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121k Dodge Darts being investigated over braking problem

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the Dodge Dart due to reports of braking problems. Some 121,000 cars are possibly affected, all from the 2013 model year. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA received 18 complaints about the brake pedal becoming hard to depress on these cars, increasing stopping distance. Drivers reported hearing a "pop noise or an air hissing noise when applying the brake pedal, followed by a hard pedal feel and reduced brake effectiveness," NHTSA told the News. In a particularly terrifying incident, one driver says the Dart's braking system shut down while driving at 50 miles per hour. "I feared for my life. It is one of the scariest things I have ever dealt with," the complaint said, according to The Detroit News. A Fiat-Chrysler spokesperson said the automaker is "fully cooperating" with this investigation.

2015 Dodge Charger configurator opens up shop

Itching to get your hands on a new 2015 Dodge Charger? Your day is almost nigh, my friend While you're waiting, you can spec out how you'd want your muscle sedan to look as Dodge has included the revised four-door in its online configuration tool. Though it's not the most impressive or interactive of configurators we've seen, the site lets you choose any color you want (from the limited array available anyway) along with all the key options packages and such. First you'll need to choose a trim level though, but we're afraid the Hellcat version isn't part of this site, and the SRT site hasn't launched a configurator yet for the world's fastest production sedan, so you'll have to choose between SE, SXT and R/T trim levels. Related Video:

McLaren, Koenigsegg, Toyota, Ford, Dodge and Corvette Lego kits announced for 2021

Lego has announced a slew of car-themed sets for 2021. The six kits comprise nine vehicles and fall under the brick pusher's Speed Champion line of official OEM-licensed kits. News of their arrival comes from German toy retailer JB Spielwaren's pre-order listings, which show three single-car sets and three dual-car sets of matched marques. Starting with the McLaren Elva roadster, the kit consists of 263 pieces and is finished in blue. It seems to have a difficult time capturing the curves of the real-life Elva, but there's only so much you can do with a bunch of plastic blocks. Lego has made several other McLaren kits before, including the Senna, 720S, and a more advanced Senna GTR for the Technics line. Next up is the Koenigsegg Jesko, made up of 280 pieces and finished in white. Though the real-life Jesko is still curvy, this kit does a better job of replicating its aggressive maw, vents and cantilevered rear wing. Rounding out the single-car sets is the 299-piece Toyota GR Supra in yellow. This marks the first time Toyota has lent their license to Lego. Again, it struggles a bit to represent the curvy Supra, relying on printed details like logos and headlights to identify. On the other hand, the Chevrolet two-car does a stupendous job with the 1968 Corvette. The C3 is instantly recognizable as such. The C8-R race car it's paired with suffers from the same issues as some of the previous cars, though. The set contains 512 pieces, and funnily enough the C8 driver has short hair while the C3 driver sports a period-correct wavy mane. The next set is a 627-piece Mopar-themed pair, including a purple (Plum Crazy?) 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A and an SRT top fuel dragster. The race car is spot on, but the Challenger was probably tough to make given the width restrictions. It looks a couple of pegs too narrow compared to the wide proportions of the real deal. Last but not least, the Ford set contains a Bronco R and Ford GT Heritage Edition. Consisting of 660 pieces, the set does an excellent job of representing both cars. The GT looks faithful in its Gulf livery, and the Bronco R looks more like a real Bronco than the actual Bronco R race truck. All in all, it's always fun to see more Lego sets with real cars, and we're glad to see more manufacturers added to the roster. The single-car sets are recommended for ages 7 and up, while the double-car sets have an 8 years and up rating. Price in U.S.