the classiest option available for the Convertible. Shades of tan on the doors, seats and headrests give it a mild two-tone look, making the color combo even more pleasing. And once you start to look closer at the intricate stitching, quilted seat bolsters, perforations and delicate piping throughout, the LC 500Â’s interior will begin to truly wow with its design. Take the door panel, for example. Rarely would we wax poetically about a door panelÂ’s design, but this one is too damn elegant to not call out. The slender and curved metal door handle looks like a sculpture, and its action is satisfyingly upscale. The checked pattern of leather in a different tone splitting the main swaths of leather is another nice touch. Little things like this can delight and bring a carÂ’s interior from above average to excellence. The LC 500 Convertible is full of these tiny delights. 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible View 34 Photos One rather entertaining bit is the trap door ahead of the center console that hides your roof operation switch. It makes you feel like James Bond fiddling around for a secret “eject” button each time you go to raise or lower the roof. But then you remember youÂ’re in a Japanese grand tourer, not a British sports car. Your passenger has two grab handles to hold onto should the road turn twisty, both incorporated into the carÂ’s design in a natural and classy way. The most delightful aspect of all is overall design itself. The flat plane of a dash is interrupted by a long overhanging piece that begins at the widescreen infotainment display. This leads into a physical clock and decorative trim piece, then runs all the way to the passenger side door. Below this is a second flat expanse, giving the dash a plateau look from door-to-door. Utility and usefulness is not top of mind in a convertible grand tourer, but the LC 500 is not devoid of road trip conveniences. The center armrest opens up to a decent amount of space.

Toyota, Lexus expanding Takata airbag recall, re-notifying customers

Toyota is re-notifying owners and expanding its Takata airbag inflator recall for some regions. The renewed campaign covers 247,000 examples of the Toyota Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, Tundra and Lexus SC430 that are located in southern Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. All of the models come from the 2001-2004 model years and have potentially faulty Takata-made inflators on the front passenger side. According to the company, testing shows the problem warrants "immediate action," and its press release says, "this action intensifies Toyota's efforts to reach customers and remedy previously recalled vehicles, and a small number of newly included vehicles."
According to Toyota, it submitted some recalled inflators to Takata for testing, and it found a high probability of rupturing in high humidity areas. The automaker said it had no reports yet of injuries or fatalities related to the problem.
This is Toyota's third inflator recall this year. In June, it called in for repair the same vehicles from the 2003-2005 model years in high-humidity areas, and it conducted a separate campaign nationwide for the parts in additional models. In April 2013, it also announced a fix campaign for 1.73-million vehicles worldwide for the same issue.