Toyota Cars

Despite all of the recalls and bad press Toyota had a few months ago they have pulled through stronger and better than ever. Some recent surveys about car reliability and dependability show that Toyota is still at the top of the list. Toyota as a company has also stepped up and added some major safety features to its line-up of cars for 2011.

Over 1.3 million vehicle owners who are also readers of Consumer Reports voted for which cars they found most reliable. The study covered model years 2001 to 2010. The vehicles that made the list of Most Reliable Cars must also have performed well in government and insurance industry crash and rollover tests. The cars also had to have electronic stability control available in a mainstream high-volume trim line in order to be considered. The results of the reliability study put Toyota Cars at the top of the list. Models from Toyota, Scion and Lexus (brands of Toyota) were among the most reliable cars and earned top scores in five different vehicle categories. The Toyota Yaris, FJ Cruiser, Sienna V6 and Tundra V6 all scored top scores in the study. The Lexus LX also earned top marks.

J.D. Power and Associates conducted another similar study to find the dependability of vehicles. They surveyed owners of 3-year old models that were purchased new and asked them to identify problems that had arisen in the last 12 months. The Vehicle Dependability Study asks owners to identify any issues they've had in 200 different problem areas. Toyota performed very well in this study and received four different segment awards- more than any other brand in the study. The Toyota Highlander, Prius, Sequoia and Tundra all received above average marks for their dependability. Toyota's Lexus brand also made the top 5 list. In the compact car category the Toyota Prius was number one followed by the Corolla. In the Large Multi-Activity category the Toyota Sequoia topped the list as did the Tundra in the large pickup category. In the midsize multi activity category Toyota took the top 2 spots with the Highlander and the 4Runner. The Toyota Sienna and Yaris were in the top 3 for the minivan and sub-compact car categories respectively. Lexus made the top 3 in the large premium car category (LS460), midsize premium car (ES 350) and midsize premium multi activity category (GX 470, RX).

Damn, Where Did That Slab of Concrete Come From?

We're going to guess that Taiwanese authorities placed a slab of concrete in front of this zebra crossing to protect pedestrians from vehicles, but it also seems to work as a punishment tool for impatient drivers.

Take this gifted driver of a black Toyota sedan, who not only disregarded the red light but also tried to make a quick illegal left turn.

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NASCAR's Kyle Busch Unveils his “Rowdy” Camry for Toyota’s SEMA Racing Dream Build Challenge

With 104 wins under his belt in all three of NASCAR series, Kyle Busch is certainly one of the sport’s greatest drivers. Busch, who is a household name in the U.S., has earned the nickname “Rowdy” for his driving style.

It's to be expected, therefore, that he would name his entry in Toyota’s Racing Dream Build Challenge competition the 2012 Camry “Rowdy Edition”.

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Toyota Issues Massive Global Recall For 7.4 Million Vehicles Over Faulty Power Window Glitch

After the 10 million-vehicle recall in 2009 and 2010 over the infamous unintended acceleration problems, Toyota has once again been hit by a massive recall that concerns a lofty 7.43 million vehicles.

This time, the issue on hand is a faulty power window switch in 14 different models, which may malfunction and offer a “notchy” or sticky feel during operation. The use of a commercial lubricant, instead of the special fluorine grease used by the factory, may result in the melting of the switch and the emission of smoke.

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New 2013 Camry SE Sport Limited Edition is Anything but "Sport"

The word "Sport" has become one of the most abused terms in the auto industry by far, and this new edition of the 2013 Toyota Camry is a prime example.

What the Japanese carmaker describes as "Sport Limited Edition" is a mid-trim level Camry fitted with the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 178-horses.

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Watch Saudi Arabian Drifters Chase Down a Police Officer

We all know how popular (there's even a music video) but also how dangerous the Saudi Arabian street drifting practice known as 'Hagwalah' is.

We also suspect that all of you who have watched the numerous videos on CarScoop and other websites have surely wondered about the absence of law enforcement, especially with so many deaths and injuries caused by reckless drifters.

Well, here's a video that shows a police car arriving at a gathering of drifters, reportedly in Saudi Arabia (if this incident took place somewhere else, drop us a message and we'll rectify it).

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It Came From eBay: Lamborghini Murcielago Kit Car with Camry V6

Usually, our eBay segments consist of Mercury Cougars covered in Bugatti livery or Peugeot 406's vaguely transformed into Ferrari F430's. This on the other hand, is for lack of a better word, pretty impressive.

This Lamborghini Murcielago clone is as close to the real thing in the looks department as we’ve ever seen from most replica models of the sort. Like any kit car though, there are a few downsides. For example, the performance numbers are not anywhere near close to the real thing.

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First Drive: Toyota Camry Atara S Sedan

Toyota is one of the world's most successful automotive brands, and in the States, the Camry mid-sizer is their best seller. In Australia, it's easily the de facto choice in its class for rental and taxi companies, government fleets and private buyers. Join us as we take the Australian-spec Atara S for one of our weeklong road test and reviews. Read more »

Feds Expand Investigation of Toyota Models Over Fire Risk to 1.4 Million Vehicles

The U.S. government has added approximately 570,000 vehicles to an ongoing probe of a power window master switch located on the driver's door on certain Toyota models that could pose a fire risk, increasing the total number of vehicles investigated to a little over 1.4 million units.

In addition to the 830,000 Toyota Camry sedans, Camry Solara coupes and cabriolets and RAV4 SUVs from the 2007 model year, the probe now includes the 2007-2009MY Camry and Camry Hybrid, RAV4 and Yaris vehicles built from around September 2006 through August 2008, as well as all MY 2008 Highlander Hybrid vehicles.

