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GM recalling nearly 4,000 vehicles over airbag concerns

Four different General Motors vehicles from the 2012 model year are being recalled over a potential airbag issue. The driver's side airbag shorting bar in the 2012 Buick Verano and 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic might make contact with the airbag terminals, even during a crash. If so, the airbag won't deploy when it should, possibly increasing injury to the driver.
The recall is expected to begin on February 13 for the 3,896 units that might be affected. GM will notify owners who can then take their vehicles to dealers to have the airbag coil replaced. A bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration below has more info.

First 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 engine blows up at just 891 miles

You've waited and watched and waited some more for the arrival of your 650-horsepower, $78,000 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Finally, that joyous day arrives and you eagerly, but gingerly, begin to break-in the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 monster under your hood. Then 900-odd miles after delivery, your excitement grinds, quite literally, to a halt. That's what the owner of one 2015 Z06 claimed happened to him when a simple break-in drive resulted in a lunched engine. The owner, known as Lawdogg149 on Corvette Forum, says he was out breaking-in his car ahead of a January track event when it happened. "While making a pull from 35 miles per hour, I accelerated and shifted short of redline, and boom - the car began knocking. I pulled over and popped the hood. I could hear a loud knock coming from the No. 6 cylinder area along with a serious, grinding, metal-on-metal sound coming from the supercharger area," Lawdogg wrote. A subsequent trip to the dealer confirmed his concerns, with the service facility telling Lawdogg that the No. 6 valvetrain had failed. The dealer couldn't research the issue further, though, as General Motors requested the engine be returned for a more thorough evaluation. The good news for the Z06's unlucky owner, at least, is that GM will be covering the engine replacement under warranty, an expense that Corvette Forum estimates is a nearly $24,000 procedure. At this point, the two leading theories behind the engine's detonation involve a manufacturing defect – which could be why GM is so keen to tear the blown powerplant down – or a mistake on the part of Lawdogg. As Motor Authority points out, such an error could be something as simple as the Z06's owner accidentally shifting to first rather than third during his 35-mph pull. If, however, there's a deeper manufacturing problem with the Z06's engine, this might not be the only case we end up hearing about.

Outrageous Thor24 semi truck to appear in the new season of 'Jay Leno's Garage'

Wednesday is Jay Leno's birthday, and CNBC used the occasion to announce the upcoming season of Jay Leno's Garage. In a new teaser video, Leno is seen with a stacked list of guests, some new, some repeats, as well as a wild gamut of vehicles, including the absolutely insane 24-cylinder, 3,424-horsepower Thor24.  The outrageous semi build, which sold at auction in Saudi Arabia earlier this year for a whopping $12 million (or $1 million per supercharger) will join the likes of the Tesla Cybertruck and a recliner on wheels on the upcoming season of Jay's series.  Thor24 View 24 Photos The formula for Jay Leno's Garage is simple, successful, and not changing anytime soon. He brings out a bunch of famous people, some of which are real enthusiasts, others who have more casual driving backgrounds, and they experience a vehicle together. In the short clip released by CNBC, Leno is accompanied by Elon Musk (again), Danny Trejo, Bill Burr, Tim Allen, Jon Hamm, Brad Garrett, Jeff Dunham, Kelly Clarkson, Matt LeBlanc, Blake Shelton, Norm MacDonald, Edd China, and Jon Lovitz.           View this post on Instagram                   Thank you for sharing your dream with us. Happy Birthday, Jay! Love always, your @cnbcprime Family. A post shared by Jay Leno's Garage (@jaylenosgarage) on Apr 28, 2020 at 8:27am PDT The people, however, are merely social lubricants to spotlight the real stars of the show, the cars. This season will include the Tesla Cybertruck, the record-breaking Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, a 1965 Buick Riviera, a naked cat car, an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, a Porsche Taycan, a modern Ford GT, a Chevrolet Corvette C8 hard-top convertible, amphicars, a snail car, a beetle car, a couch car, and the 24-cylinder, 12-supercharger, 3,424-horsepower Thor24 semi. Just to name a few. As usual, there will be racing, stunts, spinouts, smoke from both tires and engines, and lots of silly dad jokes. Season 5 of Jay Leno's Garage debuts on CNBC on May 20 at 10 p.m. ET. Related Video: Celebrities Green TV/Movies Aston Martin Bugatti Chevrolet Tesla Special and Limited Editions Jay Leno Jay Lenos Garage