Making its floor mat bulletin official, Toyota yesterday recalled 3.8 million vehicles -- the largest Toyota recall ever and the country's sixth-largest. A loose floor mat is being blamed for the August death of California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, his wife and two children, prompting the recall of the following vehicles:
It's football season and that means the timeless American tradition of tailgating is in full swing. Here are five vehicles that would be good choices for tailgating. I sampled a wide selection of price ranges and decided that each should either have a tailgate or liftgate. Enjoy.
Prompted by recent events in the news and a warning from NHTSA, Toyota has launched a safety advisory, urging vehicle owners to immediately remove their driver's side floor mats.
According to the advisory from Toyota and NHTSA, unsecured floor mats can get caught on the accelerator pedal, and potentially cause an accident. Toyota estimates that 3.8 million models may be affected. This advisory is not yet a recall. Once they have a solution in place, this safety advisory will become the largest recall that Toyota has ever issued in the U.S.
The latest highlights from Edmunds.com and its blogosphere.
Inside Line: All-New 2010 Toyota 4Runner Debuts at Texas State Fair Toyota chose to unveil the latest 4Runner in the truck capital of the world - Texas. The previous V8 engine has been discontinued, replaced by an even more powerful V6. An economical four-cylinder will also make its way back into the lineup. Returning is the 4Runners insatiable appetite for off-road terrain, as reported on Inside Line.
Green Car Advisor: Honda Shows-Off Segway Alternative Concept The Tokyo Motor Show is known for its wacky concepts and this year looks to be no different. Honda took the wraps off its new U3-X mobility device, a single-wheeled electric personal mobility device that uses a complement of sensors, servos and motors to remain upright. Like the Segway, the rider leans in the direction they want to travel in order to get around. We just hope it's more comfortable than it looks.
Auto Observer: Fiat Plans a Busy 18 Months for Chrysler Chrysler's Italian overlords have noted the lack of new models bearing the pentastar logo and have a rather ambitious plan to bring new models to market. Fiat supremo, Sergio Marchionne, wants makeovers performed to the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan minivans, the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot compact crossovers and the newly resurrected Chrysler PT Cruiser. And he wants them ready by mid-2011, along with the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300. We suspect Red Bull will be big part of the Chrysler designer's diet.
You probably can't find two vehicles that are more alike than the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight -- and not based on looks alone. Some of the most cross-shopped competitors, when you look at the tech amenities of the two hybrid hatchbacks-- and how much they cost fully loaded with all the bells and whistles -- they start to stand apart. Way apart.
First there's the huge discrepancy in price; a fully loaded Prius V costs $32,720 compared to the top-of-the-line Insight EX with Navigation that goes for $23,770. So you would think that tech-wise you'd get much more for your money with the Prius. But that's not always the case, as we found in a recent feature story in which we compared the two cars' tech amenities side by side.
On August 28, a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members were killed when their 2008 Lexus ES 350 careered off the road at 120 mph in Santee, California. According to a backseat passenger's 911 call, the throttle was stuck open and the brakes were unresponsive.
The Lexus was a loaner, and a post-crash inspection determined that it may have been equipped with floor mats that were a couple inches too long, meaning they could have slid forward and interefered with pedal operation. In response, Toyota/Lexus has ordered its dealers to inspect the floor mats in all of its vehicles.
We'll likely never know exactly what happened in that Lexus, but the incident serves as a sobering reminder that floor mats can be hazardous if not installed properly. Moreover, many drivers of older cars use aftermarket floormats that are not secured by clips -- these are inherently prone to sliding around. So be mindful of your floor mats and whether they have the potential to interfere with your footwork. With everything else you have to worry about on the road, the last thing you need is a floor mat getting in the way.
Auto Observer: Less is More? Smaller Pickups Benefit from C4C Auto Observer reports sales of more fuel-efficient midsize pickups have fared much better than their larger, thirstier stablemates - thank in no small part to the Cash for Clunkers program. In August, the Toyota Tacoma outsold the massive Tundra, the Ford Ranger saw a dramatic increase compared to the F-Series and the Chevy Colorado made modest gains while sales of the full-size Silverado plummeted. With the end of the Cash for Clunkers program, sales are expected to return to previous levels, but it remains to be seen if the shift to smaller trucks will continue.
