BREAKING: Toyota admits 270,000 cars have faulty engines worldwide
by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jul 1st 2010 at 9:25AM


2010 Lexus LS460 Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery

In 20 years, odds are few people will remember that 2010 was one of the worst years for Toyota in terms of recalls, but for now, it seems like the company just can't win for losing. The company has announced that it is currently preparing to recall a total of 270,000 Toyota Crown and Lexus LS, GS and IS models worldwide. As it turns out, some of the company's 4.6-liter V8 and 3.5-liter V6 engines were built using faulty valve springs that may cause the car to stall while driving. Around 180,000 of the faulty powerplants were sold outside of Japan.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company says that some Toyota Crown, Lexus LS460, Lexus LS600h, Lexus LS600hL, Lexus GS350, Lexus GS450h, Lexus GS460 and Lexus IS350 models will be affected by the recall, and that it will initiate a procedure to fix the problem as soon as it can figure out a way to do so with the least amount of inconvenience to its customers.

The news comes as Toyota continues to try to put this year's bevy of recall issues behind it, including paying a $16.4 million fine to the U.S. government for delaying certain recalls. Thanks for the tip, everyone!

 

Yea because its the same car they have been making for the past 8-9 years right? Talk about squeezing as much as you can out of a car. I mean its a $60k roadster with well below 300hp unfortunately.

 

Hate to say it, but it goes back further than that. The 3uz in your sc is the same basic motor lexus has been using since the 1990 LS400. Only really difference is weaker rods and vvt-i (corresponding head changes). I would hope they wouldn't have to recall a motor that's based on 20 years of production history...

 

hope I'd need to drop by the local toyota shop for anything.
that place is going to be swamped for the foreseeable future.

 

If it aint broke dont fix it

 

1. Started building them in 01 ten years ago
2. $70,249 MSRP
3. Prior to 06 300HP
4. Highest rated car for reliability still in production all categories compared Consumer Reports 2010

Hey Evesmotors, see you have an LS460. Need a ride home from the shop, a lot of 10 year old SC430s in Texas. You can explain how that new technology and 380 HP translates into a car that is significantly slower, and brakes worse than a ten year old SC or last gen LS.

The Lexus LS 460 fell short of its claimed 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds in a road test in the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine. The C&D testers couldn’t get the car to complete the sprint in any less than 6.0 seconds. Braking distances were also unusually long. The car took 209 feet to come to a stop from 70 mph, the magazine said. That’s nearly the same as the GMC Seirra’s 210 foot braking distance. The new Mercedes S-Class, by comparison, takes 172 feet to stop from the same speed.

 

1UZ-FE

The 4.0 L (3,968*cc/242.1*cu*in) all-alloy 1UZ-FE debuted in 1989 in the first generation Lexus LS 400/Toyota Celsior and the engine was progressively released across a number platforms.


Drivetrain specifications by generation
Model year(s) Engine
1991–1995 SC 400 UZZ31 4.0*L V8 1UZ-FE 4-speed AT 250*hp (190*kW)[33] 260*ft·lbf (350*N·m) @4400*rpm[33]
1996–1997 SC 400 UZZ31 4.0*L V8 1UZ-FE 4-speed AT 260*hp (190*kW)[37] 270*ft·lbf (370*N·m) @4800*rpm[37]
1998–2001 SC 400 UZZ31 4.0*L V8 1UZ-FE 5-speed AT 290*hp (220*kW)[39] 300*ft·lbf (410*N·m) @4000*rpm[39]
1992–1997 SC 300 JZZ31 3.0*L I6 2JZ-GE 4-AT/5-MT 225*hp (168*kW)[33] 210*ft·lbf (280*N·m) @4800*rpm[33]
1998–2001 SC 300 JZZ31 3.0*L I6 2JZ-GE 4-speed AT 225*hp (168*kW)[39] 220*ft·lbf (300*N·m) @4000*rpm[39]
2002–2005 SC 430 UZZ40 4.3*L V8 3UZ-FE 5-speed AT 300*hp (220*kW)[44] 325*ft·lbf (441*N·m) @3400*rpm[44]
2006–2010 SC 430 UZZ40 4.3*L V8 3UZ-FE 6-speed AT 288*hp (215*kW)[60] 317*ft·lbf (430*N·m) @3400*rpm[60]

 

There was no change to the SC430's engine, other than it's rating, between 05 & 06.
Specs were changed to comply with SAE ratings. Most, if not all, Japanese manufacturers revised the HP & torque ratings (lower) for the 06 model years to be in compliance.
Exact same engine from beginning to end

 

Yep and if you research the difference between the 1uz and the 3uz they are minimal. Lexus got the extra .3 with a slight longer stroke and thinner block walls. Truly amazing they were able to build a flagship motor that ran with fairly minimal changes for 20 years.

 

Just to respond to the thread title, the RX and LX havent received any recalls at all either.