First the Oscars and now this! The envelope please! The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released a bevy of scores for the Infiniti M, Lexus HS 250h and Toyota 4Runner and it was nothing but “Good” all around. The Infiniti and Toyota were tested for frontal offset and side impacts, with their “Good” score maintaining the scores of their predecessors. The Lexus scored a first-time Good” in the frontal offset test. You can get all the details on the most recent round of crash-testing here and scan the IIHS archives to see how the competition stacks up.

[Source:Autoblog]

With the first units of its 2011 Sonata sedan having just begun hitting dealers, Hyundai is in the unfortunate position of having to issue a stop-sale on its most hotly anticipated new model in some time. According to Hyundai, an estimated 5,000 Sonatas may have a defective front door latch that could require replacement:

The [Sonata's] front doors incorporate a convenience feature that allows a locked door to be unlocked and opened by pulling the inside door release handle without first unlocking the door with the inside door lock switch. If a front inside door lock switch is held in the locked position while the inside door handle is pulled to open the door, the door latch may malfunction. If this occurs, the inside door handle will not return to its normal, stowed position and the door latch will remain in the unlatched position when attempting to close the door.

Because the two rear doors do not incorporate the automatic unlock pull-handle-to-open convenience feature, they are not affected by this issue, but both driver and passenger front door mechanisms could be in need of repair. Spokesperson Miles Johnson tells Autoblog that Hyundai will be working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall vehicles that are already in customer hands (roughly 1,300 units have been sold since the first examples hit dealerships over the past couple of weeks), and the company will begin shipping replacement latches to its 790 dealers tomorrow in order to fix both customer and dealer stock Sonatas as soon as possible. Once the new latches are installed (a process that Johnson says takes about an hour per vehicle), the stop-sale will be ended.

Johnson also acknowledged that Hyundai is keenly aware that the eyes of the media, public and Capitol Hill are on Toyota and NHTSA at this time, and the company hopes to effect a swift and complete fix for this door latch issue on a model range that is expected to remain the company’s volume leader.

[Source:Autoblog]

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata has a lot of things going for it. Not only does the sedan wear sleek new sheetmetal, it’s powered by a powerful yet fuel-efficient 2.4-liter four-pot mill with direct injection, capable of achieving up to 35 miles per gallon on the highway and it’s priced below the $20,000 mark. Now, the Sonata can wear another badge of honor, as it has just earned the rating of Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

According to the IIHS, a Top Safety Pick vehicle must earn the highest rating of “good” in all front, side and rear crash tests, and it must be equipped with electronic stability control. This is a relatively big achievement for Hyundai, as the 2011 model is the first Sonata to receive this high honor.

We’re in the process of conducting our first drive on the Sonata as you read this, so stay tuned for full driving impressions in the not-too-distant future.

[Source:Autoblog]

Could the apparent braking problems reported on the Toyota Prius – which Toyota admits was an issue on the current model prior to being resolved earlier this year – extend past the recently released 2010 model? According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the answer is a resounding… maybe.

The third generation of the popular hybrid hatchback hit the market in 2009 as a 2010 model, and some 300,000 vehicles are thought to have a software glitch that could cause the car to lose braking power for up to one full second under certain circumstances. But that’s not all. Apparently, reports of braking issues have been pouring in since 2005 or even earlier. If true, over a million second-generation Prius hybrids could potentially be affected.

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that previous electronic issues have also been reported, such as headlights that burn out too quickly and malfunctioning traction control system. As pointed out by TheDetroitBureau.com, “ABS, traction control, electronic stability control and various other technologies all rely, at least in part, on braking to improve the stopping, handling and stability of today’s cars, including Prius.”

[Source:Autoblog]

Determined to allay any concerns that the Pontiac Vibe – a clone of the recalled Toyota Matrix – has safety issues with its brakes, General Motors conducted its own vehicle tests over the weekend at its Milford Proving Grounds. “We ran the Vibe wide open at 60 miles an hour and the brakes were able to bring the vehicle to a safe stop within 169 meters, consistent with our internal requirement for brake performance,” said Martin Hogan, GM director of brake systems.

While the tests may have successfully exonerated the Vibe’s braking capability in a controlled unintended acceleration scenario, they did shed some light on the increased distances required to bring run-away vehicles to a stop. According to a recent Edmunds road test of the 2009 Pontiac Vibe GT, their test vehicle panic-stopped from 60 mph in just 127 feet. Converted, GM’s quoted stopping distance is 507 feet – meaning the full-throttle Vibe took four times the distance to come to a safe stop when fighting both inertia and engine power.

Nevertheless, prior to the Toyota recall announcements, GM says it had not received any relevant customer complaints on its 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe models (although the Vibe is currently included in two Toyota recalls). The recent actions against Toyota did send a few Vibe customers to GM’s hotline, but none have reported any crashes or injury. Even then, GM is quick to reiterate, “In the rare case of a sticking throttle, a driver should apply the brakes firmly and steadily until you come to a stop. Do not pump the brakes, which can deplete the available vacuum boost from the brake system.” Park the vehicle, and then have it towed to a GM dealer for inspection.

[Source:Autoblog]

It is easy to forget that among the debris swirling in the tornado of claims against Toyota, the Pontiac Vibe is really a Toyota Matrix. Hence, the Vibe is also included in Toyota’s recent recall of 2.3 million vehicles to repair accelerator pedal mechanisms that could stick and cause unintended acceleration.

The Vibe was built at the NUMMI plant in a California. The joint venture between Toyota and General Motors became a victim of last year’s industry turmoil. GM pulled out of the partnership last June, and Toyota is reportedly ending production there in March.