Green Car Advisor: Dodge Caliber Heads to Frankfurt with Much-Needed Improvements Chrysler will be unveiling an improved Dodge Caliber at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month, according to Green Car Advisor. The big news is the addition of a 2.2-liter turbo diesel, but there are no plans to bring that engine stateside. What we will get, however, are an all-new interior plus improvements to the gasoline-powered engines, in the way of increased power, better fuel economy along with smoother and quieter operation.
IL News: Lexus Rolls-Out Refreshed LS and GS Models in Frankfurt Inside Line reports that Lexus will be unveiling the 2010 LS and GS models at the Frankfurt Motor Show. These are not complete redesigns, however, just a few styling tweaks and improvements like new seats, updated hardware and better driving dynamics.
A friend of mine is looking to buy a car, and I've been trying to help. As we talked through his wants and needs, it became clear to me that he doesn't care about excitement -- he's just looking for a reliable, fuel-efficient car that's pleasant to drive and won't break the bank.
If you feel the same way, then woo pig sooie, have I got the car for you!
The latest highlights from Edmunds.com and its blogosphere. Auto Observer: Toyota Closing NUMMI In March; Tacoma to Texas Toyota announced yesterday that it will be closing its NUMMI assembly plant in Fremont, CA. This facility was a joint-venture operation with General Motors, which was responsible for producing the Toyota Tacoma, Corolla, and the Pontiac Vibe. Tacoma production will be moved to San Antonio, where it is expected to create 4,700 new jobs. Green Car Advisor: Think Exits Bankruptcy; First City EVs To Be Delivered by Year-End Norwegian electric vehicle maker Think has emerged from its bankruptcy proceedings with new investors and a $47 million capital infusion. A spokesperson for its North American division says that the company is on track to begin U.S. sales next year.
IL News: Ford Beefs Up Shifts at Two U.S. Truck Plants A surge in sales due to cash for clunkers has prompted Ford to add a third manufacturing shift and increase production of the Ford F-150, Escape, and Mercury Mariner. Although Cash for Clunkers ended on Monday, Ford expects demand to remain strong.
Toyota's Corolla was the most purchased car under the Cash for Clunkers program.
The Department of Transportation is tooting its own horn. Claiming overwhelming success for the Cash for Clunkers program, the federal government is crowing about the 690,114 sales the program spurred, the fuel economy gains made, and the American jobs restored.
But there's the nagging fact that vehicle transaction prices actually rose during the program, as some manufacturers and dealers cut back on their own incentive offerings. Customers taking advantage of the program still got great deals -- just not as great as if they'd been able to simply tack the C4C rebate onto the market prices that existed before the program.
Not content to wait for the Federal government to begin phasing in stricter roof-crush requirements in 2012, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) already conducted its version of the test for micro and minicars.
The results? The tiny Smart ForTwo has the strongest roof, the Chevy Aveo, the weakest. Full results are at right. (G = Good, A = Acceptable, M = Marginal.) None of the cars tested ranked "Poor."
Stronger roofs are expected to cut down on the deaths and injuries suffered in vehicle rollovers. Although rollovers aren't the most common form of crash, they are the most lethal, killing some 10,000 people each year.
So the IIHS is getting tough. Starting with the 2010 model year, a vehicle must earn a "Good" rating in the roof crush test in order to qualify to be an IIHS Top Safety Pick -- an important award that automakers use to tout their safety chops. The new requirement will drive some automakers to improve their roof strength ahead of the federal requirement, which won't be fully phased in until 2016.
For details on the minicars test results, click here. To learn how roof crush tests are conducted, click here.
Though the CARS program (aka Cash for Clunkers) still has about half of its funding available, a number of news outlets are reporting that some dealers have suspended clunker sales due to lack of payment from the government. The popularity of the program along with a few clerical errors has caused a backlog in clunkers applications, which is delaying the payout process. Numerous dealers are claiming that they are owed credits deep into the six figures.The Obama administration is expected to announce a wind-down strategy in the next few days to ensure that dealers will receive their funds.