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Toyota Unveils its NASCAR Racer that Pretends to be a 2013 Camry

All NASCAR racecars are rear-wheel drive vehicles based on a tube frame with power coming from a V8 engine. That said, aside from some styling similarities and their names, they have nothing else in common with their production counterparts. Read more »

Taxi Driver Runs Over a Man After Being Attacked in Montreal [Warning Graphic Content]

What started out as a war of words between a 47-year old taxi driver and a 23-year old passenger quickly escalated to a hit-and-run incident that took place in Montreal, Canada, around 4 am this past Sunday, April 29.

Canada's Ottawacitizen identified the cab driver as Guercy Edmond, 47, of Laval, and the young man as Benoit Kapelli, 23.

The police have yet to determine what caused the conflict though at least two separate eyewitnesses recorded the incident on film. According to the first person that videotaped the scene, it all started when for unknown reasons a passenger slammed the door of the Toyota Camry cab.

"It began with one of the passengers slamming the door to the cab too hard on exiting the cab," wrote YouTube user Ilaneloc.

"Cab driver jumped out and confronted him on the sidewalk while the other passengers remained inside to pay. I left the scene as the verbal conflict escalated, presuming it would run itself out... I returned home to hear the commotion outside, where the conflict had escalated and the cab driver was aiming his cab in the wrong direction down St-Laurent towards the former passengers," explained Ilaneloc.

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Gone with the Wind: Scooter Rider Edition

The vast majority of bikers involved in an accident, no matter how small it may appear to be, will at least sit down to take a breath even if they are not hurt, but not this scooter rider who crashed into the side of a Toyota Camry while attempting to cross through a road without paying attention.

The man literally spun around himself almost touching the ground and immediately left the scene running towards the same direction he was heading with the scooter!

If you have any idea what just went on here, feel free to enlighten (or humor) us in the comments section that follows below the video.

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Tool of the Month: We Have a Winner!

As if it wasn't bad enough that the owner of this Toyota Camry sedan parked the car illegally at the end of a crosswalk, thus forcing pedestrians to stand inside the road, the driver proves to be an even bigger tool by backing into a kid returning from school who was waiting to cross the street!

Head past the break to watch the video.

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Toyota to Add Second Shift at its St. Petersburg Plant as Russian Sales Rise

Toyota will add a second shift at its vehicle production facility in St. Petersburg, Russia, starting from this September and for this reason, it has hired 600 new workers, which bring the total headcount to 1,750 employees.

The Japanese company began production of the Camry in Russia in November 2011 with sales of the mid-size sedan having surged 66 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, while overall, Toyota recorded a 22 per cent increase to 32,859 units during the same period.

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Toyota Camry Sells More Than 100,000 Cars in First Quarter, Could Surpass 400,000 Mark this Year

Automotive enthusiasts were not exactly thrilled with the new Camry, but for mainstream America, Toyota's bread-and-butter sedan model remains the first choice for a large number of buyers.

In fact, with first-quarter sales of 105,405 units, the Camry is not only leading the pack in the passenger car segment with some 9,000 sales more than the second Nissan Altima, but if it continues at the current pace, it could very well break the 400,000-unit barrier for the first time since 2008.

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Toyota Recalling Close to 700,000 Camry, Venza and Tacoma Vehicles

Another quality bug has hit Toyota as the Japanese automaker has issued two separate recalls that combined cover approximately 681,500 vehicles.

The first safety recall involves 70,500 Camry sedans from 2009 and 116,000 Venza crossovers from 2009 to 2011 to replace a stop lamp switch.

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NHTSA Investigating 830,000 Toyota Camrys and RAV4s Over Door Fires

Federal safety regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into a possible fire risk in approximately 830,000 Toyota Camry sedans, Camry Solara coupes and cabriolets and RAV4 SUVs from the 2007 model year.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that it has received six consumer complaints, and other manufacturer reports supplied through Early Warning Reporting data submissions, all of which allege a fire in the driver's side door.

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Toyota's "Connections" Super Bowl Ad will Take you from Zero to Snooze in 61 Seconds

Toyota has a secret weapon against its rivals in this year's Super Bowl (well, at least those that have scheduled to air their commercials after the Japanese company): it's called "Connections" and it's one of two spots that it will run during the big game.

Provided you haven't already fallen asleep from the soft voiceover heard in the background, the only vaguely interesting part of the commercial is the appearance of a jacked up older generation Camry riding on massive alloy wheels at around 40 seconds into the clip.

Now that you've been warned, feel free to hop over the break to watch Toyota's second Super Bowl XLVI spot.

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Toyota Taxi Driver has Some Really Bad Karma

Did you ever have one of those days that everything seems to go wrong? We don't know how the rest of the day went for the Toyota Camry taxi cab driver seen in the video but in this act everything that could go wrong did.

It all started when he abruptly stopped to let a pedestrian cross the road. We don't know who said what first but the short story is that the pedestrian punched the cab driver a couple of times in the face as he exited the taxi.

However, before he could do anything, his Camry started rolling by itself and hit the SUV that was in front of him! Watch the incident in the video that follows.

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Toyota Reinvents its 2012 Camry Super Bowl Commercial

It has been a while since we last saw Toyota advertising at the Super Bowl game, but the Japanese carmaker is back after a three-year hiatus with a new commercial for its redesigned 2012 Camry sedan.

The brand's 60-second long spot is called “Reinvented” and continues the same theme as the first ads of the 2012 Camry last year, albeit with a more cheeky and humorous tone.

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