2001-2004 Toyota Tacoma Pickups Recalled In Cold Weather States
Toyota is conducting a safety recall of certain 2001 through 2004 Tacoma pickups in cold-weather states over concerns that rust in the spare tire carrier assembly may cause the tire to come loose while driving.
A bulletin posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website puts the number of vehicles potentially affected at about 150,000 vehicles. Affected vehicles were built from August 28, 2000 through August 27, 2004.
The recall involves 2001-2004 model-year Tacoma pickup trucks originally sold in or currently registered in 20 states and the District of Columbia where road salt used on streets in cold weather may result in extreme corrosion on certain truck parts.
The problem
A notice posted on the Toyota website describes the problem this way:
“In these vehicles, the spare tire is stored underneath the rear bed and suspended by a spare tire carrier on a metal lift plate. During manufacture, the spare tire carrier lift plate may not have been sufficiently coated with phosphate. The lack of phosphate coating combined with prolonged exposure to high road salt use and other environmental factors may contribute to the development of more than normal corrosion of the lift plate on some vehicles.”
The notice goes on to say that “over time and in limited cases, corrosion of the lift plate could cause it to break and result in detachment of the spare tire from the vehicle.”
According to documentation from Toyota (PDF), the company has received three field reports of spare tire carrier corrosion and, in June and July 2010, three field reports alleging detachment of the spare tire carrier while driving.
The 20 states affected include (in alphabetical order): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. In addition, the District of Columbia is also included.
Toyota said that the supplier of the spare tire carrier assembly is no longer in business. The automaker noted that 2005 through 2013 model year Toyota Tacoma pickups have spare tire carrier assemblies produced by a different supplier with different process controls for phosphate coating application. Analysis of recovered parts from those model years shows sufficient phosphate coating on the spare tire carrier lift plates and Toyota said it has not received any reports of spare tire carrier detachment due to lift gate corrosion in 2005-2013 Toyota Tacomas.
What Toyota will do
Toyota will send a letter via first-class mail to owners of vehicles affected by the recall, instructing them to bring their Toyota pickup truck to any authorized Toyota dealer to make the necessary repairs. The dealer will inspect and repair the spare tire carrier assembly, as necessary. The work will be performed at no charge.
The recall letters are expected to go out beginning in December.
In the meantime, owners of 2001 through 2004 Toyota pickups with any questions or concerns may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. They may also check online to learn more about the status of the recall at www.toyota.com/recall.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V542000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2012-2013 Volkswagen Beetle Recalled For Airbag Issue
Volkswagen is conducting a recall of certain 2012 and 2013 Beetle small cars over concerns that the front passenger airbag may deploy even if a child is secured in a passenger restraint.
A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website lists the number of vehicles potentially affected at 2,471. Affected vehicles are those equipped with leather sport seats and were built from February 2012 through August 2012.
The problem
The NHTSA bulletin and documentation from Volkswagen (PDF) indicate that the problem, which was discovered during routine factory inspections, stems from an incorrectly coded Passenger Occupant Detection System control module in the right front passenger location. If the leather seat gets wet, the control module may not properly detect a child restraint that is secured on the right passenger seat.
As a consequence, the airbag will not be turned off as expected. The airbag light will not illuminate, which alerts the driver that the passenger airbag has not been turned off
There is a risk of serious injury to a child in the event of a crash with an airbag deployment. According to Volkswagen, no injuries have been reported as a result of this issue. As the NHTSA and other safety agencies and organizations recommend, children in child restraints should always be properly secured in the back seat of vehicles.
What Volkswagen will do
Although no schedule has yet been provided to the NHTSA, Volkswagen will notify owners and dealers will replace the control modules at no charge.
In the meantime, owners of 2012-2013 Volkswagen Beetle cars with any questions or concerns may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987. The Volkswagen safety recall number is 6919/W6.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V540000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Honda Details, Demos Next-Gen Accident-Avoidance Technology
Two upcoming Honda Motor Co. safety systems set their sights toward a ten-year 'zero collisions' goal that includes a new generation of accident avoidance as well as, eventually, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication.