This may make it slightly harder for consumers to find participating dealers, but savvy shoppers can take advantage of new incentives that utilize the cash for clunkers credit.
The 2010 Honda Insight after its IIHS front crash test. The car is totaled, but the "driver" is OK.
Today the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced that three small cars, the 2010 Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, and Kia Soul, have earned their "Top Safety Pick" award after extensive crash tests. Including the three new winners, only 10 small cars earn the Institute's highest rating. In order to qualify, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of "good" in the Institute's front, side, and rear tests and be equipped with electronic stability control.
Telematics has been dominated by OnStar since the service first launched over a decade ago. And while other automakers, including BMW and Mercedes, offer their own telematics systems, OnStar has become the Kleenex or Xerox of the field and synonymous with telematics service.
Even if most car buyers have no idea what the term "telematics" means, when they think of features such as automatic crash notification, remote door unlocking and other off-board safety and convenience services, they think of OnStar, thanks to the GM-owned company's massive marketing efforts.
But OnStar is facing increasing competition. Ford launched its 911 Assist service in December 2008 by including it on all new Sync-equipped vehicles, and owners of most '08 and '09 Sync-equipped vehicles can get the service by having a dealer upgrade the system's software for a nominal fee.
Meanwhile, Lexus -- a former customer of OnStar with its Lexus Link telematics service, which will continue in "legacy" mode on models still in service -- recently launched its Enform with Safety Connect system on the new 2010 HS 250h hybrid and, like Ford, plans to eventually include it in all of its cars.
While it isn't feasible for us to test the crash-notification aspects of telematics systems -- at least not with the press cars we drive -- we checked out the latest convenience services offered for Ford's Sync system and Lexus Enform that best compete with OnStar. And we found that while Ford takes a radically different approach, Lexus plays it safe but throws in a few unique features.
While Edmunds is the world's best one-stop shop for automotive information (why else would you be here?), sometimes the automakers' websites can provide additional vehicle detail that we can't. IC's hosts arm wrestle over what their favorite automaker websites are to visit.
Mr. Romans: An honorable mention goes out to Subaru, as it has enough confidence in its products to prominently display reviews and rankings taken from Edmunds and other auto-reviewing websites. But Porsche is my favorite as it's a great fantasy diversion for financially limited people like me. I can spend hours creating dream cars on the Porsche car configurator -- and then just about have a coronary when I realize that my dream 2009 Cayman S costs $92,585. That's about the time I'll slink over to the entertainment section and download computer wallpapers and listen to audio clips of revving Porsche engines.
Ms. MacKinnon: Brent, my faves are a little more modest than yours. Plus, I have a tie: Toyota and Honda. They're both easy to use, their designs don't feel cluttered, and you can get a lot of preliminary information with just a couple of clicks or mouse-overs. If I were a new car shopper, I think it'd be easy to feel overwhelmed by the flashier automakers' sites, but Honda and Toyota both have made the process less confusing.
This is actually the last Idle Chat post. It's being retired in favor of bigger and better things on Edmunds Daily, which may or may not include constant updates on the Jonas Brothers. Idle Chat was hosted by Brent Romans and Bryn MacKinnon, two editors at Edmunds.com. Each Sunday in the Idle Chat lounge (read: some place they made up) they pontificated on a topic that was kinda about cars.
The rules for Cash for Clunkers (aka CARS or C4C) were released today, and early feedback is mostly from dealers who are reporting long web-waits to get registered via NHTSA's online process. Following Chrysler and BMW, one of the latest promos to come out in relation to C4C is from Toyota, who would like to remind everyone that 25 Toyota models (including the whole Scion lineup, every Toyota passenger car, most of their trucks and even several Lexus models) are qualifying purchases under the program.
