The Drivecast

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, who for decades has been known for building more reliable cars than anyone else. But lately, some big cracks are starting to form in that foundation.

Last month, Toyota added another 44,000 vehicles to its ongoing recall of Tundra pickups and Lexus SUVs with the company’s troubled 3.4-liter twin turbo V6, bringing the total to nearly 270,000 trucks over the last two years. And this isn’t some precautionary move—metal debris left in the engine during assembly is causing sudden and catastrophic failure, a previous attempt to stop it didn’t work, and so far Toyota has had to replace tens of thousands of engines for free.

So today, it’s Toyota’s reliability crisis—how it ended up here, what’s really happening beyond the headlines, and what might be next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Toyota Turbo V6 Recall Campaign Grows to Include More Than 250,000 Trucks

We Finally Know Why the Toyota Tundra V6 Keeps Self-Destructing

‘Total BS’: Engine Teardown Specialist Says Toyota’s Explanation for V6 Failures Doesn’t Make Sense

Toyota Will Replace Over 100,000 V6 Engines in Recalled Tundras, Lexus SUVs

Toyota Recalls Another 127,000 Tundras and Lexus SUVs Over Self-Destructing Turbo V6s

Is Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 Really Less Reliable Than Its Old V8s?

Toyota Dealers Brace to Replace 100,000 Tundra V6s

00:00 Intro

06:07 How did we get here?

09:40 What's happening?

18:26 Where do we go from here?

25:51 What do you tell potential buyers?

30:06 The competition
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Stellantis has been rocked. The automaker built its current foundation upon loud noises and fast times at the drag strip all while making loud boom boom noises thanks to the Hemi and a legendary Hellcat V8 powertrain. Then the party ended. It was late to the electric game, many of its EVs didn’t even launch and were just DOA from the get go, SRT was mothballed, and things just looked bleak, again.

Stellantis says there’s hope, and even a plan.

This week, The Drive's Director of Content and Product, Joel Feder, is joined by The Father of the Hellcats, but his official titles include Ram CEO, Head of American Brands for Stellantis, and Head of SRT, Tim Kuniskis.

From Cooperhead and Scrambler to the the return of the Rumble Bee with a Hellcat powertrain and the Ramcharger nameplate, Kuniskis dissects it all with Feder.

So, today, it’s behind-the-scenes on Stellantis' turnaround plan and what comes next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Stellantis Announces Huge Turnaround Plan, 60 new Vehicles and 50 Refreshes by 2030

2027 Ram SRT Rumble Bee Revealed as a Shorty Street Truck With 777-HP V8

Dodge Has a New Completely Unhinged Halo Car Coming and It’s Not Called the Viper

Jeep Is Building a Wrangler Scrambler SRT With Removable Roof, Backward-Facing Rear Seats and Probably a V8

Stellantis Promises Dodge Dealers New Small SUV, Refreshed Durango, and More SRT

Can Chrysler Be More Than a Minivan Brand? It’s Betting Three New SUVs Under $40,000 Can Prove It

Ram Is Bringing Back the Dakota and a New Compact Truck Both Under $40,000

Stellantis Is Launching 9 New Vehicles Under $40,000

Ramcharger SUV Name ‘A Pretty Obvious Guess’ Says Ram CEO

The New Dodge Charger SRT Has a Wing Straight Out of the Superbird Era and It Looks Ready to Fly

00:00 Intro

04:59 Copperhead

09:21 Viper

11:57 Scrambler

16:13 Jeep

22:33 Recon

23:49 Ramcharger

26:52 SRT

30:37 GLH/Hornet

33:01 Chrysler

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Years ago EZ Lynk was in the news for its products, how they were being used, and what they were enabling consumers to do with their vehicles. Now, five years later, the book has been opened, again, and the department of justice is looking at how EZ Lynk enabled customers in modifying their vehicles in a way that violated laws. This time? The DOJ is targeting consumers and their data, which is a whole new set of issues.

