This recall was sparked by the results of a joint study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA, which concluded that there was no electronic malfunction responsible for the unintended acceleration issues experienced over the last two years. The recall begun this morning addresses the same floor mat interference flaw that was involved in past recalls, and extends to include two new modifications of floor mats, carpeting, and connectors.

Three models, adding up to 1.4 million vehicles, are being added to the November 2009 recall for entrapped pedals. The solutions for that recall originally included a reinforced shim, and reshaping the gas pedal. Toyota is not stating how the problem will be rectified in new models, but said that it will send out a preliminary notice “in the near future.”

The affected vehicles include:
– 2008-11 Lexus LX 570: 17,000 vehicles
– 2010 Toyota RAV4: 761,000 vehicles
– 2003-09 Toyota 4Runner: 603,000 vehicles

There are also new recalls, including one that will replace the retention clips and floor mat in Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX SUVs. If the clips are mis-installed, the mat can slide under the accelerator pedal and cause problems with operation. Toyota doesn’t have a specific time frame for a solution, other than “in the near future.” The models under this recall include:
– 2006-07 Lexus RX 330, RX 350, RX 400h: 372,000 vehicles
– 2004-06 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid: 397,000 vehicles

There is also a recall for the 2006-07 Lexus GS 300 and 350 with all-wheel drive. These models have a floor mat that has a plastic pad. If the mat is incorrectly replaced, the padding can become trapped under the accelerator pedal. Toyota is planning to change the shape of this pad as part of the recall, and will notify owners early next month.

If you’re concerned that your car has immediate issues, contact Toyota at www.toyota.com/recall or www.lexus.com/recall or Toyota customer service at 800-331-4331 or Lexus customer service at 800-255-3987.

Toyota, which is still trying to recover from a recall crisis and accidents that were allegedly linked to acceleration problems in many of its top-selling models, considers this a major victory.

In a statement made yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, “There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas.”

Assisted by engineers from NASA, the study was designed to determine whether or not cases of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles were caused by something other than trapped floor mats or sticking gas pedals. To that end, nine vehicles with supposed braking problems were examined by NASA, which subjected them to electromagnetic interference testing. Engineers also looked at the software to see if there were any code glitches that might disrupt electronic throttle control.

Steve St. Angeleo, Toyota’s chief quality officer for North America also released a statement, in which he said, “We hope this important study will help put to rest unsupported speculation about Toyota’s electronic throttle control system. We believe this rigorous scientific analysis by some of America’s foremost engineers should further reinforce confidence in the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.”

Last August, the U.S. government said that no problems were found with Toyota’s software in the first six months of the study. Toyota, which has been putting electronically controlled throttles in its vehicles for nine years now, said that its own tests also ruled out electronic interference as a possible cause.

The engineers from both the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and NASA found that only the previously identified causes – sticking pedals and loose floor mats – could cause the unintended acceleration issues that motorists experienced. It was these problems that were the cause of the massive Toyota recalls in 2009 and 2010, that not only shook the automaker to its core, but also prompted company president Aki Toyoda to come to Washington, D.C. last year in order to tell American lawmakers that he was “deeply sorry.”

NHTSA now plans to launch a long-term study into the placement and design of vehicle pedals to see if accidents can be reduced. It will also be considering three safety requirements for future vehicles: mandatory brake override systems, mandatory data event recorders, and standardized keyless ignition systems.

Mr. LaHood gave credit to Toyota for proving its commitment to safety during the recall process and subsequent investigation. “They’ve understood what we do here is serious business,” he said. “What we do here is promote safety and we take a back seat to nobody.”

Toyota Motor Corp is having recall issues again. The Japanese automaker has announced it will be recalling more than 1.7 million vehicles around the world, bringing it’s total number of recalled unites to almost 16 million since late 2009. So much for attempts to improve quality.

The current situation is, at least, different from last year, when the carmaker came under the microscope of U.S. safety regulators because of unintended acceleration issues that were said to cause dozens of fatalities. Even so, a new recall will make it more difficult for the troubled Toyota to convince its investors to stay on board.

After the announcement, shares of Toyota – currently the top car company in the world – extended early declines and closed down nearly two percent on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management told reporters, “Toyota faces harsh competition from Honda, which is in a much better situation in the U.S. market — this is reflected in its stock price which now stands at multi-year highs. ” He added, “That’s why investors are a little nervous and sold Toyota when this negative news came out.”

In 2010, Toyota was the only major automaker to show a decline in sales in the United States, and it barely held onto it’s top spot in global sales ranking, edging out General Motors.

