Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Ford faces class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles without brake override systems
Ford faces class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles without brake override systems
A total of 20 Ford customers are suing the automaker in a class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles "vulnerable to unintended acceleration." According to Reuters, the suit names 30 models built between 2002 and 2010 with electronic throttle control systems but without a brake override system. Those include the 2004-2012 F-Series pickups and the 2005-2009 Lincoln Town Car. Adam Levitt, a partner with the law firm of Grant & Eisenhofer says the plaintiffs in the case want "to be compensated for their economic losses by having overpaid for cars that contained defects." Levitt contends that the plaintiffs would not have bought their vehicles or paid less for them had they known there was no brake override system in place.
Ford began installing brake override systems in its vehicles beginning in 2010. In response to the lawsuit, Ford has pointed to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that indicated that unintended acceleration is mostly caused by driver error, saying in a statement that, "NHTSA's work is far more scientific and trustworthy than work done by personal injury lawyers and their paid experts."
Belville et al v. Ford Motor Co. will be heard in US District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia.
A total of 20 Ford customers are suing the automaker in a class-action lawsuit for selling vehicles "vulnerable to unintended acceleration." According to Reuters, the suit names 30 models built between 2002 and 2010 with electronic throttle control systems but without a brake override system. Those include the 2004-2012 F-Series pickups and the 2005-2009 Lincoln Town Car. Adam Levitt, a partner with the law firm of Grant & Eisenhofer says the plaintiffs in the case want "to be compensated for their economic losses by having overpaid for cars that contained defects." Levitt contends that the plaintiffs would not have bought their vehicles or paid less for them had they known there was no brake override system in place.
Ford began installing brake override systems in its vehicles beginning in 2010. In response to the lawsuit, Ford has pointed to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that indicated that unintended acceleration is mostly caused by driver error, saying in a statement that, "NHTSA's work is far more scientific and trustworthy than work done by personal injury lawyers and their paid experts."
Belville et al v. Ford Motor Co. will be heard in US District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Don't forget about the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Yes, everyone's eyes are on the ludicrously excellent 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 at the 2013 New York Auto Show, but Chevy also unveiled the quietly updated 2014 Camaro SS as well. The coupe wears all of the styling tweaks we saw earlier in the week, including a functional hood vent to help reduce engine bay temperatures and aerodynamic lift. The new front fascia now wears a larger lower grille to improve engine cooling as well. Indoors, buyers can opt up to a new set of Recaro sports seats.
Chevrolet graced the 2014 Camaro SS with a 426-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine, and coupe buyers will be able to opt up to a the 1LE handling package for better on track performance. If all this sounds unimpressive, remember that the engineers at Chevy were busy working on the the Boss 302-killing Z/28.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Haus Review !! Best Car Auto Group By rolicia sanders aka roro and ilicia sanders from youngstown ohio | March 25, 2013
Best Car Auto Group
By rolicia sanders aka roro and ilicia sanders from youngstown ohio | March 25, 2013
This is the BEST.. I mean the BEST car place of all Time! The WORKERS our hand on and care about what YOU are interested in.. They are very nice and have a VERY VERY VERY GOOD ATTITUDE! ALL the workers are very SWEET AND KIND.. but the 1 WORKER OF ALL TIME IN The building would have to be..FRANK CRONE..HE IS BY FAR THE BEST MAN HE HELPED ME GET MY NEW CAR PONTIAC G6! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE my car it is BY FAR THE BEST ALL THANKS TO FRANK CRONE. . i RECOMMENDED MY FAMILY TO COME TO THE HAUS AUTO SALES AND THEY DID I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH TO FRANK CRONE AND THE REST OF THE HAUS FACILITY;)
By rolicia sanders aka roro and ilicia sanders from youngstown ohio | March 25, 2013
This is the BEST.. I mean the BEST car place of all Time! The WORKERS our hand on and care about what YOU are interested in.. They are very nice and have a VERY VERY VERY GOOD ATTITUDE! ALL the workers are very SWEET AND KIND.. but the 1 WORKER OF ALL TIME IN The building would have to be..FRANK CRONE..HE IS BY FAR THE BEST MAN HE HELPED ME GET MY NEW CAR PONTIAC G6! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE my car it is BY FAR THE BEST ALL THANKS TO FRANK CRONE. . i RECOMMENDED MY FAMILY TO COME TO THE HAUS AUTO SALES AND THEY DID I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH TO FRANK CRONE AND THE REST OF THE HAUS FACILITY;)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Jeep Cherokee faces on-sale delay
A report in The Wall Street Journal looks at some of the obstacles to the 2014 Jeep Cherokee that go beyond its mootable yet "very contemporary" looks, almost all of them based on Fiat's financial position. Starting with that sheetmetal, in defense of it SRT president Ralph Gilles and Jeep design head Mark Allen said they wanted to "make sure the design still looks modern five years from now."