One of these interim steps is Honda's Autonomous Emergency Braking system (AEB), which identifies pedestrians ahead—whether stationary, or walking—and can apply the brakes at up to 80 percent of maximum capacity.
AEB uses the combination of a high-resolution camera and a laser-radar system to recognize hazards ahead (pedestrians, objects, or other vehicles) and discern the target's speed, signaling to the driver and then engaging the brakes.
The system could make a significant difference in pedestrian fatalities and injuries. In studying collision data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA), Honda found that 74 percent of vehicle-to-person collisions were to pedestrians that were crossing the street, so the system has a special focus on identifying that situation.
Focusing in on pedestrians
The system can accomplish a full stop from up to 60 km/h (37 mph). And once it's potentially deployed, beginning as soon as two years from now, it could see wide installation in smaller city-friendly models, as it uses a relatively economical laser system, plus a processor system that interfaces with the existing stability control system.
In a test of AEB, we were asked to maintain a constant 50 km/h (31 mph); as we approached a human-sized cutout, the system beeped and flashed an instrument-panel warning, then without our applying any brake pressure brakes us strongly to a stop, at least five or six feet short of the 'pedestrian'—more of a buffer than we've noted from Volvo's Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake feature. A second run, with the pedestrian pushed into the path of the vehicle, yielded similar results.
Separately, to help reduce accidents at higher speeds, with other vehicles, Honda is also working on an enhanced version of its adaptive cruise control system. Called i-ACC, this new system aims to prevent the rapid braking and acceleration that occurs with adaptive cruise control when another vehicle changes lanes into the lane just ahead of the vehicle, or ahead of its path.
The i-ACC system, which is more likely to be installed in larger, luxury-brand vehicles first, uses a more expensive millimeter-wave radar system that gives longer-range detection ability—combined with advanced processing—to track the location of up to six vehicles.
All about predictive, smooth pre-emptive action
A fast processor, applying predictive algorithms based on real-world traffic observation, allows i-ACC to anticipate what adjacent vehicles might do next and will preemptively make slight changes to vehicle speed to accommodate those possibilities.
With driving styles quite different between Japan, the U.S., Europe, and other markets, the system would likely get a different set of calibration and predictive data depending on the market in which the vehicle is sold. The system represents extensive traffic-modeling work between Honda researchers and engineers in Japan and Germany.
While Honda didn't yet have a running demonstration of i-ACC ready, such a system would reduce the chances of rear-end accidents, pile-ups, and other kinds of high-speed accidents—and combined with AEB in some future vehicles would go a long way toward that zero-collisions goal.
Expect both technologies to begin arriving in Honda and Acura models in about two years.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Toyota Prius In Recall Of 2.77M Vehicles Worldwide (UPDATED)
Toyota is conducting a voluntary safety recall of 2.77 million vehicles worldwide over concerns about flaws in the steering and water pump systems of certain of its gasoline and hybrid vehicles.
A report in Bloomberg BusinessWeek cites a Toyota spokesman in Japan who said that the automaker will recall 1.52 million vehicles in Japan and 1.25 million overseas, including an estimated 670,000 Prius vehicles in the United States. The publication said the worldwide recall involves the Prius hybrid and Corolla compact sedan, among 14 models due for inspection and possible repair.
A statement on the Toyota website detailed the U.S. recall of 670,000 Prius hybrids from the 2004 to 2009 model years. The Prius recall involves two separate recall campaigns, both of which will be conducted simultaneously.
Steering shaft issue
Toyota said that all of the 670,000 Prius vehicles will be inspected for a possible flaw in the steering intermediate extension shaft causing the splines connecting the extension shaft to the steering gear box to wear out over time. If required, the shaft will be replaced. The inspection and repair should take about one hour, depending on the dealer’s schedule.
