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Toyota adds 1.6m cars to Takata inflator recall list

As part of the Takata airbag inflator recall expansion announced by NHTSA earlier this month, Toyota has listed an additional 1.6 million cars that will need to have inflators or airbag assemblies replaced. This brings the total of recalled Toyota, Scion, and Lexus vehicles to 4.73 million. Other automakers will announce their expanded recall lists this week as well. This round of recalls affects some but not all vehicles with the following model names and years: 2009–2011 Toyota Corolla and Matrix 2006–2011 Toyota Yaris 2010–2011 Toyota 4Runner 2011 Toyota Sienna 2008–2011 Scion xB 2007–2011 Lexus ES 2010–2011 Lexus GX 2006–2011 Lexus IS To see if your specific vehicle falls under recall, write down your VIN and go to toyota.com/recall; you can also check any recalls, Takata or otherwise, at safercar.gov/vin. Toyota will inform owners of affected vehicles by mail. Depending on the model, either the inflator or the entire airbag assembly will have to be replaced. Due to the number of vehicles that have already been recalled, it may take some time for the necessary parts to be available. A total of 11 deaths have been attributed to the faulty Takata inflators, and federal investigators now know why the parts are prone to failure. The state of Hawaii was the first to sue the auto supplier, with more states expected to follow. The 17 other automakers are required to announce their additions resulting from the May 4 expansion this week, so expect more of the 35 to 40 million vehicles to be listed soon. Related Video: Image Credit: Reuters Recalls Lexus Scion Toyota Takata airbag recall lexus is toyota sienna toyota 4runner toyota matrix lexus es lexus gx

Lexus electric concept car teased ahead of reveal next week

Lexus released another teaser for its upcoming unnamed concept car and also gave us an official release date. A digital world premiere is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. EDT. No new information was revealed, but the new teaser photo and video (found on Lexus’ site here) give us a better idea of what's coming. The shadowing makes it difficult to pin down, but this concept's silhouette already has us intrigued. It has the body shape of a sportback, but the ride height of a crossover.  Its nose is rather upright, and the quick view of the front reveals that the spindle grille is gone. However, some semblance of the spindle grille shape might remain — itÂ’s tough to tell in the dark shadows Lexus left us to look through, but there are jagged edges aplenty. Any kind of a massive front opening wonÂ’t be necessary for cooling, though, because this Lexus is electric. Lexus is showing off its LED lighting skills in this concept, as we can easily see some seriously exotic headlights and a light-up Lexus badge in front. Around back, thereÂ’s a similarly intriguing dashed taillight design. The gently sloping greenhouse looks like an aerodynamic design, hinting more at the electric nature of the car than we picked up on previously. We can still see the little spoiler in the back that the previous photo revealed, and the strange fin is in place, too.  Make sure to swing back in a weekÂ’s time to see the future of Lexus be fully revealed and learn all the details of what electric machine is coming our way. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

10 automakers sued over keyless ignitions

Keyless ignition has rapidly proliferated throughout the auto industry to become a fairly normal feature on new cars. It's supposed to offer the convenience of keeping the fob in your pocket and just pressing a button to drive away. However, ten major automakers are now being sued in US District Court over claims that the system is dangerous, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that people are forgetting to shut off the engine, and the lack of an idle timer is the cause for 13 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning and multiple injuries. The suit currently includes 28 plaintiffs, according to Reuters, but the lawyers are asking for class-action status to potentially add many more. The case goes after a major swath of the industry, including BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, plus their related brands like Acura, Infiniti, Mini, and Lexus. In all, over five million vehicles are affected. The assertion here is that people walk away from their vehicle without shutting it off because they believe the engine shuts off automatically. If parked in a garage, carbon monoxide can build up, leading to poisoning. The lawyers claim automakers know this is a problem and also cite 27 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs are asking for an automatic shut-off and damages from the companies. These concerns have come up before, though. Toyota previously faced a lawsuit over a carbon monoxide death after a woman accidentally left her Lexus running. Also earlier this year, GM recalled 64,186 examples of the 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt because owners weren't shutting them off. The problem resulted in two injuries, and the company released a software update to limit the idling time.