With the official rules of Clunkers just being made available this morning, and the program officially kicking off next Monday (July 27), all parties involved are expected to be fully up to steam by next weekend. Clarified in the 136-page document is the fact that you can lease a car under the program, but that the minimum lease term is five years (60 months). To help you take advantage of the program, a number of Toyota models will be eligible for special 60-month leases, and we checked out some numbers after the jump.
The latest highlights from Edmunds.com and its blogosphere.
Green Car Advisor: Chrysler Seeks OK to Cancel 64 GEM Franchises, Cites Poor Sales Chrysler has asked its bankruptcy judge for permission to cancel its franchise agreements with 64 Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) dealers. Owned by Chrysler, GEM manufactures low speed electrical vehicles usually found on private campuses or in government fleets. According to Chrysler, many of the proposed franchise closures are located in areas that have sold poorly.
Auto Observer: Best Buy Gearing Up Electric Vehicle Sales A handful of Best Buy locations have begun to sell electric bicycles, scooters and Segway Inc. transporters. Best Buy views this as a reimagining of their product offerings, and as a way of staying ahead of its competition. Later this summer, they will also sell an electric motorcycle, capable of reaching 45mph.
Green Car Advisor: Toyota Reported Ready to Launch Plug-in Prius For Masses in 2012 The Nikkei business newspaper is reporting that Toyota is getting ready to launch a plug-in version of its Prius hybrid by 2012. Toyota plans to build about 20,000 units in the first year alone. The pricing is expected to start at about $48,000. At this price, the plug-in Prius will cost about $8,000 more than its upcoming competitor, the Chevrolet Volt.
Toyota is recalling 1,348 model year (MY) 2009 and 2010 passenger cars built from June 2, 2008 to May 4, 2009. This recall includes MY 2009 Scion tC and xB as well as Toyota Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma, Yaris and MY 2009-2010 Tundra. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels that could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
The latest highlights from Edmunds.com and its blogosphere.
Green Car Advisor: Toyota to Begin Leasing Plug-in Prius Hybrids Toyota announced that they will begin leasing a plug-in version of their wildly popular Prius Hybrid before the end of the year. Worldwide, there will only be 500 initial examples available, with 150 coming to the U.S. Sadly, these leases are intended primarily for government and corporate use. The plug-in Prius will utilize more expensive and efficient lithium-ion batteries than can be charged via a standard household outlet.
Straightline: Pricing Announced for the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible The drop-top version of Infiniti's G37 will set you back a cool $44,715 for the base model -- about $7,000 more than the standard coupe variant. Like most Infiniti/Nissan products, options are bundled in large, expensive and inflexible packages, so look for prices to climb quickly if you want a few added features.
Older car buyers are a diverse bunch. Still, there are certain themes that reveal themselves when analyzing their needs. These themes tend to be dictated by the physical challenges that many face in their golden years.
The choices listed in our top 10 vehicles for seniors stand out for the skill with which they address these themes.
Our mix of vehicles covers all the bases. There's a minivan for seniors who need extra passenger capacity, and there are compact cars for those who appreciate the parking convenience that smaller vehicles provide. Our list also includes technology-laden luxury cars, a couple of spacious full-size sedans and an innovative SUV.
You may need the utility offered by a pickup, but that doesn't mean you have to completely forsake fuel-efficiency. These days, there are more compact and hybrid trucks available than ever before -- a development that spells good things for those seeking trucks that will help them mind their finances at the pump.
These 10 choices are the most fuel-efficient pickups on the market.
Back in early March, months of planning and logistics that could put NASA to shame came together in an incredibly in-depth comparison test of four popular full-sized trucks. The smackdown consisted of four tow-equipped, crew cab models: the Chevrolet Silverado LTZ 4WD Crew Cab, Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD Crew, Ford F-150 Lariat 4WD SuperCrew and Toyota Tundra SR5 4WD CrewMax.
The full story on Inside Line gave the overall win to the Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie, but as the story notes, the margin of victory to last place was incredibly slim. Some of the competitors excelled in certain areas but lagged in others, and we'd like to take the time to point out these traits for consumers that have a narrower focus on what they need from a truck. Keep in mind too, that some trucks offer options that may even-things up or possibly change the final rankings. For this exercise, we're comparing the models as they were delivered to us.
