1968 Buick Electra 225 Convertible W/only 69k Original Miles...deuce & A Quarter on 2040-cars

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2014 Buick Regal GS AWD

"This is just silly," I said as I laughed my way sideways around the icy track at Circuit ICAR, a racecourse, drag strip and kart track at the Montreal-Mirabel International Airport in Quebec. It wasn't the activity that had me cracking up, though. After all, winter driving experiences aren't uncommon in this business.
No, in this particular case, it was the car that had me chuckling. I wasn't in a mad hot hatch or a rally-derived rocket - I was in a Buick. The 2014 Regal GS, to be more precise. Somehow, despite its recent product renaissance (not to mention its distant - yet storied - history of performance models), I was having a hard time believing that this attractive, turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sedan sliding around the Great White North could possibly be wearing a Tri-Shield badge on its nose.
But it was, and slide about it did. While having access to a vehicle in this setting is fairly rare, what's rarer is the fact that I've had so much exposure to it. In Mr. Ewing's recent Volkswagen Golf R drive story, for instance, his ice capades were his first experience with the new model. In my case, though, I was lucky enough to first test the refreshed Regal GS for a week back in December before flying to Quebec to drive it on the snowy, icy, winding roads of Canada's most fiercely independent province and on the track at Mirabel.

NHTSA may greatly expand GM airbag recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pondering whether to dramatically upscale a pair of airbag recalls on General Motors vehicles. The two existing campaigns, one launched in the fall of 2012 and the other in January of this year covered just 6,845 vehicles, but the government agency is considering whether to boost the recall to around 400,000 units.
The existing recalls involve the the closely related 2012 Buick Verano (shown) and Chevrolet Cruze sedans, along with Sonic and Camaro models. The root of the problem is a shorting bar in the inflator module of the steering-wheel-mounted airbag that may contact the primary state airbag terminal, a condition that could prevent deployment in an accident. Dealer technicians have been replacing the steering wheel airbag coils to fix the issue.
According to a post on NHTSA's website, the root cause, said to be a production issue, may not have been completely isolated - particularly for the second recall, which was for the Camaro. According to Automotive News, GM says it is cooperating with the government investigation, but won't say whether or not it knows the true origin of the problem.

GM recalls 64k 2011-2013 Volts over carbon monoxide fears, stop sale on Trax and Encore

General Motors is recalling 50,249 Chevrolet Volts from the 2011-2013 model years in the US and an additional 13,937 exported examples because of fears over carbon monoxide buildup. According to a statement, if a Volt is accidentally left on while running on electric power, its internal combustion engine would eventually kick on to charge on the battery. If this happens in an enclosed space, then carbon monoxide can fill the area, leading to a potential exposure to the dangerous gas. According to GM, there have been two injuries reported due to this issue. To fix the problem, there's a software update to limit the time the vehicle can idle. According to Automotive News, GM is also issuing a stop sale on about 2,300 examples of the 2015 Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore. In these compact crossovers, it's possible that the steering column assembly could touch the power steering circuit board and cause damage over time. This could potentially cause the system to stop working. Automotive News indicates that the automaker is still working with the supplier to get the necessary parts to repair this problem. General Motors is recalling 50,249 Chevrolet Volts in the U.S. from the 2011-2013 model years to implement a software update that will limit the amount of time a vehicle can be left idling in the "on" or "run" position. If a driver exits the vehicle and inadvertently leaves the vehicle "on" by failing to react to cues and warning chimes emitted by the vehicle, the vehicle's high-voltage battery will drain after a period of time and the gasoline engine will begin to run. If the gas engine runs for a long period of time within an enclosed space, such as a garage, carbon monoxide could build up. GM is aware of two injuries, both related to carbon monoxide build up. The total recall population including Canada and exports is 64,186. Related Video: