Recall Alert: 3,235 2009-13 Toyotas

Southeast Toyota Distributors is recalling 3,235 vehicles spanning model-years 2009-13 due to problems with the occupant sensing system, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were modified by Southeast Toyota Distributors to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or head-restraint DVD system. During the installation process, the passenger seat occupant sensing system may not have been tested. This could cause the airbags to not deploy or to deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size, increasing the risk of injury. 

Black Friday: Best Cars for Serious Shoppers

A successful Black Friday shopping trip is all in the planning. Bargain hunters study store ads and websites as though they're cramming for a test, and now they have less time to do so as several major chains — Sears, Wal-Mart, Target and Toys R Us — will open their doors on Thanksgiving evening instead of 4 or 5 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving.

There's one thing that Black Friday shoppers can plan before the deal-laden store circulars arrive: which car to take.

Black Friday shoppers might think bigger is better — big SUVs, minivans — when it comes to picking a car for hauling all their bargains. They're not wrong, especially if they're hoping to bag a gigantic flat-screen TV at a low price. But nimble, small cars in busy parking lots shouldn't be left out of the Black Friday fun. Here are our top picks for Black Friday haulers.

2013 Honda Crosstour: First Look

• Competes with: Toyota Venza, Subaru Outback,Nissan Murano
• Looks like: A more-lovable-looking Crosstour with some Accord design influence
• Drivetrain: New 3.5-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: Tuesday,Nov. 20

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 2013 Honda Crosstour production model is that there's so little distinction to be made between it and the concept version that debuted at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Even then it was clear that this concept was only a concept, well, in concept.

Needless to say, there's not a lot to talk about in terms of brand-new features on the 2013 Crosstour, which goes on sale Tuesday — except that its base price of $27,230 is $525 less than it was in 2012 (Honda has not yet listed the car's destination fee).

Concept-car aesthetics that have made their way to the production model include more rugged exterior styling thanks to a redesigned front end and new grille. It also gets new bumper fog lights, front-diffuser designs and Accord-inspired exaggerated lower-front-intake flares. The rugged look is achieved with black composite plastic along the sill plates and front and rear bumper edges. Newly available paint colors include Kona Coffee Metallic and Mountain Air Metallic.

2013 Toyota Venza Priced at $28,510

When the updated-for-2013 Toyota Venza goes on sale next week, it'll start at $28,510 (including an $810 destination fee).

The midsize wagon gets exterior styling tweaks and more standard and available features for the new model year. Trim levels LE, XLE and Limited return for model-year 2013. Powertrains also carry over: LE and XLE versions use either a standard 182-horsepower, 2.7-liter four-cylinder or optional 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6. The V-6 is again standard on the top-line Venza Limited model.

Newly standard across the board are a blind spot mirror, eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with power lumbar, integrated turn signals in side mirrors, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel with integrated audio controls, and three 12-volt power outlets. Toyota’s Entune multimedia system is standard on Limited models and newly optional on LE and XLE versions. It provides access to mobile internet applications such as Bing, iheartradio, OpenTable and Pandora.

Compared to 2012 versions, prices are up an average of 2.9% across all trim levels. All-wheel-drive four-cylinder XLE models, now priced at $33,620, saw the biggest price increase for model-year 2013 at 5.1% more than last year's version. 

The 2013 Venza will be made at Toyota's assembly plant in Georgetown, Ky. Continue below for model-specific pricing.

2013 Toyota Venza at the 2012 New York Auto Show

Competes with: Honda Crosstour and Ford Edge
Looks like: A lightly refreshed Venza
Drivetrain: 181-hp, 2.7-liter four-cylinder and 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 
Hits dealerships: Late May

For 2013, Toyota's Venza sees its first significant update since it was introduced for the 2009 model year. The midsize wagon gets exterior styling tweaks and more standard and available features for the 2013 model year.