Bloomberg quoted a Toyota spokesman who said that the possible steering system defect “may cause a knocking or rattling and possibly a reduction in steering response.”
Water pump issue
Some 350,000 of the same Prius models involved in the first recall will also require the replacement of the hybrid system’s electric water pump. Toyota said that the electric motor in the water pump may stop functioning, leading to the illumination of warning lights on the instrument panel. In some limited instances, the electric power supply circuit fuse may open. This may cause the hybrid system to stop while the Prius is being driven.
Replacement of the electric water pump should take approximately two hours, depending on the dealer’s schedule.
Toyota said that it is not aware of any crashes or injuries as a result of either of these two conditions. Notification letters to owners of 2004-2009 Prius vehicles involved in the campaigns will be sent out via first-class mail in December 2012.
In the meantime, owners of vehicles involved in the campaigns with any questions or concerns may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or go to www.toyota.com/recall for detailed information.
UPDATE: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted a recall notice on its website covering 669,705 2004-2009 Toyota Prius vehicles for the steering shaft issue, NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V537000, and for 350,662 2004-2009 Toyota Prius vehicles for the water pump issue, NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V536000.
Owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2012 Chevy Cruze And Sonic, Buick Verano Recalled For Airbag Trouble
General Motors is recalling certain 2012 model year Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic and Buick Verano small cars over concerns that the driver’s side frontal airbags may not work properly.
A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website puts the number of vehicles potentially affected at 2,749.
The problem
According to the NHTSA bulletin and documentation from General Motors (PDF), some of these vehicles may have a condition in which the shorting bar inside the dual-stage driver’s airbag may “occasionally” contact the primary stage airbag terminals. The contact causes the airbag warning light to illuminate.
The safety consequence of the bar and the terminal in contact with each other is that, in the event of a crash, the primary stage airbag will fail to deploy, thus increasing the risk of injury to the driver.
What GM will do
Although General Motors has not yet provided a notification schedule, the automaker said it will notify owners of the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic and Buick Verano small cars and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil. The service will be performed at no charge.
In the meantime, owners of vehicles involved in the recall campaign with any questions or concerns may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300, referencing the GM safety recall campaign #12261.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V522000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2013 Cadillac XTS Recalled For Headrest Failure
General Motors is recalling certain 2013 model year Cadillac XTS luxury sedans due to a problem with rear-seat head restraints that may fail to lock in place.
A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website puts the number of vehicles potentially affected at 12,626. Affected vehicles were built from October 12, 2011 through August 30, 2012.
The problem
The NHTSA bulletin, and documentation from General Motors (PDF), indicates that the issue is noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 202, “Head Restraints.”
According to GM, which discovered the problem, the rear-seat head restraints on certain 2013 Cadillac XTS sedans may not lock in the upright position after being folded forward. In the event the head restraint is adjusted to its lowest position and does not lock, it may fall forward, therefore not meeting the height required by the FMVSS standard.
A lowered head restraint increases the risk of occupant injury in a vehicle crash.
GM said that “very few vehicles” are expected to require head restraint replacement.
What GM will do
GM will notify owners and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace the rear-seat head restraints that do not lock in the upright position at no charge. The safety recall campaign is expected to begin on November 12, 2012.
In the meantime, owners of 2013 Cadillac XTS sedans with any questions or concerns may contact GM at 1-800-458-8006. The GM safety recall number for this campaign is #12258.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V525000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
2012 Los Angeles Auto Show Preview
It's been a couple of months since we soaked ourselves in the drizzle of the Paris previews, and now auto-show season resumes anew after Thanksgiving with the press days at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.
This year's L.A. show won't quite be the green-car showcase it's been in years past. It's almost a catch-up event for carmakers scrambling to get out the remaining 2013 new models--while teasing the 2014 new cars, crossovers, and trucks just around the corner.