The WSJ piece doesn't cite longevity as a factor, instead saying that its features originated in a design for an Alfa Romeo, the transformation into a Jeep design meant allowing Chrysler get it to market more quickly and save "hundreds of millions of dollars" in engineering.
The need for Fiat to save money while it weathers the European situation has cut budgets for development, engineering and the pace of retooling the Toledo, Ohio plant to build the Cherokee. In a familiar case of snowballing at work, among the effects will be pushing back the Cherokee's volume sales date and delaying updates to some of Chrysler's other products.
Things will get better when Chrysler can work through its program and get the Cherokee to dealers in bulk – especially if it finds it really can sell 250,000 per year – but the hurdles won't help the financials in the short term.
MUST READ !! Acura recalling 76,000 TSX sedans in certain cold-weather states
Acura recalling 76,000 TSX sedans in certain cold-weather states
Parent company Honda is issuing a recall for Acura TSX vehicles from model years 2004 to 2008, for a rather interesting fault with the electrical systems (well, kind of). It seems that TSX made between during that range have carpeting that degrades when it becomes saturated with "corrosive materials for deicing." The carpeting is in contact with each Acura's electronic control unit, which may in turn rust or become corroded as a result. All of that business could cause the engine to stall.
Acura is singling out cars registered in states that use these corrosive deicing materials (presumably road salt): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by Honda and instructed to bring their cars into the nearest Acura dealership. Dealers will inspect the ECU for damage, replace if needed, and cover with a waterproof piece; all free of charge. Check out the official recall notice below.
Show full PR text
Report Receipt Date: MAR 15, 2013
NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V093000
Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Potential Number of Units Affected: 76,253
Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
SUMMARY:
Honda is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Acura TSX vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In states that use corrosive materials for deicing, driver's footwear may bring in materials that saturate the vehicle's carpeting, which is in contact with the vehicle's engine Electronic Control Unit (ECU). As a result, the ECU case may experience rust or corrosion. This damage may potentially cause the engine to stall.
CONSEQUENCE:
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
REMEDY:
Honda will notify owners and Acura dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any damaged ECU, free of charge. All vehicles will have a waterproof cover installed onto the ECU, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on April 11, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
NOTES:
Honda's recall campaign numbers are S86. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Parent company Honda is issuing a recall for Acura TSX vehicles from model years 2004 to 2008, for a rather interesting fault with the electrical systems (well, kind of). It seems that TSX made between during that range have carpeting that degrades when it becomes saturated with "corrosive materials for deicing." The carpeting is in contact with each Acura's electronic control unit, which may in turn rust or become corroded as a result. All of that business could cause the engine to stall.
Acura is singling out cars registered in states that use these corrosive deicing materials (presumably road salt): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by Honda and instructed to bring their cars into the nearest Acura dealership. Dealers will inspect the ECU for damage, replace if needed, and cover with a waterproof piece; all free of charge. Check out the official recall notice below.
Show full PR text
Report Receipt Date: MAR 15, 2013
NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V093000
Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Potential Number of Units Affected: 76,253
Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
SUMMARY:
Honda is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Acura TSX vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In states that use corrosive materials for deicing, driver's footwear may bring in materials that saturate the vehicle's carpeting, which is in contact with the vehicle's engine Electronic Control Unit (ECU). As a result, the ECU case may experience rust or corrosion. This damage may potentially cause the engine to stall.
CONSEQUENCE:
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
REMEDY:
Honda will notify owners and Acura dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any damaged ECU, free of charge. All vehicles will have a waterproof cover installed onto the ECU, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on April 11, 2013. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
NOTES:
Honda's recall campaign numbers are S86. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
2014 Cadillac CTS images leak from somewhere
The redesigned 2014 Cadillac CTS will be unveiled this Tuesday on the eve of the New York Auto Show, but as often happens, some images of the car have leaked onto the web a few days early. Previously, the only information we had on the 2014 CTS concerned the all-new twin-turbo V6 engine that will be found underhood, rated at 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque.
While none show the new car in its entirety, the images do show much of the front end, particularly the headlights that feature vertical bars of LEDs that start down low as foglights and continue up to the top of the front fenders. They're similar to the lighting design first shown on the XTS and ATS, except the lower portions are much taller.
There are also views of the rear end and one of the taillights, as well as an interior shot of the front passenger door. The latter image has us most intrigued, as it shows some very high end materials being used in the new CTS interior. The low-gloss wood trim, in particular, looks very premium.
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