Recalls
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Honda said yesterday it would recall 36,700 of its 2006 and 2007 Civic Hybrid models to replace a key component of the Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system. The part to be replaced is the DC-to-DC converter, which adjusts the voltage of power moved among different components of the hybrid system. The company said the existing converters in the affected Civic Hybrids could fail, which might lead to engine stalling and headlight problems. No crashes or injuries have been reported in connection with the problem, but Honda will replace tens of thousands of converters to avoid any potential for...
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2011 Think City Two-Seat Electric Car Faces Third Recall
Dozens, even hundreds, of different models get recalled each year by their makers to address defects or potential problems. Most pass unnoticed, except to the owners who get letters in the mail asking them to bring their vehicle back to the dealer. But three recalls in as many months isn't a...
John Voelcker -
2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Engine Stalling Investigated
While Toyota clearly hopes the worst of its recall problems are behind it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a new investigation into an older Toyota vehicle. On February 15, the NHTSA opened an investigation into 32 complaints of engine stalling in 2006 Toyota...
John Voelcker -
NHTSA Investigates 2009, 2010 VW, Audi TDI Diesel Fuel Pumps
Got a 2009 or 2010 Volkswagen Golf or Jetta with the TDI clean diesel engine? Or an Audi A3 TDI? Ever had the engine stall unexpectedly? If so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration might like to hear from you. The NHTSA announced Friday on its website that it is upgrading an...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Recall Recap: Floormats, Sticky Pedals, AND User Error
Let's recap. After 18 months, recalls totaling 9 million Toyota, Lexus, and Pontiac models, and investigations by Toyota, Congress, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unit ... what have we learned? (1) A few accelerator pedals...
John Voelcker -
Even Electric Cars Get Recalled: 2011 Think City Safety Notices
Recall notices are now a standard part of the automotive landscape. Last year's recall of almost 10 million Toyota and Lexus models only highlighted the fact that most vehicles get called back to dealers for minor upgrades or inspections to fix or avert potential defects. Despite their much smaller...
John Voelcker -
We love looking back to see what's been popular over the course of a full year. And 2010 was definitely chock-full of green car news. Our 10 most popular posts this year are a little less random than last year's most popular, which featured Muslims and ethanol, urine, hybrid Ferraris, and our ever-popular rant on why Miles-Per-Gallon is a really, really stupid way to measure fuel efficiency. That article on MPG, by the way, was the sole carryover from last year's list (# 7 in 2009, # 6 for 2010). This year, two separate articles on the 2011 Mazda2 hit the top 10 (who knew?) versus just one...
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2007-2008 Honda Fit Sees Some 143,083 Recalls
Recalls aren’t something that we are used to reporting on when it comes to Honda’s subcompact and compact segment. That said, Honda is recalling some 143,083 2007-2008 Honda Fit models for a defect in the headlights. According to our sources, certain models have a defect in the wiring...
Jonathan McGrew -
Toyota To Service, Not Recall, Hybrid Cooling-Pump Components
Toyota plans to service approximately 650,000 of the more than 2 million Prius hybrids it has built to date, to correct a potential flaw in a cooling pump that could cause overheating. About 390,000 of the affected models are in the U.S. While the company hasn't yet released details on what it...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Recalls 439 Roadster Models Over Potential Fire Risk
Tesla has recalled 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 models due to a low-voltage cable that might be defective. A 12-volt auxiliary cable is the culprit. The cable could lose power, which would affect the headlights, taillights, turn signals/hazard flashers, and airbags. On one vehicle, the cable caused a...
Tim Healey -
Photos: Padgett's Post-Recall Prius Pedal, Accelerator Shortened
While the dust is now settling on a year's worth of recalls by a beleagured Toyota, the company is still working to modify millions of vehicles that are potentially involved in recalls over sudden acceleration or other safety issues. Toyota Prius models built from 2004 to 2009 are part of a recall...
John Voelcker -
Does Tesla's Toyota Deal Change Everything For Electric Cars?
The surprise partnership between Tesla Motors and Toyota announced two weeks ago generated a lot of head-scratching. The big question is, What does Toyota get out of the deal? It's easy to see what Tesla gets: more capital (Toyota will invest $50 million in Tesla just before its planned public...
