10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Toyota Grand Highlander, Lexus TX Take Down Ford Ranger Raptor
If you’re one of some 158,000 people who purchased a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander or its luxury-brand brother, the Lexus TX, only to find your new ride recalled due to a defect in the way airbags function in a crash, help is being deployed. The automaker is expected to soon begin notifying owners of the three-row SUVs that they need to bring their vehicles to a dealership to have the issue repaired. Meanwhile, for anyone still hoping to purchase a Grand Highlander or TX, a stop-sale order issued by Toyota in tandem with the recall is ending.
In one of Cars.com’s most popular news articles of the past week, we updated owners and would-be buyers on Toyota’s progress in resolving the airbag issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered the problem during crash-testing of the Grand Highlander, finding that a corner of the driver’s side curtain airbag failed to stay inside the vehicle during collisions when the window was rolled down. Toyota reportedly redesigned the anchoring system for the side curtain airbag to address the defect. Current owners will need to have the fix performed once notifications go out, and sales of both SUVs are expected to resume in late October.
For the full details of the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander and 2024 Lexus TX recall, stop-sale and resolution, follow the link below to the No. 2 news story of the week.
In other news, Cars.com reviewers tested the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor in its intended environs where the asphalt ends as well as in civilian settings, and we’ve distilled down their comprehensive critique into a rapid-fire roundup of pros and cons. The Raptor impressed with its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine that channels abundant power through a 10-speed automatic transmission for satisfying acceleration on all terrain types; all the off-road-ready requisites that enable it to do things other vehicles can’t do where the pavement ends plus the protective parts it needs to prevent damage as it does; ride, handling and maneuverability that impress even under normie conditions (like, snooze, driving on the highway); and cabin accommodations like contrast-stitched leather upholstery and onboard infotainment tech that juxtaposed some refinement with its rough exterior.
For more specifics on what we loved — in addition to what we, um, loved less, including bed height, multimedia controls and towing capacity — follow the link below to the No. 9 news story on this week’s countdown of most-read articles.
Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Ram 1500, Buick Enclave, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Sienna, Kia EV9 and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy
2. Sales to Resume for 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, Lexus TX After Airbags Forced Stop-Sale
3. 1.2 Million Ram 1500s Recalled for Software Glitch
4. 2025 Buick Enclave Review: Pretty, But Only Partly Premium
5. What Federal Interest Rate Cuts Could Mean for Car Shoppers
6. Is the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe a Good SUV? 6 Pros, 2 Cons
7. 2025 Toyota Sienna Up Close: New Features for Your Family
8. Testing the 2024 Kia EV9’s Range While Towing
9. Is the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor a Good Pickup Truck? 4 Pros, 3 Cons
10. Electric Cars With the Longest Range
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