FORD CRUISE CONTROL RECALL EXPANDED

Ford issued the largest single recall in Ford history on Tuesday. Owners of an additional 4.5 million Ford vehicles were warned about recall due to a fire hazard from a faulty switch.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this was the eighth Ford recall, involving a total of 16 million Ford Motor vehicles, concerning the cruise control deactivation switch manufactured by Texas Instruments

Your Ad Here

The faulty cruise control switch involved in this Ford Recall can leak hydraulic fluid, overheat, smoke and then burn, and risks causing a fire even when the ignition is turned off, parked and unattended, the NHTSA said.

The risk is elevated for 1.1 million Windstars that were subject to a government investigation, said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood.

"We determined with the government that there is a low risk of fires for those vehicles," Sherwood said. "The other 3.4 million vehicles are the remaining vehicles that have the Texas Instrument switch, so we're recalling them to reassure customers and prevent future recalls." Sherwood added Ford has always gone beyond recalling only the cars that present a risk. While the Ford does not discuss its current suppliers, Sherwood said Ford vehicles did not use the Texas Instrument switch in post-2003 models.

Your Ad Here

NHTSA said Ford drivers should look for warnings of possible imminent fires, including malfunctioning cruise control systems and brake lights and antilock braking system and brake light warnings on the dashboard. The safety agency also said difficulty in getting the vehicle out of the park mode should be treated as a warning.

"I urge customers to pay attention to this warning and bring the affected models in to have them repaired as soon as possible," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a statement.

Ford is notifying customers and instructing them to take vehicles to dealers for a complimentary installation of a fused wiring harness that will eliminate the risk of fires, the NHTSA said.

The safety recall is expected to begin around Oct. 26. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673 or NTHSA's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit http://www.safercar.gov.

Tuesday's Ford recall includes the following recalled Ford models: 1995-2003 Windstars, 2000-2003 Excursion diesels, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 F-Super Duty diesels, 1992-2003 Econolines, 1995-2002 Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Rangers and 1994 F35 motorhomes.

In other Ford news, Ford Motor Company is building another plant in China.

TOYOTA & LEXUS RECALL

Toyota Motor Company has announced a massive recall on several vehicles in the Toyota and Lexus lines. This Toyota / Lexus recall effects over 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

TOYOTA / LEXUS SAFETY RECALL FLOOR MAT PROBLEM

Your Ad Here

The Toyota / Lexus recall comes as a result of a problem where the floor mat has a tendency to jam the accelerator on several Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Although seemingly simple, this 2009 Toyota / Lexus recall is being treated very seriously as the floor matt problem recently resulted in a fiery crash involving a runaway Lexus which ended up killing a family of four. The vehicle hit speeds in excess of 120 MPH before it crashed into a SUV and flew off the embankment subsequently bursting into flames killing all those inside.

Your Ad Here

Vehicles affected by the Toyota / Lexus recall of 2009 include 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and IS350.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging owners of the Toyota and Lexus vehicles effected by this Toyota / Lexus Recall not to wait for a fix. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is reported as saying "This is an urgent matter, for everyone's sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."

Limited Recall of Toyota Vehicles due to braking Issue

TOYOTA Motor Corp is recalling 95,700 Toyota and Scion cars sold in the United States. The reason for this massive Toyota Recall is as a result of a fault in their braking system

The Toyota Recalll effects 2009 and 2010 models of the Toyota Corlolla, Corolla Matrix as well as the 2008 and 2009 Scion xD's

Your Ad Here

According to the recall notice, vehicles driven in extremely low temperatures may have ice buld up at the braking system port. This ice build up will decrease braking power.

Since the condition can happen at low temperatures, Toyota's recall applies to vehicle owners in 19 states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Those living in other area's who are concerned about potential travel to these low temperature area's should contact Toyota directly to push for a wider recall area.

Your Ad Here

There is also an indication of another recall involving Chinese made Toyota Camry's and other sedans involving a faulty window control switch.

Your Ad Here

GENERAL MOTORS RECALL - GM RECALL effects 1.4 Million cars

GENERAL MOTORS RECALL
GM is recalling 1.4 million vehicles because of a problem with an oil drip in the engine that could lead to a fire.

GENERAL MOTORS says the engines in the vehicles can drip oil into the wrong place and start a fire in the engine compartment. The GM cars included in the GENERAL MOTORS RECALL are:

Your Ad Here

1997 - 2003 Buick Recal
2000 - 2003 Chevy Impala
1998 - 1999 Chevy Lumina
1998 - 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo
1998 - 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue
1997 - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix

If you own one of the listed GM vehicles, you're advised to take it to the dealer so it can be repaired.



General Motors Corp. is recalling 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix a glitch in an engine component that may cause oil to leak and lead to a fire.

The move includes certain Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac cars from model years 1997 to 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site.

Your Ad Here

Oil could drop on the exhaust manifold, posing a risk of engine fire. The recall for Detroit-based GM will begin in May, the agency said.

The recall affects Buick Regals from model years 1997 to 2003; Chevrolet vehicles including 1998 and 1999 Luminas, 1998- to-2003 Monte Carlos and Impalas from model years 2000 to 2003; the 1998 and 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue; and some Pontiac Grand Prix cars from model years 1997 to 2003.

FORD is RECALLING more than 650,000 F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks

The Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 650,000 F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks because of a faulty power brake assist hose.

The Ford recall covers 2005 and 2006 F-150 and Mark LT trucks equipped with the 5.4-liter three-valve engine, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site.

The brake hose may swell over time causing the hose to become detached from the intake manifold, NHTSA reported. As a result the agency warned, applying the brakes could require increased pressure on the brake pedal.

“Several brake applications with power assist will be available before the vacuum reserve is depleted,” according to the NHTSA report.

A Ford spokesman said there are reports of 11 minor accidents caused by the brake hose issue with no injuries.

More than 600,000 of the recalled trucks are in the U.S. and roughly 50,000 are in Canada. Another 1,500 pickups are in other countries.

“Parts are currently not available to complete the required repairs” the automaker said in a letter to all Ford Lincoln and Mercury dealers. Ford plans to begin notifying F-150 and Mark LT owners of the recall in early July.

Dealers will replace the hose at no charge to customers when the recall begins.

Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673 or NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

Volvo Recall's 65,000 Cars due to Side Aiarbag problems

Sweden's automaker Volvo Cars said on Monday it will recall 65,000 cars for a problem with side-impact air bags.

The recall affects 2008 models such as the V70 and XC70 and they were sold primarily in Europe, Volvo Cars spokeswoman Maria Bohlin said in a statement.

The cars' so-called "inflatable curtains" did not deploy as quickly as designed in a European safety test in the winter, due to a software problem, she said.

Volvo will recall the cars to fine-tune the software that triggers the release of the air bags, Bohlin said, adding that the company will send letters to all the owners of the affected cars and tell them to take the car to a mechanic to get this upgrade.

Volvo Cars has been owned by U.S. Ford Motor Co. since 1999.

Toyota extends Tacoma truck warranty due to Rust problem on Frame

Sort of a recall, but not quite.

Toyota says it will extend warranty coverage on 813,000 Toyota Tacoma truck frames because of problems with corrosion.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday the warranty extension would involve coverage on corrosion that leads to holes in the frames of Tacomas for the model years 1995 to 2000.

The warranty will be extended for a period of 15 years from the original sale without mileage limitation.

Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong says the company received 240 complaints about excessive corrosion in the Tacoma's metal frame. Most of the cases come from cold weather states with road salt.

Toyota says owners will be notified about the extended warranty in the middle of March. For additional information, owners can call Toyota at (800) 331-4331.