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NHTSA opens safety investigations into Toyota, GM and Honda crossovers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is evidently keeping itself very busy these days, as the federal agency has just announced it is launching or renewing investigations into Toyota, Honda and General Motors crossovers.
2006-2008 model year Toyota RAV4 crossovers are under review for allegations of rear tie-rod rust which can result in failure. NHTSA also said it is probing some 35 complaints about 2005 Honda Pilot models with inappropriate activation of the vehicles' stability control system. The alleged malfunction can cause the vehicles to slow down or stop in bad unsafe situations. At the moment, NHTSA is reviewing a petition regarding the Pilot issue, a move that will determine whether it needs to open a full-blown investigation.
In addition, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia three-row crossovers built in 2007-2009 are getting looked at for "loss of low beam headlamp" function. One complainant said the wiring in his Outlook overheated and melted. NHTSA says it has received 415 complaints about the problem and a GM spokesman confirmed that the automaker already started a "Customer Satisfaction Program" in December to address the issue.

WI dealer under fire for selling new GMC to dying, blind 89-year-old WWII vet [w/video]

You know, people, getting through this life from one end to the other in one piece really does require just one rule: don't be a prick. If you ever find yourself in a situation of dubious moral standing, take a step back and ask yourself, "Am I being a prick to any person or thing?" If the answer is "yes," then stop what you're doing, apologize and go home. One dealership in Wisconsin could possibly have benefitted from that course of action when it reportedly helped David McMurray con his elderly and disabled parents into buying a brand-new $42,000 GMC Terrain for his use.
According to local news reports, a representative from Palmen Motors visited Harold and Christen Thomsen's home to collect signatures for a loan agreement three weeks before the 89-year-old, legally blind Harold passed away. The World War II veteran was on morphine and in hospice when he signed for the GMC, and his 90-year-old wife suffers from dementia. Even so, upon being discovered, the dealer initially said everything was done "legally." According to Barb Tinkler, McMurray's sister, the sale was a scam that remained hidden until he was busted for an unrelated criminal charge.

2016 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate wants to take even more off the top

What do you do when getting to the top of Denali isn't enough? You create a higher peak called Denali Ultimate. That's what GMC has done with the 2016 Sierra, the new Sierra Denali Ultimate adding even more content and showing off the truck's refreshed face and new Denali grille. The reasoning behind this truck is perfectly sane. GMC says that in 2013 it had zero percent of the premium light-duty truck market; since that time, the brand says the segment (with an average transaction price beyond $55,000) has grown by a factor of ten, and the Sierra Denali has given GMC a 15.5-percent share. When it goes on sale in in the first quarter of next year, it can be optioned on the four-wheel drive 1500 Crew Cab with either the five-foot-eight or six-foot-six-inch bed. Standard equipment includes a sunroof, Lane Keep Assist, automatic headlights, Tri-Mode Power Steps, chrome tow hooks, and 22-inch wheels. The press release below has more. GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate: The Pinnacle of Premium Unique 22-inch wheels, expanded package of standard content drives exclusivity DETROIT, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 – GMC is taking the range-topping style, craftsmanship and capability of the Sierra Denali even higher with the 2016 Sierra Denali Ultimate. It builds on the Sierra Denali's already class-leading attributes with a package of precision-crafted features designed to elevate its comfort, design and capability in the growing premium niche of the full-size truck market. GMC introduces the Sierra Denali Ultimate today, ahead of its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It goes on sale late in the first quarter of 2016. "The Sierra Denali has helped drive the growth of premium portion of the light-duty crew cab segment," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing. "This truck is the ultimate expression of the Sierra Denali with greater emphasis on the bold and refined presence and advanced features that make Denali models synonymous with precision and exclusivity." Thanks in large part to Sierra Denali, which was redesigned in 2014, GMC commands 15.5 percent of the premium full-size truck segment, where average transaction prices exceed $55,000. The segment has nearly doubled in 2015 and grown tenfold since 2013, when GMC had zero percent of the market. In fact, Sierra Denali has helped GMC earn a higher share of the premium portion of the light-duty crew cab segment than of the overall full-size pickup segment.