GM doesn’t yet know how many 2009 and 2010 model Vibes are included in the recall. When it receives details on numbers and the fix from Toyota, customers will be notified and they can get their hatches repaired at Buick-GMC dealerships.
[Source:Autoblog]

General Motors’ hot selling new Theta platform crossovers, the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and 2010 GMC Terrain, face their first recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that GM will recall some 59,031 units of the popular CUVs due to a potential problem in the HVAC system.

According to NHTSA, an unspecified fault in the system’s software programming can render the heating, air conditioning, defroster, radio control, and panel backlighting to be rendered inoperative. Without proper defrosting and defogging capabilities, visibility can be diminished, increasing the possibility of a crash. (Presumably, you all can drive safely without use of the tunes)

In any case, beginning in January, Chevrolet and GMC dealers will be instructed to replace the computer modules in the center console to repair the problem. If you’re an owner of one of these crossovers, click through to the jump for instructions on how to contact Chevrolet or GMC for further information.
[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]

PRESS RELEASE:

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
CHEVROLET / EQUINOX 2010
GMC / TERRAIN 2010

Manufacturer: GENERAL MOTORS CORP. Mfr’s Report Date: DEC 18, 2009
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V489000
N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM
Potential Number of Units Affected: 59031

Summary:
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AND GMC TERRAIN VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 103, “WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS AND WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 101, CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS”. THE SOFTWARE IN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL CAN CAUSE THE HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, DEFROST, AND RADIO CONTROLS, AS WELL AS THE PANEL ILLUMINATION TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.

Consequence:
DRIVING WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING DEFROST SYSTEM CAN DECREASE YOUR VISIBILITY UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING
.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE COMPUTER MODULE IN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Notes:
GM SAFETY RECALL NO. 090298. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

[Source:Autoblog]

The position of the plastic fuel tanks in 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees makes them potential fireballs, argues the Center for Auto Safety. The nonprofit organization says that the fuel tank’s location makes the pre-2005 Grand Cherokees prone to catching on fire when involved in an accident. Located behind the rear axle and hanging down below the bumper, shorter vehicles can impact the tank directly, says the Center. The fuel filler neck has also sheared off during some of these incidents, leading to fuel spills and the increased potential for fires.

The Center is petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation and recall some three million vehicles. Chrysler says the Grand Cherokee will come out of the study having met or exceeded any applicable standards. The organization also notes that NHTSA’s files reveal 1993-2004 Jeeps involved in 172 crashes with fires and 254 deaths, while just one post-’05 Cherokee has had a fatal fire incident. The defect petition got underway with NHTSA on November 6, and could take a while, though this isn’t the first time the agency has looked at problems with these Jeeps.

NHTSA’s “defect petition” process began earlier this month, but a resolution isn’t immediately forthcoming – such investigations can take many months – possibly years.

[Source: AutoWeek]

If we weren’t car guys, we could understand the attraction of a bare-bones car with a sticker price coming in at a fraction of a conventional car’s. Heck, we still do. But we know as well as you do that in order to get the pricing that low, corners probably have to be cut somewhere. And when you’re dealing with a metal cage in which you sit surrounded by glass, propelled by a controlled series of explosions and managed by a complex mess of wires and electronics, you don’t want to be cutting corners.

So we can’t say we’re entirely surprised with news of early problems with the Tata Nano. The vehicle that’s anticipated to mobilize India has been launched in its domestic market prior to being exported overseas, but three customers have already reported small fires spontaneously igniting inside the vehicle, causing the automaker to launch an investigation.

The problem reportedly stems from faulty wiring in the ignition switch that has, in these three cases reported so far, caused smoke and certain parts around the steering column to melt. Two of the customers have returned their Nanos to their respective dealerships, which have repaired the problem at no charge. One buyer, however, has yet to bring his car in for repairs and has lodged a complaint with law enforcement officials.

So far, Tata isn’t issuing a recall notice, but it is conducting a “pre-delivery audit” of the car’s electrical systems for those still in their possession and offering to inspect those units it has already sold.

[Source:Autoblog]

For the past ten years, Ford has been doing a dance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and consumers over the issue of leaking cruise control switches in certain company vehicles. As of 2008, it had recalled some 9.6 million vehicles to repair a faulty Texas Instruments cruise-control deactivation switch, and now after a NHTSA investigation, the Blue Oval has added 4.5 million more Ford and Mercury vehicles to the recall.

The latest action covers these vehicles:

1992-2003 Ford Econoline
2000-2003 Ford Excursion
1995-2002 Ford Explorer
1993-1997, 1999-2003 Ford F-Series Super Duty
1994 Ford F-53 chassis
1995-1997, 2001-2003 Ford Ranger
1995-2003 Ford Windstar
1995-2002 Mercury Mountaineer

According to NHTSA, the switch can leak and overheat, which can lead to smoking and, in some cases, fire. In fact, The Detroit News notes that the switches have been faulted in more than 550 fires – some of which led to fatalities – many of which have led to lawsuits. A Ford statement declared, “Aside from the Windstar, the additional vehicles addressed in this action have different system parameters and do not pose an unreasonable risk to safety. However, Ford is taking this action on all of these vehicles to address possible ongoing customer lack of confidence in vehicles with the affected switch.”

The recall begins on October 26. Anyone with an affected vehicle can take it to a Ford dealer and have the switch repaired with a fused harness. Owners can get more information directly from NHTSA by calling the government agency’s hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: The Detroit News]

[Source:Autoblog]