Lexus has filed a a Noncompliance Information Report (NCIR) with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, informing the safety agency of the automaker’s intent to conduct a voluntary safety recall of 17,000 2010 model year Lexus HS 250h hybrid models.
NHTSA discovered the problem during its annual compliance testing program while conducting a test of the 2010 model year HS 250h. The test involves striking the vehicle with a deformable barrier from the rear at approximately 50 mph. Then the vehicle is struck by a moving deformable barrier with a 70 percent overlap.
As a normal part of the test, the vehicle is then rotated on its longitudinal axis incrementally by 90 degrees. The 2010 HS 250h suffered a fuel leak that exceeded acceptable levels during this rotation test.
Leftlane spoke with Brian Lyons, safety and quality manager for Toyota, who said that the automaker had run the same tests internally and did not achieve the results being reported by NHTSA. As a result, there will be further investigation to determine the inconsistencies between Toyota’s internal tests and the safety agency’s tests.
“Even though our own testing of the Lexus HS 250h shows full compliance with federal fuel system integrity standards, we are working intensely to duplicate the noncompliance issue that the NHTSA identified and to determine the reason behind the different test results,” said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America.
