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NHTSA may investigate new Toyota unintended acceleration case

After paying a $1.2-billion settlement to the US government last year, Toyota largely put the unintended acceleration recall behind it. Although, there were still some civil lawsuits to handle. A new case where the owner of a 2009 Lexus ES350 is petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open another analysis could draw the issue back to the forefront. Investigators are still deciding whether to research these claims further, though. According to this petition, the owner's wife was driving the ES350 in February 2015. While pulling into a parking space, the sedan allegedly surged forward, and there was a low-speed accident. The claim asserts there are at least two other similar cases in NHTSA's database: one in a 2009 Camry in 2009 and another in a 2010 Corolla in 2014. Specifically, this person wants an "investigation into low-speed surging in different models of Toyota automobiles in which the car starts accelerating and the engine RPM increases even when the accelerator pedal is not depressed," according to the agency. NHTSA will do further research into this person's claim and will decide whether to conduct a full investigation into the alleged issue. This won't be the first reappraisal of unintended acceleration in Toyotas by the agency in recent months, though. Between September 2014 and May 2015, NHTSA evaluated a similar petition with allegations covering 2006-2010 Corollas, and the government body decided to deny that one because the problem couldn't be replicated. Related Video: INVESTIGATION Subject : Low-speed surging Date Investigation Opened: JUL 09, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: DP15005 Component(s): VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL All Products Associated with this Investigation close Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) LEXUS ES350 2009 Details Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation SUMMARY: In a letter dated June 19, 2015, a consumer petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for an "investigation into low-speed surging in different models of Toyota automobiles in which the car starts accelerating and the engine RPM increases even when the accelerator pedal is not depressed." The petition was prompted by a February 2015 crash involving a model year (MY) 2009 Lexus ES350, which allegedly surged as the petitioner's wife was pulling into a parking spot.

Refreshed 2013 Toyota Landcruiser Prado gets official [w/video]

We'd seen leaked images of the the refreshed 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, now Toyota has deemed it officially ready for the European masses it is aimed at. We can only hope the masses are ready for that grille, probably the most intense of the many changes made to the volcano-eating truck. The new face and its "powerfully projecting vertical bars" were designed to "accentuate the new Toyota's rugged appearance," as if the legendarily capable SUV wasn't rugged enough. Other changes include redesigned headlight clusters, stronger character lines along the sides, new taillights and license plate "garnish" in back, and a slew of new wheel choices. Both the three- and five-door are 20 millimeters longer, all of that in the front overhang, but the approach angle apparently hasn't changed.
The new organization of trims runs from Entry to Legend, Prestige and Executive. The interior has been reorganized with better seats in the second and third rows, a new upper center console, a redesigned panel for controlling on- and off-road driving functions, reworked Optitron meters with a 4.2-inch LCD screen, and new switchgear, fabrics and color schemes. Infotainment has been upgraded with Toyota Touch 2 and Toyota Touch 2 with Go. They mirror your smartphone if said phone happens to be either a Samsung Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2.
On-road driving dynamics have been improve with suspension changes, and a Rear Cross Traffic Alert added to the suite of safety features for maneuvering the beast. When it comes to the Land Cruiser's real reason for being, the five Multi-terrain Select choices and five-step Crawl Control are more easily used with a Multi-terrain Monitor reworked for more clarity.

Subaru BRZ next generation will be sold in U.S. but maybe nowhere else

A new reports says that Subaru has "no plans" to launch its upcoming second-generation BRZ in Europe. If true, that means the 100-unit Final Edition announced earlier this year for the German market is truly the final edition for the Old World. Furthermore, according to the UK's Autocar, which reported the news, the BRZ "will be a U.S.-only model." That would indicate that even Subaru's home market of Japan would be denied access to the lightweight sports coupe, which seems unlikely. Toyota has been very tight-lipped about its own 86 version, so it's not clear which markets the BRZ's twin would be sold in. Though the article doesn't say why the BRZ won't be available in Europe, the Toyota 86 and Supra's chief engineer Tetsuya Tada may have given a clue. In a 2019 interview at the Supra's U.S. launch, he revealed that one reason he partnered with BMW was because he wanted the Supra to be a truly global sports car. Given the rapid tightening of safety and emissions regulations in various markets around the world, if Toyota were to have built its own engines and platforms from scratch, development would have taken too long. "If we had gone that route, the car would not be done, even today [in May 2019]. It wouldn’t be out for at least a few more years. The problem is, you canÂ’t sell a car like I showed you today in 2021." It looks like that may have been a prescient move. The BRZ is presumed to share a 2.4-liter boxer four with the Ascent and 2020 Outback, neither of which is sold in Europe. It's predicted to have 220 horsepower and retain its rear-wheel-drive layout. Sadly, it looks as if the Supra will be Toyota's last global sports car model. The 2021 BRZ will be revealed November 18.