Chronicling the Ever-Changing Automotive Industry
While The Knack’s song has been parodied before, this one is far more relevant to current events. Production quality is pretty good, so click past the jump to check it out. I’ve included the lyrics as well, since some of the lines can be difficult to hear.
Continue reading ‘My my my, Toyota! Corrigan Brothers Parody Video’
As part of one of Toyota’s recalls, the 2004-2009 Prius already has enough attention. Adding to this is a video and report of a California man whose Prius took off on him – unintended acceleration and all. The man’s car took after trying to pass a slower-moving vehicle, and a California Highway Patrol officer used his PA system to talk the driver and inform him how to stop the car. Read on for more details and video.
Continue reading ‘CNN: Cops help Prius driver stop runaway (w/Video)’
Toyota pushed back yesterday, and hard. They say that Dr. Gilbert, who worked with ABC News to show the unintended acceleration problem with a Toyota Avalon, falsified his results. They tested several different makes and models, and found that Dr. Gilbert’s modification caused all of them to accelerate out of control. The kicker: in Toyota’s tests, none of the other manufacturers’ cars had any error codes in their computers either. Very compelling evidence, and I hope someone gets to the bottom of it soon. Click past the jump to see the video.
Continue reading ‘PedalGate Update – with Video’
With every new electronic gizmo added to a car, there’s a chance that something can go wrong. Even with decades-old technology, a fault might be found. Such is the case in some 2010 Mazda CX-9 crossovers, where a faulty seat heater can lead to “burn damage of the seat cushion surface,” or even smoke and fire, according to the NHTSA.
Continue reading ‘Ouch! Mazda CX-9 recalled over too-hot seat heaters’
2008 Infiniti QX56
What is it with braking systems on vehicles these days? Have automakers lost their minds? I believe it to be a combination of trying to save money and the mainstream application of “drive by wire” systems, where computers and sensors replace traditional hydraulics and cables. Nissan is the latest automaker to initiate a recall for its brakes, as well as faulty fuel gauges.
Continue reading ‘Nissan to recall 539,864 vehicles for brake pins, fuel gauges’
As a result of an earlier investigation, GM has announced the recall of 1.3 million cars. The bulk of them are in America, and are sold here as the Chevrolet Cobalt and the Pontiac G5. The latter is no longer sold (as Pontiac is being shut down), but the former will be replaced soon by the Cruze. In the mean time, 2005-2010 Cobalts and 2007 – 2010 G5s are being recalled for power steering issues. The problem stems from a power steering motor which wears out, leaving the driver with no power steering. While the car remains controllable, it requires more effort to steer, which has led to 14 accidents and 1 injury so far, in over 1,100 complaints.
Continue reading ‘GM Recalls 1.3 million Chevy Cobalts and Pontiac G5s’