John Voelcker -
Ah, yes, it must be about time for another outburst of Prius stereotyping. Three, two, one ... there! Did you hear it? Over there, in the slightly shrill tones of the ever-shrinking but still testy New York Observer (still printed on orange paper, so Nineties)? The paper attempted to survey New York City Toyota Prius owners as to whether or not they were concerned about the car's purported "life-threatening flaws," which have given the "ultimate cuddly totem of the smug liberal elite" an "ominous aura practically overnight." (For more details, see our guide to Toyota Prius sudden acceleration...
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U.S. DoT Asks Scientists, NASA To Probe Toyota Acceleration
In the face of continuing suggestions that random electronic interference may be causing unintended acceleration in the Toyota Prius and other vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has asked for independent studies on the topic from two scientific organizations. Despite multiple recalls...
John Voelcker -
Those Two So-Called Runaway Prius Cases? Cars Not At Fault
We thought we should provide a short update on two highly publicized so-called "runaway Toyota Prius" cases, one in San Diego and one in Harrison, New York. The reputed phenomenon of "sudden acceleration" has been debated at least since a 1986 controversy around the Audi 5000 model. But the two...
John Voelcker -
The Punching Bag Hits Back: Prius Crash Was Driver Error, Toyota Says
Few automotive engineers believe in so-called "sudden acceleration". But until recently, there's been no way to determine what a driver what doing when he (or she) swears that he was pressing the brake pedal with all his strength even as the car accelerated. Now, that's changed. Federal...
John Voelcker -
The Strange Saga of Sikes and His Suddenly Accelerating Prius
As we've noted before, so-called sudden acceleration is a confusing, messy, and very uncertain subject. Now a certain San Diego citizen seems to be caught in the cross-hairs of media scrutiny over what is and isn't technically possible in a Toyota Prius--let alone smart to do--if the driver claims...
John Voelcker -
2010 Toyota Prius Reigns As Japan Sales Champ Despite Recalls
Unlike some of its Toyota brethren, the 2010 Prius hybrid was never pulled off sale due to recalls. But U.S. sales fell 6.1% in February anyway, against the previous month, though they rose versus February 2009, when the new 2010 model hadn't yet hit dealers. Currently, the 2010 Prius is the...
John Voelcker -
Owners of Toyota's iconic Prius hybrid model who thought they'd escaped the rash of Toyota recalls need to think again. The company is working on a fix to reshape accelerator pedals so that they cannot be trapped by floor mats, and will issue details within weeks. The upcoming recall took center stage after a widely publicized incident in San Diego, when the owner of a 2008 Toyota Prius said he was unable to stop the car after it accelerated to 90 miles per hour. A California Highway Patrol car was dispatched in response to his 911 call, and advised him to apply both the foot brakes and the...
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Toyota Prius Recall Guide: Sudden Acceleration & Brake Safety
Everything you need to know about the recalls affecting the 2010 Toyota Prius, and the 2004-2009 Prius too
John Voelcker -
RECALL: 2010 Toyota Prius, Lexus HS250h For ABS Software Update
As expected, Toyota has announced a recall for its 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Lexus HS 250h models to update the anti-lock braking system (ABS) software. The new software improves the response time of the anti-lock system and alters its sensitivity to tire slippage. The update is intended to reduce...
John Voelcker -
New Hybrid Braking Issue: First Prius, Now Ford Fusion Hybrid
Another day, another hybrid braking problem. Only this time, it's not Toyota. It's Ford. Late yesterday, Ford announced a "customer satisfaction program" that will ask that owners of 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid models built before October 17 to bring the cars to their...
John Voelcker -
UPDATE: Braking Issue In 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid, Recall TBD
UPDATE: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal inquiry into the brakes of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. It has now received 124 complaints of faulty brakes, out of roughly 37,000 of the cars sold to date in the U.S. Toyota said it would cooperate fully with the...
John Voelcker -
UPDATE: Toyota Admits Braking Problems, On 2010 Prius Only
Things are moving fast in the land of Toyota safety issues and recalls. Yesterday, we told you that the 2010 Toyota Prius was being investigated for braking problems in Japan. Today, Toyota has admitted that most 2010 Prius models (those built between the start of production last spring and late...
John Voelcker