Toyota is recalling almost 700,000 vehicles that could stall while being driven

[midian182]

What just happened? Do you own a Toyota or a Lexus? If so, it might be one of the near 700,000 vehicles being recalled in the US due to a faulty fuel pump that could cause engine failure. Toyota said that if one of these vehicles stalls while driving at high speeds, it may increase the likelihood of an accident.

The recall covers 2018-2019 model year Lexus LS 500, LC 500, RC 350, RC 300, GS 350, IS 300, ES 350, LX 570, GX 460, and RX 350 vehicles, along with 2019 Lexus NX 300, RX 350L, and GS 300.

Toyotas being recalled include the 2018-2019 4Runner, Camry, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, and Tundra vehicles. The 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla are also affected. Approximately 696,000 vehicles are being recalled.

A 2019 Lexus LS 500 that's part of the recall

In a notice on its website, Toyota wrote that the fuel pump could stop operating. “If this were to occur, warning lights and messages may be displayed on the instrument panel, and the engine may run rough. This can result in a vehicle stall, and the vehicle may be unable to be restarted. If a vehicle stall occurs while driving at higher speeds, this could increase the risk of a crash.”

Toyota is currently investigating the issue and is developing a solution. All known owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by first-class mail by mid-March, at which point arrangements can be made to fix the problem at no cost.

You can check if your vehicle is part of the recall by going to Toyota.com/recall or nhtsa.gov/recalls and entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or license plate information.

Toyota isn’t the only big automaker to put out a recall recently. Last month saw Mazda issue a recall for 35,000 vehicles over a faulty emergency brake system.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/83556-toyota-recalling-almost-700000-vehicles-could-stall-while.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Over the past two decades we have watched Toyota slip in price, quality, and endurance. Gone are the days you could buy one of these vehicles and reasonably expect it to last at least 15 to 25 years (if maintained). Now days, if you get ten years out of one, consider yourself lucky. Not to say there aren't a few that can last longer but those require a good deal more TLC and can't be abused without paying the price. My 2016 RAV 4 runs great but there are those idiosyncrasies that Toyota can't or won't explain. While I would love to think I can drive this car through the rest of my life, it is doubtful .......

 

[mbrowne5061]

Over the past two decades we have watched Toyota slip in price, quality, and endurance. Gone are the days you could buy one of these vehicles and reasonably expect it to last at least 15 to 25 years (if maintained). Now days, if you get ten years out of one, consider yourself lucky. Not to say there aren't a few that can last longer but those require a good deal more TLC and can't be abused without paying the price. My 2016 RAV 4 runs great but there are those idiosyncrasies that Toyota can't or won't explain. While I would love to think I can drive this car through the rest of my life, it is doubtful .......

When it comes to the power train, blame the usage of CVTs. While they are more efficient, they are also more complex, and more likely to lead to problems. At the same time, by using CVTs, you end up competing against traditional transmissions, reducing your pricing efficiency for economies of scale - forcing corners to be cut.

Then you get AWD systems, which significantly add to the weight, complexity, and price. The weight impacts the frame and suspension lifetimes, the complexity impacts the rest of the drive train, and the price eats away at the budgets for everything else

Finally, everyone wants to be driving a 'luxury car', without paying luxury prices, so this increases the level of finishes and bells and whistles. While they can charge for these somewhat, a lot of the times they are standard and these even further eat into the budget.

If you car has 1 million different parts - counting every single screw - and 99.999% reliability after one year of driving, that is 10 failed parts (screws lost, snapped, gasket leaking, etc) after a year. Go to 99.99%, and that is 100. Go to 99%, and you've got 10,000 failures. All these little cuts in quality add up quickly to result in a car that will fail sooner.

 

[kira setsu]

Over the past two decades we have watched Toyota slip in price, quality, and endurance. Gone are the days you could buy one of these vehicles and reasonably expect it to last at least 15 to 25 years (if maintained). Now days, if you get ten years out of one, consider yourself lucky. Not to say there aren't a few that can last longer but those require a good deal more TLC and can't be abused without paying the price. My 2016 RAV 4 runs great but there are those idiosyncrasies that Toyota can't or won't explain. While I would love to think I can drive this car through the rest of my life, it is doubtful .......

your 2016 rav 4 doesnt even count yet cause its brand new.

toyota is getting hit like all the others now by having to keep up with buyers wants, features that were once only on loaded vehicles have trickled down to the entry levels and so have the issues, 4-wheel drive, all types of systems to monitor what a half decent driver should do, suspensions that constantly adjust and tech that has to take a beating everyday, the old cars lasted cause they were simpler, the buying public begged for this outcome imho.

give me a decently stylish car with ok power and a double-din and I'd be content, I'm not at a track everyday, just driving to work and sitting in deadlocked traffic.

 

[Lounds]

When it comes to the power train, blame the usage of CVTs. While they are more efficient, they are also more complex, and more likely to lead to problems. At the same time, by using CVTs, you end up competing against traditional transmissions, reducing your pricing efficiency for economies of scale - forcing corners to be cut.

Then you get AWD systems, which significantly add to the weight, complexity, and price. The weight impacts the frame and suspension lifetimes, the complexity impacts the rest of the drive train, and the price eats away at the budgets for everything else

Finally, everyone wants to be driving a 'luxury car', without paying luxury prices, so this increases the level of finishes and bells and whistles. While they can charge for these somewhat, a lot of the times they are standard and these even further eat into the budget.

If you car has 1 million different parts - counting every single screw - and 99.999% reliability after one year of driving, that is 10 failed parts (screws lost, snapped, gasket leaking, etc) after a year. Go to 99.99%, and that is 100. Go to 99%, and you've got 10,000 failures. All these little cuts in quality add up quickly to result in a car that will fail sooner.

I don't think it's that the public requested cars to be more luxurious, it's that different car manufacturers started offering luxury features which were once s premium but economies of scale have lowered the cost. Power steering, leather seats and independent suspension 30 years ago was the standard for a premium luxury car, now most manufacturers offer that as standard and it's because they're afraid they'll lost sales, most have put their prices up. So if VW puts up a car 2-3k every new generation, Ford might add 1.5-2k but undercut a manufacturer like VW. So this process over decades has lead to the industry we have now.