One of the most popular questions we get is, "What is the definition of a hybrid?" Recently, Edmunds' Director of Testing, Dan Edmunds, broke it all down and demystified the technical jargon in a new article.
Briefly, the most basic definition of a hybrid is a vehicle that uses more than one form of onboard energy to achieve propulsion. In practice, that means a hybrid will have a traditional internal combustion engine and a fuel tank, as well as one or more electric motors and a battery pack. Some of the terms associated with hybrids are motor-generator, start-stop, regenerative braking, and electric drive.
Those terms are defined in his article, along with the three "hybrid layouts":
Ford Fusion Hybrid Sets Hypermiling Record The Ford Fusion Hybrid has set a new record for distance on one tank of gasoline. It traveled for 69 consecutive hours and 1445.7 miles on a single tank, managing an impressive 81.5 mpg.
Chrysler Bankruptcy News Had enough Chrysler bankruptcy news yet? On Green Car Advisor, we look at the effect that the company's bankruptcy and reorganization will likely have on its green initiatives. On Auto Observer, we examine the company's plans to temporarily shutter its manufacturing operations. On Inside Line, we shed light on the company's plans to reduce its number of dealers. Finally, on Straightline, we cover GMAC's plans to take over the retail financing of Chrysler vehicles.
The latest highlights from Edmunds.com and its blogosphere. Auto Observer Good-Bye Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, Hummer General Motors' recent announcements may have dealt a coup de grace to Pontiac, but Saturn and Hummer are also on life support unless a buyer is found before the end of this year. Saab's situation is a bit more complicated, since it has already begun a Chapter 11 type restructuring in Sweden. GM will cut ties with Saab by the end of 2009, but is also willing to negotiate its U.S. distribution system.
Straightline Top 10 Pontiac Muscle Cars of All-Time If the Pontiac GTO was the car that started the muscle-car era, and the G8 was the last- and possibly best Pontiac ever, what other cars highlighted Pontiac's 83-year history? Straightline takes a stroll down memory lane, to a time when cars had huge engines and cool names like Firebird, The Judge and Trans Am. In his Tuesday Karl on Cars post, Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer takes a look at Pontiac's decline in When did Pontiac Jump the Shark?
Inside Line Tundra and Sequoia price hike, Lexus drop-top stickers set The pricing on the 2010 Toyota Tundra has gone up an average of $557, and the 2010 Sequoia has gone up an average of $3,361 across all models. Toyota attributes these increased to the addition of more standard equipment such as: a redesigned towing hitch, driver and front passenger knee airbags, Bluetooth connectivity, MP3, and height-adjustable headlights.
Pricing for the convertible version of Lexus' IS was announced recently, and is significantly lower than its competitor, BMW's 3 Series. If you compare their base models, the Lexus IS 250C costs approximately $6010 less than a BMW 328i convertible.
Toyota released its pricing for the 2010 Toyota Prius this week, and the new hybrid goes on sale next month. The pricing structure differs from the prior year in that there is only one trim level available, but with five levels of equipment combinations (Prius I-V).
The Prius II has an MSRP of $22,000. According to Toyota, this level offers more standard equipment than the 2009 base model Prius, for the same price. Toyota expects this equipment level to be the most popular, and has aggressively priced it to compete with the 2010 Honda Insight EX, which offers a similar list of standard equipment.
We didn't forget to mention the Prius I, which has an MSRP of $21,000. Toyota has not revealed the details about this model, nor is it yet available. Though the Prius I is expected to go on sale later this year, it is not yet known how widely available it will be. This equipment level is the most spartan and exists primarily to compete with the Honda Insight LX, which begins at $19,800, and went on sale last month.
This new weekly feature for Edmunds Daily about car repair and maintenance is written by Tom Torbjornsen, the popular host of America's Car Show on satellite radio. April is National Car Care Month!
