News

A Minnesota woman is suing a Texas auto dealership over injuries she sustained during a visit.
Sibley County, Minn., resident Susanne Aranda filed suit against Group 1 Automotive Inc., doing business as Lexus of Clear Lake, on May 7 in Galveston County Court at Law No. 1 alleging she tripped on a rug “and fell full force to the floor.”
Aranda was at the dealership to visit her nephew and look at cars.
According to the suit, she “was seriously injured as a result of a dangerous condition in that the defendant had a dangerous area rug.”
The suit alleges…

Nissan’s redesigned 2013 Altima sedan lets you fill your tires properly with neither guess nor gauge.
When the tire-pressure warning system alerts you to a low tire — which it does by displaying the pressure and the relevant tire(s) instead of lighting a worthless warning bulb in the dashboard, as your cheaper car companies do — you drop into the gas station and grab the air hose. As you fill the tire, the car’s four-way flashers come on to confirm that air is going in.
When the tire’s full, the horn chirps to let you know you’re done.
Altima goes…

I have harped on tire inflation for years, and now the government agrees. Getting some air could save your life.
A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that vehicles with underinflated tires are three times more likely to be involved in an accident linked to tire problems than those with tires inflated to the correct pressure, according to The Detroit News.
The study looked at crash data from 2005 to 2007, the last year before all cars in the United States were equipped with mandatory tire pressure monitors. The systems warn drivers when the pressure in…

Federal safety regulators are investigating a report that the side curtain air bag in a 2012 Hyundai Elantra sliced a driver’s ear in half when it inflated.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today on its website that it will probe whether that was a freak incident or that it’s likely to be repeated. About 123,000 2012s have been sold.
According to the Associated Press, the Elantra owner complained to NHTSA that the when side curtain air bag went off in a crash on April 7,a metal bracket came with it and sliced the driver’s owner’s ear. The complaint…

BMW is recalling 7,600 of its 3 Series sedans for front-seat head restraints that can move downward more than the law allows when they are adjusted to the highest position.
Federal regs limit potential downward movement to 25 mm (just shy of an inch).
The recall covers 2012-model 3 Series cars built from last Oct. 19 through March 18 this year (your car’s build date is on the plate on the driver’s door opening).
If the head restraint is fully extended, it “may unexpectedly move down slightly” in a crash, increasing risk of injury, according to documents on the National…

Ford is recalling more than 10,000 vehicles because the transmission may not shift into reverse, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall affects:
2012 Ford Expedition, 2011-12 Ford F-150, 2012-13 Ford Mustang, 2012 Lincoln Navigator
In the affected vehicles, the transmission’s range sensor may be improperly calibrated for Reverse, according to NHTSA. That means the transmission may not go into Reverse or — in the F-150, Expedition and Navigator — it may go into Reverse when the driver moves the lever into Reverse but without the “R” illuminating on the dashboard. In certain cases, the backup lamp…

Chrysler is recalling a handful of minivans with tailgates that might not reverse direction as designed if they hit an obstruction, and a few pickups that have incorrect spare-tire information placards.
Though involving tiny numbers, the recalls are an unwelcome slap at the automaker’s improving, but hard-won and not-yet-solidified, reputation for quality. They follow a bigger call-back of 119,072 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 big sedans because a fuse holder could overheat, create a problem in nearby electrical connections and cause the anti-lock brakes and stability system to fail.
The van recall involves 471 of the 2012 Chrysler Town &…

As the nation prepares to observe Memorial Day on May 28, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group are offering military personnel additional incentives when they buy new vehicles.
The Ford Military Appreciation Sale, available to active duty personnel at dealerships in the Southeast and Midwest, offers $1,000 off any new Ford or Lincoln vehicle, free maintenance for two years and deferred payments for three months. The sale began Saturday and runs through May 28. The automaker usually offers military personnel a $500 discount, but Ford spokesman Robert Parker said the company decided to double its discount and include other incentives…