It’s miles ahead: Toyota’s long-awaited solid-state battery is nearing production. It will go 745 miles on a single charge, tackling “range anxiety” once and for all. They’re also lighter and more compact than lithium-ion batteries, which means more legroom and cargo space. Finally.
Drive a Toyota, Kia, Mercedes or BMW? Your personal info may have been exposed
Hackers are always looking for new ways to get their hands on your data. It even trumps your credit or debit card details. Unfortunately, security breaches happen on a more grand scale than most would like to know, such as the IRS leak from late last year.
Criminals made off with the details of over 120,000 taxpayers. But that was only a tenth of a massive breach a month later, as a Facebook tracker exposed the details of over 3 million people.
It’s easy to assume that data breaches happen to high-value targets, but that isn’t always the case. Read on to see how your details might be at risk by simply driving one of these cars.
Here’s the backstory
Technology advances at an incredible pace, and it’s more common now than ever to find internet-connected components in household appliances. For example, a web-connected fridge tells you when you’re out of milk. A more advanced model even places an online order for you before that happens.
Ingenious features have also made their way into many vehicles. The center console of technologically-advanced cars can show you almost every aspect of your vehicle, including your details, where you bought the car, when the next service is due and access to additional subscription-based functions.
But with any connected gadget, there is a risk of data compromise, which is precisely what security researchers recently found.
During an investigation, researchers found several API security vulnerabilities in popular models from Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes, Kia, BMW and many more. Nearly 20 manufacturers were impacted.
How hackers exploit API flaws
Researchers found that hackers could access the vehicle’s telematic systems to honk the horn, flash the lights, or remotely track the car.
It gets worse. According to team leader Sam Curry, with the correct access, hackers can “fully lock and unlock the car, start and stop the engine, and lock users out of remotely managing their vehicle while changing ownership details.”
The level of access depends on the vehicle, but the most severe is in BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Using the exploit in these cars, hackers can access the company-wide internal chat tool, hundreds of mission-critical internal applications, and the internal dealer portals where they can query any VIN.
Recall alert: 4 people have died using this Kickstarter electric skateboard
When a manufacturer releases a product to the public, they’re responsible for any defects or overlooked issues. These could be minor, causing an inconvenience, or dangerous to consumer health and safety. The problem could affect a few thousand units or millions.
$15 billion investment
From Mercedes, with a chunk of that going toward “high-tech combustion technology.” Yep, gas cars. Audi, Porsche and Toyota are hitting the brakes (sorry) on EVs, too. They’re not stopping development, though — just pouring less money into it.
Are you in danger? Ford, Toyota and Lexus recall over 1 MILLION cars over mechanical and software issues
Every time you enter your vehicle, you’re taking a risk. If any hidden issues stop your car from operating correctly, you could get into a life-threatening accident. It’s essential to stay updated on the latest auto recalls: They reveal safety issues you might not even know you’re dealing with.
Toyota recalls 500K vehicles over braking software issue - Check your VIN
The “Fast & Furious” movie franchise is infamous for high-speed racing and anxiety-inducing drifting around corners. But those are professional drivers, and you should never attempt to do that on public roads.
Unfortunately, some everyday Toyota and Lexus drivers could inadvertently lose stability control and skid all over the freeway. A problem with software in 460,000 vehicles could disable the electronic stability control (ESC) system, posing a severe risk. Tap or click here for details on a similar problem with Ford vehicles.
After my Volvo broke, I was Saab-ing: Cybercriminals leaked 240GB of Toyota customer info on a hacking forum. The stolen data includes emails, passwords, contracts and financial details. Toyota says they’ve reached out to those impacted. No word on how many folks that is.
⚠️ Toyota and Lexus recall: Over 100,000 Tundra trucks and Lexus cars (model years 2022 and 2023) are crash risks. Dangerous machine debris might’ve been left in the engines. Toyota will reach out to owners by the end of July, or you can be proactive and pop your registration number into this dedicated page. Yup, it’s a double on Tundra.
Toyota recall: Over 55,000 Prius and Prius HEV models (2023 and 2024) have a scary flaw — water can short-circuit rear door latches, causing the doors to open while driving or in a crash. Have one? Turn on the “auto-lock feature” when shifting out of park. Toyota says a fix is coming soon, so contact your dealership.
5.9M trucks and SUVs added to the biggest auto recall in history
It’s not uncommon to receive a notice about a vehicle recall in the mail. Most of the time, the issues are related to something minor — like a faulty backup camera or software program causing issues.
There are times when those issues aren’t so minor, however. Remember that massive Toyota and Lexus recall that was issued a couple of months back? That recall was due to a serious safety issue with the fuel pump, causing some vehicles to stall unexpectedly while in motion.
3.3 million vehicles recalled! See if yours is on the list
It seems like we’re always hearing about recalls these days. Whether it’s toy and furniture design flaws or listeria or E. coli in our food, safety recalls are a pretty common scenario in the U.S.
Part of the reason for the steady stream of recalls is technology and safety guidelines are always improving. We have better ways of identifying problematic products than we did before — and we have more thorough ways of identifying people who may be affected. This vehicle recall app is just one of the new tools you can use to get recall alerts.
750K hybrids recalled: Dangerous flaw can cause cars to stall
There are tons of recall alerts constantly being put out by the government and official agencies. We try and pass along as much recall information as we can, especially ones dealing with things that could put your health in jeopardy.