Dear Tom, Please help my sister and I settle a disagreement. Which of the following is the proper procedure for using the emergency brake? (A) Stop the vehicle. With a foot on the car brake, put the emergency brake on, and then put the car in park. (B) Stop the vehicle, put the car in park, and then put the emergency brake on. Many thanks. --Tammy and Cher from LA
Tammy and Cher, (A) Stop the car, apply the e-brake first, and then put the car in park. By following this procedure, when the car is put into park there will be no excessive stress placed on the parking pawl (a spring-loaded pin that locks into a slotted plate inside the transmission). On a side note, use the emergency brake frequently, even when parking on a flat surface, to keep it working properly. Best to you both.
Thanks to lower gas prices, fuel economy isn't the be-all and end-all that it once was with car shoppers. Still, those with any kind of foresight know that change is the only constant. Fuel prices might be agreeable enough today, but historically, they've shown themselves to be as unpredictable as hormonal teens.
Shoppers taking a longer-term view when it comes to gas prices will want to check out our list of the 10 most fuel-efficient sedans.
The Jeep Wrangler is an icon, the quintessential American off-road vehicle. In a world of do-everything cross-overs, the Wrangler makes no excuses for its intentions as a vehicle with the singular purpose of being the best off-road vehicle it can be. While this results in the Wrangler being unmatched off-road, it limits its ability (and appeal) on-road. Despite this single-minded objective, Wrangler sales have usually been particularly strong, especially when compared to its competitors. Strong sales have usually resulted in limited incentives being placed on the Wrangler. However, this month, there are deals to be had. Read the details after the jump.
Nowadays, any segment of the automotive industry that isn't in decline is considered a success story. And so it is with certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles. According to Edmunds data, while new car sales dropped 20.1% and used cars dropped 8.1% as a percentage of franchised dealership sales in the last 12 months (Feb. '08 - Jan. '09), CPO vehicles have risen 6% during the same time. (In fact, a month ago, Edmunds reported that approximately half a million car shoppers that would have bought new cars in the previous three months had opted for used cars, including CPO vehicles, instead.) This trend continues despite the record-setting rebates available on many new cars, whereas CPO vehicles only qualify for special APR financing.
Automakers, in response, are pumping up their CPO programs. Last month, Toyota extended its certified used program to its Prius, Camry and Highlander SUV hybrids, making it the first dedicated certified pre-owned program for hybrid vehicles. As more of the popular hybrids come off lease, the new Toyota Certified Hybrid program will allow more people to get into these fuel-efficient vehicles at a price they can afford.
BMW, which leases a huge percentage of its new cars, is pushing its CPO program as well. They're offering 0.9% financing on MY 2006 vehicles through April 30th. That will allow many consumers who coveted the BMW name, but couldn't afford one, to finally get in the driver's seat. Although it wasn't true a few years ago, today every mainstream brand offers a CPO program. You can get details on all the individual CPO programs here.
Currently, CPO vehicle prices average $1,284 more overall than non-certified vehicles, but they come with the peace of mind that only a comprehensive inspection and a factory-backed extended warranty can provide. And because they don't take the depreciation "hit" that new cars do, you're typically getting a better bang for your buck. It's no wonder, then, that buyers are opting for CPO over new or plain old "used" vehicles.
Nobody likes those red circular down arrows. They're depressing, and although the three brands on the left have grown used to them, the numbers beneath those arrows should come with a Costco tub of Prozac.
Automakers sold 691,073 vehicles in February, down 40.9 percent from the 1,168,729 they sold one year ago. That marked the lowest level of car sales for any February since 1967, a year in which there were only 103 million registered drivers -- half as many today. There were also significantly fewer Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans on the road (that's the understatement of the day), so imagine the market share difference between 42 years ago and today.
As they say, in life, timing is everything. The Kia Borrego is suffering from bad timing. Kia launched the truck-based Borrego SUV at the same time last summer when gas was hitting an all-time high. An all-new SUV that is rated as low as 15 mpg and gas prices over $4/gallon are like oil and water, they don't mix. Gas prices are down now, but so are overall vehicle sales. We all know that the recession has continued to decimate the sale of all cars and trucks. As a result, last month, Kia sold 272 Borregos. Do I smell a deal of the week?