More 2012 New York Auto Show Coverage

Exterior styling updates include a revised upper and lower grille and restyled fog lamps and taillights. Also new is the design for Venza's standard 19-inch wheels. They join three new exterior colors: Attitude Black, Cypress Pearl and Cosmic Gray Mica.

Toyota Announces Voluntary Recalls of Camry, Venza and Tacoma

In the first of two recalls Toyota issued today, the automaker is voluntarily recalling approximately 70,500 model-year 2009 Camry sedans and 116,000 model-year 2009-2011 Venza crossovers to replace a faulty stop lamp switch. A total of 186,500 units are affected.  During the manufacturing process, grease may have pervaded the inside of the switch mechanism, increasing electrical resistance.

According to a statement from Toyota, "If this occurs, warning lamps on the instrument panel may be illuminated, the vehicle may not start, or the shift lever may not shift from the Park position. In some cases, the vehicle stop lamps may become inoperative."

Toyota's U.S. Production Returns to 100%

Toyota confirmed that production at its North American plants has returned to normal this week. The news comes after nearly five months of slowed production due to limited supplies from the automaker’s Japanese part suppliers. Toyota’s 13 North American plants make the company’s best-sellers in the U.S., including the Camry, RAV4, Corolla, Highlander and Sienna. In all, nearly 70% of the cars Toyota sells in the U.S. are made in North America.

The recovery is ahead of schedule; Toyota originally stated that it didn’t expect to get everything up and running again until November or December at the latest.

The company will now focus on replenishing dealer inventories with overtime and Saturday shifts at some plants. Toyota expects there to be a 15% increase in its supply in the last three months of 2011.

The company also says that construction work on its 14th North American assembly plant, a Corolla factory in Mississippi, is almost complete. Production will begin there in October, employing 2,000 workers. 

Toyota Rebounds Past its Recall Woes

A year ago, amidst the backdrop of recalls, stop sales and sensational headlines, the Toyota brand reported a sales decline of 10.3%. That’s worse than the company’s overall performance, which also includes Scion and Lexus sales.

This year, the opposite is true. Toyota has bounced back with a 48.5% sales gain while Lexus dragged down the company’s performance to a 41.8% gain. We detailed some of Lexus’ problems earlier today.

But what fueled Toyota’s sales?

2011 Toyota Highlander, VW Jetta Receive NHTSA’s Four-Star Safety Rating

The 2011 Toyota Highlander, Toyota Venza and Volkswagen Jetta received an overall rating of four stars in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new crash-test rating system, the safety agency announced yesterday.

The overall composite score for the Jetta and Highlander are the same: four-star frontal, four-star rollover and a five-star rating for the combined side pole and barrier tests. The side barrier test is an area where other vehicles have shown weakness with the safety agency’s new testing format. The side pole test simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the driver’s side A-pillar.

How Good Are Toyotathon's Deals?

After checking out multiple dealership regions, Toyotathon is a good opportunity overall if you’re looking for a 2011 model year vehicle or if you’re trying to lease.

The recently redesigned 2011 Highlander already has a $500 cash-back deal and an attractive lease rate of $319 per month. In fact, all of Toyota’s lease rates – the automaker has traditionally leaned harder on this option – are excellent.

All the lease deals ask for less than $2,000 due at signing, so you’d pay a lot less upfront compared with some competitors, especially for Toyota’s pickup, minivan and crossovers. In some regions, such as Southern California, there’s a “$0 Down Payment, $0 Security Deposit, $0 Due at Signing, $0 1st Month's Payment” regional deal for folks who lease.

If you’re financing, most models offer 0% to 2.9% for 60 months.

With nearly 60% of Toyota’s inventory now 2011 model years, most remaining 2010s have lost their incentives. The outgoing 2010 Corolla gets $1,000 to $1,250 cash back on it; remember that the model was refreshed for the 2011 model year. The redesigned 2011 Avalon and Sienna both have $1,000 cash-back deals, too.

Most of the deals below expire Jan. 3.