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GM Invests In Michigan Plants

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GM hopes to capitalize on consumers growing trust in American fuel efficient cars by investing $257 million in Kansas and Michigan plants. GM CEO Ed Whitacre announced that $136 million would go to the Fairfax plant as the Malibu’s main production facility, and another $100 million would expand production at the Detroit facility.

The factory investments in Kansas and Michigan won’t create new jobs, but will preserve jobs at both plants. The Kansas plant, which employs 3,869 workers, builds the midsize Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which has 1,048 employees, now builds the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne and is gearing up to make the Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car.

Ed Whitacre appearance at the company’s Fairfax Assembly Plant was filled with even more good news as he formally announced the automaker’s early payback of $8.1 billion in government loans to the U.S. and Canada. The government payments came five years ahead of schedule, a sign that the automaker is on its way toward reducing government ownership of the company.

Acura ZDX Recall For Airbags

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Honda will be recalling approximately 1,850 2010 Acura ZDX vehicles for passenger side airbags. While no incidents have been reported, a manufacturing quality check revealed that some vehicles do not have the necessary laser-cut scoring on the underside of the dashboard surface material to allow the airbag to deploy properly. A simple visual check of the dashboard will be carried out, and if the vehicle does not have the proper scoring, it will be replaced.

Owners of affected vehicles will be informed by mail later this month. In addition, ZDX owners can go to http://owners.acura.com/recalls or may call (800) 382-2238 for more information.

Toyota Sienna Recall

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Toyota will be recalling about 600,000 first and second generation 1998-2010 Sienna 2WD minivans for the spare tire carrier cable. The vehicles affected will most likely be ones that have been exposed to prolonged salty road conditions causing the cable to corrode and possibly fail.

Toyota is currently working to develop a remedy for this condition, but until this remedy is developed, customers will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection.

Toyota Serious About Safety

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The Consumer Reports warning not to purchase the Lexus GX 460 SUV is just another blow to Toyota questioning their vehicles safety. It seems that Toyota has learned from their unintended acceleration recall, because they are not only looking into the GX 460 problem, but they will be testing their entire SUV lineup of Toyota and Lexus. Popular models such as the RAV4, 4Runner, and the Highlander will all be scrutinized, said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons. The automaker will be testing the vehicles’ stability control and aims to replicate the Consumer Reports’ test that first uncovered the problem.

Another Step To Prevent Distracted Drivers

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In an effort to make roads safer from distracted drivers, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is kicking off pilot programs in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York to test whether increased law enforcement efforts can get distracted drivers to put down their cell phones and focus on the road. California, Connecticut, N.J., N.Y., Oregon and Washington prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving and twenty-two states have enacted texting bans.

The program, similar to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use among drivers, are the first federally funded efforts in the country to focus on the effects of increased enforcement and public advertising on reducing distracted driving. Drivers caught texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone will be pulled over and ticketed. The message is simple, “Phone in One Hand. Ticket in the Other.”

Each pilot program is supported by $200,000 in federal funds and matched by $100,000 from the state. Researchers will study changes in attitudes and behavior and the results will serve as a model for employing high visibility enforcement, education and outreach to reduce distracted driving behaviors in other cities and states across the country.

“There is no question that high-visibility enforcement combined with effective public advertising works. We’ve seen the results first-hand with national campaigns like Click It or Ticket and Drunk Driving. Over The Limit. Under Arrest,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that in 2008 alone, nearly 6,000 people were killed and more than a half million people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.

SUV’s Have Always Posed A Rollover Risk

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The sport utility vehicle (SUV) has been popular with consumers since it first rolled off the assembly line. It offers the versatility of a mini van and pickup all in one rugged and luxurious package. The problem with the SUV, is that it has a tenancy to roll over during extreme maneuvers.

Over 12,00 people have been killed in SUV rollovers in the last two decades. The problem has been around since its birth, but gained publicity in 2000 when Congress began a series of hearings focused on the Ford Explorer and faulty Firestone tires. The problem, however, came before 2000. The first big selling SUV, the Bronco II, was killing and injuring people more than any other SUV on the road. The problem could have been reduced by lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity and widening its wheel base, but company executives felt the fix would be too costly and that the improvements would not make much of a difference. Also, consumers who actually use their vehicles for off roading appreciated the extra clearance the SUV provided.

After decades of controversy and thousands of deaths due to SUV rollovers, automakers are changing their ways. In 2003, 15 domestic and foreign based automakers agreed that by late 2009, all SUV’S and light trucks would be built lower to the ground or built with an energy-absorbing beam. Studies conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that the number of side-impact SUV accident deaths decreased by nearly half when automakers brought in these changes. According to experts, a safety standard has not been so effective in saving lives since the inclusion of airbags in new vehicles.

Today, vehicles have many different safety features. Seat belts, ABS, airbags, stability control, traction control…, all make our vehicles safer to drive, but also gives us a false sense of security. Ultimately, driving safety is in the hands of the driver and no technology can help us when making unsafe decisions behind the wheel.

Lexus GX 460 Rollover Risk

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Toyota will temporarily stop the sales of their 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV, after Consumer Reports magazine recommended consumers do not buy the vehicle due to a rollover risk. Consumer Reports said that “when pushed to its limits, the rear of the Lexus GX slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the vehicle’s electronic stability-control system was able to regain control.

“We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue.” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president. “At this time we have asked our dealers to temporarily suspend sales.” He said that Toyota was confident that the GX meets safety standards and that the automaker’s engineering teams were testing the GX using Consumer Reports’ parameters to see whether they could also detect the problem.

The government advises drivers of the vehicle to use caution, and avoid excessive speed and aggressive maneuvering in order to maintain control of their vehicles,” said Julia Piscitelli, a spokeswoman for a division of the Transportation Department.

Honda Recall For Brakes

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Honda will be recalling about 343,000 2007-2008 Odyssey and 68,000 2007-2008 Element vehicles in order to modify the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) modulator. Complaints of “soft” or low brake pedals over time has led Honda to encourage all owners to take their vehicle to their dealer as soon as they receive notification from Honda starting at the end of April.

Some VSA modulators were assembled in a manner that could allow air intrusion, making it possible for air to enter the modulator during the VSA self-check mode. While only a small amount of air can enter the system during each check, over a period of months or years, the air will accumulate and can result in the “soft brake pedal” or “low brake pedal” condition. Although not all vehicles being recalled are affected by this issue, all possible units are recalled to assure all customers that their vehicles will perform correctly.