NHTSA
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Toyota may will recall all models of the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius to ensure that the driver' side floor mat cannot interfere with the accelerator and brake pedals, possibly causing the accelerator to stick. This afternoon, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued an "urgent" warning to owners that strongly advises them to remove any floor mats on the driver's side and not replace the mats with anything else. Toyota said that both aftermarket and factory floor mats could be involved. Biggest recall in history As reported this afternoon on our sister site TheCarConnection.com...
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BREAKING: Cash-For-Clunkers May Be Over, Out Of Money, KaputAs we enter the news day on Thursday, it appears that the "Cash For Clunkers" program could well be out of cash. The National Association of Auto Dealers (NADA) asked the US government to suspend the program as of midnight last night, and warned dealers they are at risk of not getting reimbursed if...
John Voelcker -
Top Clunker Buys Compared: Toyota Corolla vs Ford Focus vs Honda Civic
Thinking about trading in your clunker for a nice, new, fuel-efficient car? Take a breath; the first-week success of the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program, better known as "Cash for Clunkers," looks to be continued at least through Labor Day. Last Friday, the US House of Representatives...
John Voelcker -
UPDATE: Cash-For-Clunkers Adds $2 Billion, Lasts Through Labor Day
As expected, the US Senate voted yesterday to add $2 billion more to the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program--better known as "Cash for Clunkers". President Barack Obama is expected to sign it today. The vote approved a bill identical to the one passed last Friday by the US House of...
John Voelcker -
Clunker Dollars Data: Minnesota Wins, Mississippi Loses
This morning's Detroit News lists the amount of cash each state has gotten thus far under the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program, better known as "Cash for Clunkers". The paper notes, "Michigan ranks No. 1 in the nation ... with $34.4 million requested from the federal government as of...
John Voelcker -
2010 Toyota Prius Sales Soar, Boosted By Clunkers Cash
Never let it be said US car buyers don't know a good deal when they see one. The Toyota Prius has become the fourth-most popular car purchased under the first 80,000 Cash-for-Clunkers vouchers processed by the US Department of Transportation. In fact, Toyota sold 19,173 Priuses during July, almost...
John Voelcker -
The 135 pages of Cash-for-Clunkers regulations rules require the dealer who sells you your new, more fuel-efficient car to 'disable' the engine of your traded-in clunker. But how do those dealers actually destroy the engine? Three words: sodium silicate solution. It's a combination of water, silica, and salt; two quarts are added to the engine after its oil is drained and disposed of. As the engine warms up, the solution hardens with heat and seizes the engine. Case closed. Revving it to death in 46 seconds The video above from Wayzata Nissan shows the process in detail, along with...
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High-Intensity Headlight Horrors Perplex Prius Owners
There's nothing the media love more than a nice juicy auto problem. Imagine that your car's headlamps failed, and replacing them cost you THOUSANDS. OF. DOLLARS !!! Well, that's the premise of a late June story in AdAge, which discussed a potential problem with the optional xenon high-intensity...
John Voelcker
