Toyota Motor Corp. will be recalling 270,000 Lexus and other vehicles worldwide to fix faulty engines that could make vehicles stall while driving. The problem is with contaminated materials used to make valve springs and crucial engine components. The global recall that starts Monday affects six luxury Lexus sedan models as well as the popular Toyota Crown, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said. Of the 270,000 recalled cars, some 180,000 were sold overseas, including 137,000 in the the United States.

According to the released statement by Toyota, models that could potentially have a faulty valve spring include:

  • Lexus IS 350
  • Lexus GS 350
  • Lexus GS 460
  • Lexus GS 450h
  • Lexus LS 460
  • Lexus LS 600h L
  • Toyota Crown

Current model years are unaffected by the recall. Lexus is moving quickly to resolve the situation and will announce an appropriate remedy as soon as possible.

In 2008 GM recalled vehicles for an overheating windshield washer heater. A fuse was installed as a rectification, however, new reports of problems with the heater overheating continue to exist. GM will be recalling these vehicles again, and will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. Below is a list of the vehicles recalled:

    2006-2009

  • Buick Lucerne
  • Cadillac DTS
  • Hummer H2
    2008-2009

  • Buick Enclave
  • Cadillac CTS
    2007-2009

  • Cadillac Escalade
  • Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • Cadillac Escalade EXT
  • Chevrolet Avalanche
  • Chevrolet Silverado
  • Chevrolet Suburban
  • Chevrolet Tahoe
  • GMC Acadia
  • GMC Sierra
  • GMC Yukon
  • GMC Yukon XL
  • Saturn Outlook
    2009
    Chevrolet Traverse

Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-972-8876, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 and Hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

BMW will be recalling over 15,000 motorcycles for three separate safety issues. If owners have any questions about the recalls, they may contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

Certain 2007 – 2009 R 1200 and K 1200 series motorcycles manufactured between August 2006 to May 2009 may develop stress cracks on the brake lines due to vibration and strain on the line. These lines could develop leaks, and if unnoticed could drain the brake reservoir, causing the front brakes to fail. Starting in July, BMW will notify owners and dealers will install a new brake line with a protective sleeve, free of charge.

Certain 2008 – 2009 F650 GS and 800 GS motorcycles manufactured between September 27, 2007 to March 30, 2009 may have drive chains that have not been produced to the proper specifications. The chain could break over time and could become trapped between the rear wheel and the frame, resulting in rear wheel lock up. Neither a remedy nor a notification schedule has been provided by the manufacturer.

Finally, certain 2007 – 2008 G650 X Country, G650 X Challenge, and G650 X Moto motorcycles manufactured between November 29, 2006 to May 19, 2008 may have a roll gear pin mount that could bread over time. If the mount breaks, fragments could become trapped between the drive chain and the rear sprocket causing the rear wheel to lock up. Neither a remedy nor a notification schedule has been provided by the manufacturer.

Posted in BMW.

Toyota Motor Corp. has stopped the sales of and will be recalling its 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the recall after finding that the vehicle would leak more than the allowable fuel in a rear end collision of about 50 to 80 km.

Toyota conducted tests to verify that the Lexus hybrid was in compliance with federal safety standards before releasing the vehicle, and no problems with the fuel tank were found. Because more than 142 grams of fuel spilled in the tests conducted for the NHTSA, Toyota will attempt to replicate the test to determine why the tank leaked, which will allow it to develop a remedy.

Toyota is not aware of any incidents or accidents resulting from the defect in the HS, but once a fix is found, Toyota will notify HS drivers to bring their vehicles in for repair.

Volkswagen is recalling some 2009 Routan vehicles manufactured from June 2008 to July 2009. These vehicles could have an improperly routed wire harness that could rub on the sliding door creating a short which could lead to a fire within the door.

Volkswagen will inspect the wire assembly for damage and replace and re-route it as necessary free of charge. The recall is expected to begin June 2010. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.

Chrysler has announced a recall for some 2010 Dodge Caliber vehicles due to an incorrect lock rod installed in the front door. The door could unlatch when the window is rolled down resulting in an accident. Dealers will inspect and replace the front right door lock rod as required free of charge. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Nissan has issued a recall for certain 2010 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra vehicles manufactured between February 22, 2010 to March 13, 2010. There is a potential for two problems affecting these vehicles.

  • The fasteners securing the passenger front air bag module may not be torqued to the proper specifications which could affect the deployment of the passenger front air bag.
  • The fasteners securing the steering shaft positioning bracket may not be torqued to the proper specifications which could result in the fasteners coming out of the steering column positioning bracket, resulting in poor handling of the vehicle.

Dealers will inspect the steering column and the passenger front air bag fasteners and any missing fasteners will be replaced and all loose fasteners will be re-tightened to the proper torque specifications free of charge.

In one of the biggest recalls this year, GM will be recalling almost 1.5 million vehicles for the windshield washer heating mechanism. The system was recalled two years ago due to a short circuit on the circuit board that could overheat the control-circuit ground wire. Dealers at the time installed an in-line fuse in the heated washer module wiring, but there were still reports of overheating incidents, including five fires. GM will remove the problematic device completely and pay the vehicles’ owners $100 because the company that makes the new technology went bankrupt and there is no way to repair it. The vehicles affected are:

  • 2006-09 Buick Lucerne
  • 2008-09 Buick Enclave
  • 2008-09 Cadillac CTS
  • 2006-09 Cadillac DTS
  • 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade
  • 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Avalanche
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Silverado
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Suburban
  • 2007-09 Chevrolet Tahoe
  • 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  • 2007-09 GMC Acadia
  • 2007-09 GMC Sierra
  • 2007-09 GMC Yukon
  • 2007-09 GMC Yukon XL
  • 2006-09 Hummer H2
  • 2007-09 Saturn Outlook

GM said customers would begin receiving recall letters this month, but they could contact their dealers now and make an appointment to have the heated washer system removed.