The L.A. Show's also a naked appeal to luxury and exotic-car buyers. Virtually every brand with a sterling reputation will have its latest on display during the media and public days--with a flourish of new British iron matched by a quartet of new Mercedes machines and an advanced new BMW concept, not to mention a roadster from Lamborghini.
The Los Angeles Auto Show opens to the media on Wednesday, November 28th, and to the public that weekend. We'll be on hand to report from the Los Angeles Convention Center floor, so make sure you're in touch with us every way possible--by bookmarking our auto show pages on The Car Connection, Motor Authority, and Green Car Reports; by following us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram; and by staying in touch with the latest news on Twitter @carconnection @therealma @greencarreports.
Honda took flak for the 2012 Civic, its lackluster styling and performance and especially, its cut-rate interior. A fix is in the works, and the 2013 Civic will be on display at L.A., and on sale the same day. The new Civic gets an Accord-like restyle, and more safety equipment, more features, and some performance improvements to be announced at the show.
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible
The latest VW Beetle's gone a long way to sharpening up its iconic image. Will the Convertible model soften it back up a little? The new fabric power top will lower or raise itself in about 10 seconds, while pop-up rollover bars will protect passengers. Engine choices will include the 170-horsepower in-line five; the 140-hp turbodiesel four; and the 200-hp turbo four. All will come with six-speed transmissions, either manual or automatic or dual-clutch. The turbodiesel will score about 41 miles per gallon on the highway, VW promises.
(more...)2014 Ford Transit Connect Preview
The Ford Transit Connect is a relative newcomer here in the U.S. It made its debut in the 2010 model year after having been on sale in Europe for more than a decade as a commercial vehicle built in Turkey.
It's now being replaced around the world with a new model, and the American-market version arrives in the fourth quarter of 2013 as the 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon.
Again this time, the Transit Connect Wagon is built on a front-wheel-drive platform, the same one as in the Ford Focus. That means it's more fuel-efficient than some other minivans on the market--all of them, actually, even the Mazda 5. Ford promises 30-mpg highway ratings for some versions of the Transit Connect, thanks to its choice of either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine or a 1.6-liter turbocharged four. Both are teamed to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Interior flexibility will be improved over the current model, with fold-flat second- and third-row seats, and a sliding third-row seat for adjustable cargo and passenger room. The Transit Connect Wagon offers sliding side doors, and a choice of a tailgate in back, or hinged cargo doors.
Ford promises best-in-class load carrying ability as well, with the payload of a full-size pickup of at least 1,200 pounds and more than 100 cubic feet of cargo space. The Wagon will be able to tow up to 2,000 pounds.
Body configurations include short-wheelbase (SWB) and long-wheelbase (LWB) versions, and the Transit Connect Wagon will be offered in XL, XLT, and Titanium trim levels. Safety equipment will include three-row airbags on seven-passenger models, and two-row curtain airbags on five-passenger models.
Among the major options will be a panoramic roof; a choice of leather, cloth, or vinyl upholstery; a rearview camera; a touchscreen navigation system; and SYNC with MyFord Touch voice controls.
Stay tuned for more as Ford rolls out the Transit Connect Wagon and the larger Transit van over the next year.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Hurricane Sandy’s New And Used Car Toll: Up To 200,000 Vehicles Could Be Scrapped
The floodwaters may be receding and the massive cleanup in progress from the worst Atlantic storm ever recorded, but it’s just the beginning of getting back to normal for automakers and consumers who lost vehicles due to flooding or other storm-related damage
To-date, automakers have lost about 17,000 new vehicles, according to Bloomberg, The Detroit News, and a Reuters report in the Huffington Post and other news outlets.
As the table below illustrates, some automakers were hit harder than others. The biggest losers were Nissan, Toyota and Honda.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nissan and Infiniti lost a combined more than 6,000 vehicles that were in port or at dealers to Hurricane Sandy, said David Reuter, a Nissan spokesman. “Dealers have made a quick recovery, and all but six were operational as of Wednesday, Nov. 7,” Reuter told The Car Connection.
