Honda S2000 Ap1 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Some Hondas and an Acura can now take delivery of your Amazon packages

Some new Honda and Acura owners will now be able to have their Amazon packages delivered directly to their cars starting today. The company just announced a slew of compatible vehicles from the 2018 and 2019 model years that will be compatible with the service. Several other manufacturers offer the same thing — itÂ’s mostly GM and Ford vehicles, but some Volvos will also work. YouÂ’ll need to be a HondaLink or AcuraLink subscriber for the service to function. That subscription costs $110/year, so itÂ’s not exactly cheap. The compatible Hondas include the 2018-19 Accord (including the Hybrid), 2018-19 Insight, 2018-19 Odyssey, 2019 Passport and 2019 Pilot. The caveat here is that you'll need to have the Touring or Elite trim of any of those vehicles. As of now, the Acura RDX in any trim is the only compatible Acura. This system works just the same as it does in other vehicles. YouÂ’ll need to be parked within two blocks of your delivery address. Then the driver will locate your car, scan your package and unlock your vehicle. After placing the package in your car, the delivery person “requests” for the vehicle to be locked, which sends a notification to your phone confirming that your car is now locked with the package inside. ThereÂ’s a certain level of trust thatÂ’s necessary to let a total stranger gain access to your car, but you donÂ’t have to use the service if you donÂ’t want to. That $110 for HondaLink gets you a bunch of other useful stuff like remote vehicle start, remote lock/unlock, stolen vehicle locator and speed alerts and geofencing for parents. All of that can be set from an app on your smartphone.

Vehicles awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick awards skyrockets for 2015 [w/video]

By practically every measure, passenger vehicles in the US are continuing to get safer. With the year rapidly coming to an end, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing its annual list tallying of the scores for the latest vehicles to see how they compare to last year. Judging by the agency's evaluations, the numbers look quite positive. According to the institute, 71 vehicles earned either the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating so far in its testing for 2015. Among the latest winners, there have been 33 TSP+ awards and 38 TSP medalists. That's a healthy increase over the 22 TSP+ and 17 TSP grades in 2014. The figures appear even more impressive when you consider that it keeps getting harder to earn the + designation. In the latest round of testing, a vehicle must offer some form of front crash prevention automatic braking to get the mark. Previously, just a warning to drivers was necessary. This list also illustrates the ways that automakers adapt to new testing procedures. In 2013 there were 117 TSP ratings and 13 TSP+ awards. Then, the IIHS mandated that to be a safety pick, a model had to score Good in the institute's four crash tests, plus a Good or Acceptable in the small overlap front test. That brought a plunge in 2014 to just 17 TSP grades. With the numbers climbing again, companies apparently have deciphered how to perform better. Some brands especially stood out on this year's list. The IIHS praised Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Acura for offering standard front crash prevention systems on some models. Subaru received at least one of the awards for all seven of its models. Toyota also had seven, and the Honda brand did too – though the institute counts the two- and four-door versions of the Civic and Accord separately. Check out the full announcement below and a video about this year's winners. The full list can be viewed, here. Safety gains ground: More vehicles earn top honors from IIHS The number of vehicles earning either of the Institute's two awards has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier - TOP SAFETY PICK+ - has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention. "This is the third year in a row that we are giving automakers a tougher challenge to meet," says IIHS President Adrian Lund.