If a special vehicles automaker wanted to build a bespoke automobile specifically for China’s wealthiest, it would adorn the automobile with every imaginable luxury appointment and would dedicate its masterpiece after the Year of the Dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon represents power, prosperity, and good fortune. Earlier this year, Rolls Royce took this opportunity...
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After multiple recalls issued out by several different automakers, NHTSA is expanding their investigation into what is causing these potentially faulty side airbags. It appears that the impacted makes and models contain airbags that may have been manufactured with an ineffective mix of inflation gasses. Vehicles that have already been recalled for this exact issue...
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Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced its formal support for federal legislation to oversee the way car rental companies manage the safety recall process for vehicles in their fleets, joining Hertz in the fight. Hertz recently turned to the government hoping for help enforcing priority recall repairsfor fleet vehicles over privately owned cars. The news comes at a critical time...
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a new test dummy yesterday in an effort to further improve its crash testing procedures. The new dummy weighs 74 pounds and is meant to simulate a child nearing the maximum recommended size for a car seat: 80 pounds. That figure was recently revised by NHTSA, where the...
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Rental car company Hertz is looking to the government for enforcement on the repair of recalled vehicles before they are returned to the rental lot and offered to the public. Currently, the largest rental car company in the industry has an internal policy requiring all recalled vehicles to be immediately fixed before being rented out...
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Thinking of putting down a minivan owner? You may want to think twice. Minivans are among the most useful vehicles on the road. Take a look at some of these reasons why owning a minivan can be a life-enriching experience. Everyone’s been in front of their car door or trunk, with the same dilemma. With...
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Honda is issuing a recall for 2008-2009 Odyssey minivans which will start around March 13th, for problems involving the gas-filled struts used to raise and support the rear liftgate of the vehicle. This affects Odysseys equipped with the power liftgate system, for a total of 45,747 affected minivans. The flaw can result in a leak of the...
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Cars can be bad for your health, and we’re not just talking about tailpipe emissions. The Ecology Center has published a list of the least and worst toxic vehicles from 2011-2012 after testing 205 different models with the aid of an x-ray fluorescence analyzer. The tests consisted of scanning interior components such as the seats,...
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Backup cameras used to be a premium feature, but that will change thanks to a federal mandate expected Feb. 29. If it goes through, the little screens that keep drivers from backing into objects will be required on all new US vehicles. The move is meant to cut down on the current death and injury...
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A Ferrari FF caught fire near the Shanghai World Expo Avenue in China this past weekend. According to China’s WZRB, eyewitnesses saw the FF cruising along until it started to smoke and eventually caught fire. The driver was notified of the hazard and turned off the road, gathering his things from the car before calling...
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The new 2012 Civic might not be landing at the top of a lot of lists this year, but it can claim best marks when it comes to the level of toxic materials used. The Ecology Center has just released its fourth consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars at HealthyStuff.org, and the Honda Civic...
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Deaths among teem drivers increased for the first time in eight years last year, despite the fact that total motor vehicle deaths have declined. According to a study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 16- to 17-year-old driver deaths increased from 190 to 211 based on preliminary data supplied by all 50 states for...
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Earlier this month we reported that Honda had launched a recall for 347 Accords and Crosstours subject to the possibility of side curtain airbag failure. The devices may fail to deploy at the moment of strong impact, putting passengers at a higher risk of physical harm. The failure lies in incorrect propellant used in the...
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Teen drivers need to be extra vigilant on the roads – especially in winter. This isn’t just about distracted driving… it’s also about staying on top of proper car maintenance at a time when roads are at its worst. According to a Consumer Reports survey, 40 percent of drivers postpone car maintenance or repairs, and...
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With the advent of advanced in-car technology comes the downfalls of hackers looking to do malicious things. Some experts are already expressing concern that the use of advanced infotainment systems by automakers worldwide could leave new-generation vehicles open to hacking. Recently a pair of scientists from the University of San Diego and the University of...
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US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the first-ever federally proposed guidelines for in-vehicle electronic devices to automakers, hoping to limit how distracted drivers can get by these new devices. The proposed voluntary guidelines affects communications, entertainment, information gathering, and navigation devices or functions that are not required to safety operate a vehicle. The National Highway...
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It can’t be said enough: winter tires and careful driving are the only way to stay safe while travelling on snow and ice. Even the best driver will ultimately fail to predict obstacles in some scenarios on the road, which is exactly what happened here. A Russian motorist, or at least a motorist who speaks...
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In an ever continuing effort to provide more active safety technology to more cars, innovations once exclusive to premium and luxury vehicles are trickling down to family vehicles. Mazda will offer its new Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) system for the new CX-5 compact crossover. This new brake controller intervenes to prevent distracted drivers from...
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The 2012 Chrysler 300 and its mechanical twin, the Dodge Charger are both recognized as Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after also earning a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA. The American full-size sedans each received full marks in front and side crash tests and earned a commendable four-stars in...
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309,000 Chevrolet Trailblazers are currently under investigation for possible fires on the driver’s side doors of the vehicles. The affected model years are 2006 and 2007, the fires seem to be caused by the driver’s side power window switch or related electrical parts. A dozen complaints have been filed with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,...
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Those looking to save a few bucks when buying a new car, might want to take a look at this list from Insure.com of the least expensive cars to insure. They may not be the flashiest vehicles around, but we’re sure your bank account will appreciate the frugal cost of insuring these new cars –...
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BMW has been charged with a U.S. civil penalty for a failure to report auto-safety defects and recalls in a timely manner for approximately 338,700 vehicles in 2010. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), BMW was reviewed in 2010 when the German automaker routinely did not disclose enough information regarding defects and...
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Cadillac‘s 2013 XTS will get new safety features starting this fall that make it GM’s most technically advanced production car to date. Known as sensor fusion, GM’s latest safety system uses a complex mix of tools to alert drivers of potential hazards. Essentially, it combines GM’s list of safety technologies and as the name would suggest, fuses...
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You can buy just about anything nowadays. Ralph Lauren sells dog sweaters embroidered with the Polo logo, chihuahuas dare not venture into the snow without their booties and now you can buy socks… for your car. Is this consumerism run amok? Maybe not, there’s a new safety product aiming to replace snow chains and it’s...
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