The biggest recall among those announced this morning was to fix a faulty fuel pump and connecting pipe in 1.34 million vehicles including 141,000 Avensis units sold outside Japan, and the Noah minivan among other models sold in the company’s home-country. This recall is Toyota’s largest in six years, and the second-largest ever for a single defect, according to Toyota spokesperson Shiori Hashimoto.

Because of trouble with a fuel pressure sensor connected to an engine fuel delivery pipe, the automaker is also recalling about 335,000 Lexus vehicles sold overseas, including 245,000 which were sold in the United States, and around 75,000 Crown models and 6,200 Townace vans in Japan to fix the same fault.

In a filing to Japan’s transport ministry, Toyota said no accidents had been reported because of these defects.

Ms. Hashimoto did not share how much the latest recalls would cost Toyota.

The app, called Enform, is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and BlackBerry, as well as some Android phones, and offers many features, including access to the Lexus Customer Assistance Center, roadside assistance, vehicle information, and a direct link to Facebook.

Users can also use Enform’s “Destination Mobile” feature which searches for points of interest or specific addresses, then saves them to the car’s internal memory. (Unsurprisingly, such points of interest include the nearest Lexus dealership.) As well, consumers can use send up to 200 specific destinations from their personal computers to their cars, which destinations can be saved with names or labels like, “Grandma’s house,” or “favorite burger joint” and then shared via Facebook.

Enform is available for down load now.

Granted, the Lexus line has not suffered from the braking and acceleration issues present on models branded directly with the Toyota name, but what really gives pause here is the message the selection sends in the middle of a recession with unemployment hovering around 10% nationally and exceeding that figure regionally and by socioeconomic class. The LS 460L has an MSRP of $76,572.

Sure, it’s a great vehicle, scoring 99 out of 100 on the survey’s rating scale. Sure, the description on the survey page talks about a luxury sedan that “pampers passengers with a comfortable ride and luxurious driving environment.” Sure, you can get a spiffy, optional self-parking system. Yeah, it has a 380hp V8 and gets 21 miles to the gallon overall. Oh, and there’s a hybrid version.

But the truth of the matter?

The vast majority of Americans will probably never be able to afford a car like this again — if they ever could. This is a best overall pick that speaks to the bygone days of credit fueled excess that landed us where we are — in national and international financial hot water. Is this really the best message to send to Americans who just want a reliable, fuel-efficient, affordable car?

Yes, you can drill down through the list and find that the Hyundai Elantra SE at $18,695 was named the top Small Sedan, but clearly reviewers still have their eyes on luxury in a land of famine. Shame on you, Consumer Reports. Stick the Lexus models over in the pie-in-the-sky dreamer list where they belong and find a car all of us can realistically hope to own. Showcase that car and you encourage carmakers to put their creativity and their excellence where it solidly belongs — in cars that operate cleanly and efficiently and are affordable.

The survey interviews 46,000 drivers of 2006 models of the participating cars. This really blasts the stereotypical image most Americans have of Jaguar as a brand constantly in need of repair. Jaguar was bought last year by Tata Motors of India, and it will be interesting to see how the cars continue to stack up against the competition.

Buick’s showing reflects nicely on embattled General Motors. In a story for Automotive News, David Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice president of automotive research said, “Part of GM’s historical challenge has been that the customer’s perception of GM’s vehicles has been not in line with reliability. GM, as well as Ford, has made a lot of strides recently. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago their vehicles weren’t as reliable as some of the imports, but I think today they’ve virtually caught up.”

A reputation for reliability and some guidance in what to look for in a previously-owned vehicle is more important than ever as the recession drags into its 16th month. People are holding on to their cars an average of 73 months, up from 66 months in 2006.

Here’s how the thing works. You make purchases, you get points. You redeem the points for discounts on parts and maintenance bills or toward a vehicle down payment. The company is looking to issue 140,000 of the cards during year one, starting in October. The balances will be carried by U.S. Bank with Toyota maintaining all the customer data and such. (The customer info is confidential, but Toyota can use the data to take a look at purchasing trends.)

We’ve made no bones about the fact that this may not be the time to buy a car, especially if you have shaky credit. Yes, there are going to be good buys out there as automakers work to move their sluggish inventory, but the first question you must always ask yourself is can you afford that car? Can you afford to keep up with the payments? And the second questions is, what will I have to give up in some other area of my life to accomplish that? And this business of a Toyota card or one from any other automaker? My advice would be to think twice. If you already have weak credit, it’s not going to be strengthened by one more card in your wallet.