1971 Pontiac Lemans Sport Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota urges owners of old Corolla, Matrix and RAV4 models to park them until airbags are replaced

DETROIT — Toyota and General Motors are telling the owners of about 61,000 older Corolla, RAV4, Matrix/ Pontiac Vibe models to stop driving them because their Takata airbag inflators are at risk of exploding and hurling shrapnel. The urgent warning Monday covers: Certain Corolla compact cars and Matrix hatchbacks from the 2003 and 2004 model years. RAV4 small SUVs from 2004 and 2005. Also covered are about 11,000 Pontiac Vibes from 2003 and 2004, which are essentially the same as the Matrix and were made at the same California factory. Most of the vehicles are in the U.S. “If the airbag deploys, a part inside is more likely to explode and shoot sharp metal fragments, which could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers,” Toyota said in a statement. Owners can go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter their 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if their cars are affected. If you're not the original owner of the vehicle, the manufacturer's recall letter might not reach you, so be sure to do the VIN check. The recalled RAV4s have Takata driver's airbags while the Corolla and Matrix models have them on the passenger side. The Corolla and Matrix also are under a separate recall because their airbags can be deployed without a crash, the company said. Both companies said owners should contact a local dealer instead of driving the cars in for repairs. Dealers will provide options such as mobile repair, towing the car to a dealer, or vehicle pickup and delivery. Takata used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash. But the chemical propellant can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity. It can explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and spewing shrapnel. At least 26 people have been killed in the U.S. by Takata inflators since May 2009, and at least 30 have died worldwide including people in Malaysia and Australia. In addition, about 400 people have been injured. The exploding airbags sent Takata of Japan into bankruptcy. The potential for a dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history. About 100 million inflators were recalled worldwide. Recalls Pontiac Toyota Takata airbag recall

Rent the 1967 Pontiac GTO from the XxX films now on Turo

The process of renting a car usually ranges from mildly annoying to "I'm calling corporate to get you fired." Plainly, it sucks, but sometimes you're left with no alternative. Turo, a peer-to-peer carsharing network, has created what's essentially the AirBnB for cars. Like AirBnB, the quality and variety of the rides varies based on location. If you're in Tucson, Ariz., in the next week, go check out this 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible before the release of XxX: The Return of Xander Cage. Promotions and marketing aside, this is still the opportunity to drive one of the original muscle cars. It's not clear if this is an original GTO or a Pontiac Tempest that was converted, but does it really matter? Old cars never drive as well as you hope, so, as long as it looks and sounds awesome, who cares? The owner listed on Turo is Xander C., Vin Diesel's character from the XxX franchise. This is the car that was used in the original 2002 film, and from the photos it appears to be in better shape than many other movie cars. The exterior is mostly stock, with some slight modifications to the lighting, wheels, exhaust, and trim, with the addition of a funky looking hood scoop that the listing claims shoots flames. It's not clear if it functions as an actual intake because there aren't any notes about what rests under the hood. The listing does ask for premium fuel, so more than likely it's some variation of a high-compression V8. Inside, the dashboard looks like someone raided the AutoZone accessory aisle. There are gauges, dials, toggle switches, and readouts galore. The listing also claims the Goat is packing a rocket launcher and a weapons stash under the seat. $999 per day isn't cheap, but it's less than you'd pay for a day with one of the rent-an-exotic shops you see in Los Angeles or New York. If you're not in Tucson or the price is a little too steep, Turo has what it's dubbed the Adrenaline Collection. The name may be hyperbole, but the lineup of cars is actually really solid. A quick glance reveals a 2015 Lamborghini Huracan, 2001 Ferrari 360 Spider, and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type. The car list keeps expanding, so if this proves popular, look for more cool stuff in the future. Related Video: News Source: Turo Read This TV/Movies Pontiac Performance Classics

GM recalling another 2.7 million vehicles in five separate campaigns

The recalls keep rolling in from General Motors, evidently keen to avoid repeating the mistakes of the ignition-switch debacle and clean house. This time they're all coming at once, with five separate recalls announced together covering approximately 2.7 million vehicles.
The largest of the five actions involves over 2.4 million units of the previous-generation Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura in order to fix brake light wiring harness, which have been found to be susceptible to corrosion. The recall is separate from the 56k Aura sedans which GM recently recalled over faulty shift cables, not to mention the previous massive recall of 1.3 million vehicles - some of them the same models - but appears to have resulted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation that started with the G6 almost a year ago.
The second-largest campaign involves the 2014 Chevy Malibu, specifically those fitted with GM's 2.5-liter engine and stop/start system, approximately 140,000 examples of which has been found to have problematic brakes. The issue does not appear to be connected to the recall of 8k Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedans (also involving brake woes) which we reported upon last week. Four crashes have been reported in such models, but GM admits it's not yet clear if the problem was a contributing factor in the accidents.