Potentially deadly brake defect triggers Toyota Prius recall

Japanese automaker Toyota has launched a global recall of its redesigned Toyota Prius sedan after reports of a potentially deadly defect involving the parking brake.

The company is recalling 340,000 units of the Prius globally, including 212,000 in Japan and 92,000 units of the 2016 and 2017 models in the U.S.

"On the involved vehicles, there is a possibility that the parking brake could become inoperative," Toyota said Wednesday in a statement. "If this occurs and the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in a gear other than ‘Park’ while the ignition is on, the vehicle could roll away, increasing the risk of a crash." read more »

Gov't Presses Porsche Tampering Claim In Emissions Suit

The government told a California federal judge Friday that Porsche can’t shake a tampering claim in litigation over Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal, contending that a concurrently filed amended complaint moots the request and the allegation is sufficiently pled regardless.

Porsche urged the court in May to toss from the government’s Clean Air Act litigation a tampering claim accusing the automaker of making 3.0 liter diesel engines’ emission-control components inoperative prior to sale. But the United States clapped back last week, arguing that the Friday amended complaint — which it says makes it clear that the tampering claim applies only to Porsche AG and not Porsche Cars North America Inc., among other things — renders the motion moot. read more »

2017 Lincoln Continental faces early recall

Ford Motor Company has issued a pair of safety compliance recalls, one for the headlights on its brand-new 2017 Lincoln Continental sedan, and the other for a small number of 2015-16 Ford Edge crossover SUVs over ABS concerns. read more »