So today, it’s The Drive's Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder and Senior Editor Caleb Jacobs discussing EZ Lynk, the DOJ, diesel defeat devices, and the Pandora's box that is being opened.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

DOJ Orders Apple, Google to Hand Over OBDII App User Data in Emissions Probe

US Government Sues Diesel Truck Tuner EZ Lynk Over Emissions Defeat Devices

Fast Times and Million-Dollar Fines: Inside the EPA’s Messy War on Dirty Diesel Trucks

Trump Administration Guts Framework Behind U.S. Auto Emissions Regulations

Emissions Defeat Devices No Longer a Top Priority for EPA

Feds Won’t Pursue Criminal Charges Against Tuners for OBDII Tampering Anymore

Previously Imprisoned Diesel Tuner Receives Federal Pardon

00:00 Intro

01:33 About last week

05:25 History and how we got here today

08:20 EZ Lynk

09:38 Consumer privacy

13:02 The scale of the situation

14:13 From President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump

17:43 What comes next?
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Believe it or not but one automaker is about to copy another’s idea—and neither are who you’d expect. Porsche is an unquestioned leader in the world of performance cars, and its careful treatment of the 911, Cayman, and Boxster is often imitated, never duplicated. But now? It’s about to steal a controversial move from an unlikely source— Hyundai—as it tries to figure out the magic formula for a fun-to-drive electric car.

What a world.

So today, it’s The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder discussing fun versus electric cars: how a company like Porsche ends up copying Hyundai, what the various tricks automakers are trying means for the next generation of EVs, and why this all matters more than you’d think.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Porsche Is Adding Fake Gear Shifts to Its EVs, 2027 Taycan Will Be First: Exclusive

Future Porsche EVs in frame for Hyundai-like simulated gearboxes

Porsche Says It ‘Learned a Lot’ From the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: TDS

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Review: A Racing Sim You Can Drive on the Road

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N Preview Drive: More Fun Than Most Sports Cars

Fake Gears, Real Fun: A Pro Driver Makes the Case for EV Gimmicks

2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V First Drive Review: Succeeding Where Mercedes Failed

2026 Rivian R1T Quad First Drive Review: When Too Much Is Just Enough

Rivian’s RAD Tuner Is Like An Equalizer For Your EV’s Powertrain

00:00 Intro

06:49 Porsche is about to copy Hyundai's fake gear shifts in EVs

08:47 What is a virtual transmission for an EV?

17:06 The Dodge Charger Daytona

22:28 Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz

24:12 A limit to the efficacy of these systems

25:02 Hyundai Ioniq 6 n

27:23 Maserati

30:54 Rivian

32:32 Lucid

35:26 Legacy vs. startup automakers
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It's time to check in on the state of electric vehicles both in America and abroad—and how much money automakers have lit on fire in the last few years rushing to cash in on electrification, which… hasn’t really paid off. Now, it feels like a big correction is underway.

Car companies spent most of 2025 in a wait-and-see position, but now they’ve waited and seen enough, and started to make big moves. Ford killed its once-revolutionary F-150 Lightning pickup, Honda killed its next-gen EVs that were supposed to be built and sold in America and lost over $15 billion in the process, GM has paused development of its next-gen electric trucks, Nissan’s walked things back and shifted directions, Volvo’s killed an entire model line, and more. It’s a wild and wildly expensive time to be an automaker, and the decisions being made now will have long-lasting effects on the shape of the global auto industry for years.

This week it's The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director Of Content And Product Joel Feder discussing the state of the EV union—how automakers are reacting to the uncertainty, whether they’re over-correcting, and what comes next.

Stories mentioned in today's episode:

Stellantis’ EV Retreat Cost the Automaker $26.5 Billion: TDS

Ford’s EV Gamble and Bust Will Cost the Automaker $19.5 Billion: TDS

GM CFO Says Automaker Can Absorb EV Losses: TDS

Honda Kills Three US-Built EVs Before They Ever Launch, Taking up to $15 Billion Loss

Ford’s Never-Seen, Canceled Moonshot EV Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight Online for a Year

00:00 Intro

08:13 Who burned how much?

08:34 Stellantis

13:38 Ford

18:42 Honda

24:04 GM

31:05 VW Group

34:38 Nissan

36:36 Toyota

38:04 Mercedes-Benz

39:02 BMW

39:12 Volvo

40: 18 Tesla

41:35 Rivian
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