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Five automakers now being investigated by NHTSA for airbag woes

It appears that Toyota's renotification to owners of recalled vehicles from last year is just the tip of the iceberg for what could potentially be a much larger industry-wide recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a preliminary evaluation investigation into roughly 1.1 million vehicles from Chrysler, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota and parts supplier Takata regarding faulty airbag inflators in several models.
NHTSA has received six reports - three directly, two from Takata and one from Toyota - of vehicles with ruptured airbag inflators from 2002-2006, which resulted in three injuries. So far, all six incidents have occurred in high humidity areas like Florida and Puerto Rico. According to Toyota's latest recall announcement, the inflators may have an improper propellant that could cause it to rupture in a crash and the bag to deploy abnormally.
This new investigation follows a previous recall from April 2013 of about 3.4 million vehicles worldwide for the airbag inflators from Takata. As Autoblog reported, Toyota jumpstarted the new situation when it found that the original list of serial numbers for the faulty part was incomplete and discovered more cars in need of replacement. Honda and Nissan told us that they were investigating whether further models would need called in again as well. Mazda told Autoblog: "Regarding the current Takata situation, we're working closely with NHTSA and investigating the situation, but nothing else to report at this time." Chrysler Group responded to us with the statement: "Chrysler Group engineers are conducting the appropriate analysis. The Company will cooperate fully with the National Highway Traffic Administration."

Hyundai, Mazda and Ford offering support to victims of Colorado flooding

Hyundai, Mazda and Ford have initiated programs to aid victims of the recent floods across Colorado. Hyundai is stepping in to give help directly to drivers, offering those with flood-damaged vehicles a $750 credit on a new Hyundai. "At this stressful time, the last thing flood victims should be concerned with is how they are going to replace their water-damaged or destroyed vehicles," Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of Hyundai's American sales, said.
The Hyundai program will run from September 18 through the end of October, and will cover all citizens in counties declared disaster areas by FEMA. Residents will need to provide proof of residency and a letter from their insurance company describing the damage to their vehicle.
Mazda, on Friday, announced that it'd be donating $25,000 to the American Red Cross and a further $15,000 to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, in the name of disaster relief. Mazda's President and CEO, Jim O'Sullivan, said, "The flooding across the states of Colorado, Texas and New Mexico has been absolutely devastating for not only the people living there but their four-legged loved ones as well. Mazda hopes that those in need can get the help they deserve through such great organizations as American Red Cross and Humane Society of Boulder Valley."

Car and Driver lists 10Best for 2013, same as it ever was

Forgive us for having the distinct feeling of déjà vu, but it certainly feels like we've been here before. By that we are referring Car and Driver and the announcement of its annual 10Best vehicles for 2013. To be sure, it's an impressive selection of cars that combine heart-pounding performance and frugal sensibilities, but it also represents something of a broken record on the part of C/D. We're not so sure that's a flaw, though, as the resulting list is tough to argue with.
Vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Porsche Boxster, and BMW 3 Series have maintained their high-horsepower spots on this list for several years now. Even on the more practical and nimble end, the Honda Accord, Honda Fit and Mazda Miata have not budged. These continued spots are even in light of redesigns for some vehicles such as the Accord, Boxster and 3 Series.
In fact, the only newcomer to the 10Best list this year are the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins, which knocked out the Cadillac CTS-V. We think it would have been a huge misstep to have excluded the FR-S/BRZ, even in light of the supercharged Caddy's lamentable departure from 10Best.