Hyundai’s Lori Scholz said that the company’s vehicle count stands at 400+ new Hyundai’s that were on dealer lots. Scholz added that there were other vehicles that sustained damage, such as broken windshields due to the storms, that are not included in the count and “we are not tracking them.”
Ford said its dealers lost an estimated 800 vehicles in stock because of Sandy. Jim Cain, a GM spokesman, said that the automaker isn’t providing an estimate of flood-damaged vehicles but said that “based on field reports, the number is very small because the stores either weren’t in coastal areas that flooded or their dealers moved the stock before the storm.” Cain also added that there were some Chevrolet Spark subcompact cars at the Port of Newark that were damaged, “but not so many vehicles as to impact our launch momentum.”
Used cars lost
As for the total number of used cars affected, Larry Dixon, senior analyst for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), estimates that as many as 200,000 used vehicles may have to be scrapped.
Dixon told Bloomberg that this total “may be about one-third of what we saw with Hurricane Katrina, and that was about 600,000” new and used vehicles. Dixon also said that the NADA didn’t see “replacement demand starting to accelerate until we’re into December.”
As we reported earlier, expect used car prices to tick up post-Sandy, but consumers should beware of vehicles that may have been flooded cropping up in the market.
Automakers offer help
Consumers will get some help from automakers as they go about replacing their flood-damaged vehicles. Almost every car company has jumped in to support relief efforts with donations of cash and vehicles.
Nissan is offering employee pricing and discount financing for those who lost vehicles, as well as payment extensions for current customers.
Toyota is also offering extensions and lease-deferred payments, as well as redirecting billing statements, and arranging phone or online payments.
GM, Ford and Chrysler are all offering $500 cash toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. This applies only to consumers who lost one from the same automaker due to the storm.
Honda will defer payments and provide lease extensions to customers in the storm-hit region on a case-by-case basis.
Customers who lost a Toyota or Lexus to the storm will be able to delay monthly payments for three months if they buy or lease a new vehicle.
And Hyundai said it is reducing the price of a new replacement vehicle by $750.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Chrysler Recalls 744,822 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Liberty SUVs For Inadvertent Airbag Deployment
Chrysler is conducting a voluntary safety recall involving 744,822 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty SUVs due to concerns over unintended deployment of airbags.
A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website says that the recall involves 200-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty SUVs. The dates of manufacture for the Grand Cherokee are from February 13, 2001 through May 23, 2003. For the Jeep Liberty, the dates are January 9, 2001 through March 28, 2003.
The problem
The NHTSA bulletin describes the problem this way: “A component in the airbag control module may fail causing the front airbags, side curtain airbags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.”
Such an unintended deployment increases the risk of minor injuries to occupants and the possibility of a crash.
Documentation from Chrysler (PDF) shows that the company received reports of 215 inadvertent airbag deployments (126 in Jeep Liberty and 89 in Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs) and 81 minor injuries that resulted. The injuries included burns, cuts and bruises to the upper body.
Chrysler said that a review of field data indicated that the airbag warning lamp and/or chime are activated before an inadvertent airbag deployment.
David Chilton, Chrysler’s head of product investigations and campaigns, told The Detroit News, “A design change to a small component was linked to a small number of inadvertent airbag deployments,” which led to Chrysler’s move to initiate the voluntary safety recall.
The current safety recall occurs after the NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation in October 2011, followed by an upgrade to an engineering analysis in January 2012.
What Chrysler will do
To address the problem, Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will install a supplemental jumper harness to the airbag control module. The repairs will be performed at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during January 2013.
In the meantime, owners of 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty SUVs with any questions or concerns may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753, referencing the Chrysler recall #M35.
Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov. Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 12V527000.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
