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Toyota and Lexus recalling 235,000 hybrid CUVs and sedans over separate issues

When it rains, it pours. Toyota has announced a pair of separate but voluntary North America recalls covering approximately 235,000 vehicles built between 2006 and 2011. The larger of the two recalls targets Toyota's hybridized crossovers, the Lexus RX400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid. 133,000 units, including 2006-2010 Highlander and 2006-2008 RX crossovers are covered in the campaign. The other recall affects 102,000 IS350 sedans, IS350C convertibles and GS350 sedans built between 2006 and 2011.
With the CUVs, the faults in the parallel circuits of the transistors can cause heat damage in the inverter assembly, triggering an abundance of warning lamps and sending the vehicle into limp mode. The Lexus sedans are being recalled due to loose bolts on the variable valve timing controller. Detected by unusual underhood sounds on startup, the issue can cause the engine to stop while driving. The inverter issue is also triggering similar recalls in Japan and Europe.
At the moment, it's unclear if any of these issues have caused any crashes or injuries. Toyota says it plans to notify owners of the recall via snail mail. Additional information for owners can be found on the recall sites for Toyota and Lexus or by calling Toyota's customer service line, at 1-800-331-4331. Scroll down for the complete recall notice from Toyota.

Junkyard Gem: 1992 Lexus SC 400

After Toyota stunned the automotive world with the Lexus LS 400 in 1989, offering a majestically engineered luxury sedan with an all-new DOHC V8 at less than half the cost of its Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL rival, what could be done to follow that (other than a money-printing Lexus-badged Camry, that is)? Clearly, the missing piece of the Lexus branding puzzle at the time was a sports coupe, something to extract the money of car shoppers considering, say, a new Mercedes-Benz 300 CE or Acura Legend coupe. That car turned out to be the Lexus SC, styled in California and known as the third-generation Toyota Soarer in Japan. Here's one of the very first SCs sold in the United States, found in a Denver-area self-service yard last month. These cars had intimidatingly good build quality (I know, because I dismantled a '92 SC 400 down to its smallest components a while back), clearly designed to last at least a quarter-million miles with routine maintenance. This one got hit hard in the right rear, however, and it wasn't worth repairing the damage to a non-SUV pushing three decades of age. Americans could buy a six-cylinder version, the SC 300, which came standard with a five-speed manual transmission (almost all buyers "upgraded" to the automatic, of course). This car is the SC 400, which means it has the same 1UZ-FE V8 engine as the LS 400. That's 250 super-smooth horses and six-bolt main bearing caps keeping the crankshaft from going anywhere it shouldn't. The SC 400 never was available with a manual transmission, nor was its SC 430 successor. This one has the mandatory Aisin-Warner four-speed automatic. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lexus SC400 articulated door hinge operation The complex door hinges offered good clearance in tight parking spaces. These cars were very quiet and comfortable and they could cruise all day at triple-digit speeds, but a curb weight pushing 3,600 pounds meant that the SC 400 wasn't going to beat its Porsche 928 rival on a race track. Actually, the 1992 928S4 cost more than twice as much as the 1992 Lexus SC 400 ($80,920 versus $37,500) and had both a more powerful (326hp) V8 and available manual transmission; perhaps the 1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe ($32,470, 200hp V8, automatic) was a more realistic sales rival for today's Junkyard Gem.

2013 Lexus LS 600h L

I have spent the last seven days driving the Starfire Pearl (read: white) 2013 Lexus LS 600h L you see here. And after roughly 500 miles of errand-running, highway-cruising, commuting and people-schlepping, I can safely say this: I don't get it.
The LS hybrid is a nice car. It's comfortable, has every amenity you'd ever want in a luxury boat, and with its freshened appearance for 2013, it looks modern, integrating the company's new spindle grille into an overall package that's elegant. None of this is bad news. But let me explain why I still cannot wrap my head around the overall LS 600h L package:
Driving Notes