Toyota seems to have learned from its recent auto transport brushes with the law over how the company handles its recalls. While the automaker has been judged to be less than transparent in both the floor mat and unintended acceleration sagas, the company has responded to recent Lexus LS recalls with plenty of information for both owners and the public at large. Example, you ask? How about the video after the jump? Toyota has apparently released a quick flick showing exactly what happens when the design defect rears its ugly head on the range-topping sedan. Apparently, if a driver turns the steering wheel to full lock in one direction and then rapidly turns it back the opposite direction, the steering wheel won’t center itself even though the vehicle is traveling straight.

Eventually, the variable gear-ratio system will allow the steering wheel to right itself, but it takes its sweet time. Only around 3,800 of the vehicles with this problem are actually roaming U.S. highways, and all of them are eligible for a free fix. Toyota has said that the problem is both mechanical and software related.

Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.