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Nearly 700,000 Toyotas and Lexuses named in fuel pump recall

In an announcement posted to its corporate press room, Toyota made known a voluntary safety recall on select 2018 and 2019 Toyota and Lexus models. The recall includes roughly 696,000 vehicles and deals with a fuel pump that might stop working. An internal investigation into the issue is under way.  Affected rides include the Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, Avalon, Corolla, and Tundra, as well as the Lexus LS 500, LC 500, RC 350, RC 300, GS 350, IS 300, ES 350, LX 570, GX 460, RX 350 NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300. The Avalon, Corolla, NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300 are restricted to 2019 model years, while the others are 2018 and 2019 model years. The potential danger in this issue is pretty obvious. Should the fuel pump stop, the vehicles could sputter, stall, and come to a stop, likely without the ability to restart the cars. Toyota notes warning lights and messages would display should this occur, but by then, it'd be too late. Although Toyota made the announcement this week, the investigation is not yet complete, and therefore, a fix has not yet been specified. The resolution, when determined, will come free of charge to affected customers. Toyota plans to send out notifications for affected vehicles in mid-March. 

Why is there a huge bulge in 2021 Lexus IS 300 AWD's driver footwell? We explain

After an initial turn a few weeks ago for the 2021 Lexus IS first drive review, the revised luxury sedan has returned to the Autoblog garage for a second look. This middle-of-the-road IS 300 AWD pairs a 260-horsepower V6 with a six-speed automatic transmission and four driven wheels, and frankly it's the least interesting way to spec out the redesigned sedan. While there are cars in this segment designed to get a performance boost from their all-wheel-drive systems even in dry conditions, the IS isn't one of them. Adding insult to injury, you get stuck with a cramped driver-side footwell care of the engineering shenanigans that went into making this system possible.  While we've mentioned this particular compromise before, we rarely touch on the reasons why it exists in the first place. The fundamentals are fairly obvious; the standard IS utilizes a longitudinal, rear-wheel-drive powertrain. As is typical with this configuration, the transmission sits in a tunnel beneath the center console. This arrangement works just fine, provided you don't need to power the front wheels.  To do so in a traditional car like the IS requires a literal end-around maneuver involving the engine and transmission, which we've diagrammed for you below care of MSPaint. This is a bit simplified for the sake of this write-up, and it should be noted that this is not the only way to implement AWD in an inherently RWD platform, but it illustrates how the power for the front axle (red) and rear axle (blue) flows from the transmission to the drive wheels. To get juice flowing to the front axle, Lexus had to add a parallel output shaft, exiting the transmission from the front with enough clearance for the bell housing and engine, which sits between the transmission and the front differential. This requires quite a bit of lateral reach, meaning the housing has to extend much farther out than usual to accommodate it (yellow arrow). As a result, the all-wheel-drive transmission looks a lot like a sci-fi gun with a chunky drum magazine hanging off the side of it. The hump (above right) in the footwell is there to clear this protrusion. This basic configuration isn't unique to Lexus. In fact, if you look at a BMW xDrive cutaway, it's similar. So, why no "hump" in other cars? There are multiple factors, but to boil it down to what is most relevant, it's a combination of the resulting shape of the Lexus transmission housing and the size of the IS chassis.

Lexus LC convertible could appear in 18 months, LC F to follow

Auto Express reports that Lexus has a approved a convertible version of the LC, and is close to green-lighting a high-performance LC F trim. The Detroit Bureau reported that the same two models were in development one year ago, citing Lexus sources at the Detroit Auto Show who told the outlet "a number of additional variants" would follow the coupe's launch. The timeline's been stretched a bit between then and now; instead of getting the convertible this year, Auto Express says the "done deal" droptop should arrive in 18 months to two years. It's harder to read what we might get in an LC F. Gossip is that the naturally aspirated, 467-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 wouldn't be the right motor for a hot LC. That V8 serves in lower-tier F models. so word is that Lexus engineers are considering a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 with around 600 hp. Lexus chose the BMW 650i, Mercedes-Benz S-class coupe, and Jaguar F-Type as competitors to the LC, all of which have convertibles and high-performance trims. Among the specially-tuned challengers, the Jaguar F-Type R comes in with the lowest power figure at 550 hp. Both models would return Lexus to a small, exclusive end of the market where it hasn't held a membership since 2010. Rejoining that soiree — a party hosted by the Germans, because these matters always come back to the Germans — is another huge, and costly, step toward shedding Lexus' somnolent image. Akio Toyoda said the goal for his luxury arm was "that the words 'Lexus' and 'boring' never appear in the same sentence again." A three-model lineup would give the LC a genuine chance to contribute to that aim. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Lexus LC 500 First Drive View 44 Photos News Source: Auto Express Rumormill Lexus Convertible Coupe Luxury Performance lexus lc 500