We reported on Ford’s investigation and potential recall of its 2011 and 2012 V6-engined Mustangs, which have developed problems with the 6-speed manual transmission. Now here’s what they’re actually like, as recorded by Ford customers.

The videos show an inability to grasp second or third gear with the clutch depressed. At speeds, the gears grind in 2nd and 3rd when the driver lets off the gas. When downshifting from 3rd to 2nd, the gear fails to grab at all. More dangerously, the transmission sometimes locks out upon acceleration at 70 mph, causing the rear end to lose traction. The 6-speed transmissions are all made by Getrag, which has supplied Ford for years.

V8 Mustang transmissions have a skip-shift feature, forcing drivers to shift into 4th on low acceleration to save gas. But these are V6-engined cars that don’t carry the feature, and some of these cars have had their transmissions replaced once before. Some of these transmissions are bolted to new cars with just 5,000 miles; Ford has refused to honor the warranty the second time around, citing “abuse.” Lots of frustrated owners are sharing their stories—enough for Ford to conduct an investigation of their own, they hope. Click the jump to see more wanton acts of transmission “abuse.”

[Source: Mustang Source Forums]

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The 2011 and 2012 Nissan Leaf for earned five stars  in crash testing performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

For the front crash and dynamic rollover test, the Leaf received four stars, but overall scored five stars. Combine that with the Top Safety Pick Award it won from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and you’ve got yourself one safe vehicle. It’s also important to note that the Leaf is the first pure electric vehicle to be evaluated for its crash protection.

Fewer cars have made the cut ever since the NHTSA implemented more rigid standards for vehicles to earn five stars in its safety ratings system in 2011. This new system includes a more comprehensive testing when it comes to front and side crash, and rollover resistance. As well, each model receives an overall vehicle score, which is combined with the results of the three tests and compares them to the injury risk in other vehicles.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

After much debate, the White House has lowered its CAFE target for 2025 from 62 MPG to 54.5.

The original 62 MPG figure has been dragged through the dirt before, having previously been lowered to 56.2 before this current figure. But now, the 1.7-mpg drop helps ease the concerns, however slightly, expressed by the auto industry that this annual mileage increase will drive up the cost of cars and destroy car sales as well as manufacturing jobs.

The CAFE situation dictates that cars will have to be 5% more fuel-efficient every year, from 2017 to 2025. On the one hand, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that this would add $2,100 to a car’s base price. On the other, according to the Consumer Federation of America, with the earlier 56-mpg revision consumers would save over $6,000 in gasoline costs throughout the car’s lifetime.

As you can tell, even with a revised CAFE target the debate won’t be over anytime soon.

[Source: TheDetroitNews]

If you own a 2002 to 2004 Honda CR-V it could be the subject of a recall in the near future after federal safety regulators announced an investigation into headlight failures for those model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced an early investigation into almost 300,000 of the Honda soft-roaders after receiving 12 complains that the vehicles headlights stopped working. According to a statement released by NHTSA, the issue seems to revolve around a headlight switch and wiring harness, which could become damaged from overheating.

Another one makes the list. This time around, it’s the all-new 2011 Scion tC sports coupe that’s been awarded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) top overall rating of five stars.

The Scion tC, which made its way to dealerships in October 2010, earned top ratings in the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and is the latest Scion model to meet these standards. This is a consumer information program created by NHTSA that rates vehicles for crash and rollover safety. In these tests, vehicles are put through their paces in a series of controlled crash and rollover tests.

Helping to make it extra safe, the tC comes with a host of features designed to give drivers peace of mind, including driver and front passenger airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, driver and front-passenger knee airbag, and side curtain airbags. It also comes with Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Traction Control (TRAC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) Smart Stop Technology (SST0), a tire pressure monitoring system and active front headrests.

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Scion tC Review

Toyota is facing the potential for more recalls as the government’s safety agency has announced an investigation into the Corolla for airbags that failed to deploy. In total the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining 170,000 Corolla models after receiving a complaint from one driver who claimed the airbags in his 2008 Corolla did not activate when he hit a deer at 55 mph.

In a letter posted on NHTSA’s website, complainants Fred and Susan Maynard said the incident occurred when they were traveling from Gettysburg, Pa., to Harrisburg, Pa. Neither were harmed in the incident.

Toyota has recalled 19.2 million vehicles globally since late 2009, including 13.7 in the U.S.

The agency in charge of vehicle safety is continuing to push for a more wide-spread recall of the Ford F-150 pickup truck, a sign that Ford has failed to appease the government body with its first recall notice.

Back in February Ford announced a recall for 144,000 F-150 models from 2005-2006, although the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration had investigated trucks from the 2004-2006 model years, covering 1.3 million vehicles.

“We would like to see something larger,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland to reporters in Washington. While he declined to comment on if NHTSA is looking for a full 1.3 million vehicle recall, it’s believed that is exactly what the agency is aiming for.

The recall surrounds the airbags in F-150 trucks which can accidentally deploy.

[Source: Bloomberg]

When you strap your child into a car seat, you think that they are safe because these seats have safety standards, right? Sorry to burst that bubble, but if you’re strapping kids weighing more than 65 pounds to a booster seat, they don’t come with any government safety standards. And even seats for younger children are regulated only for their effectiveness in front-end collisions.

So what’s the problem? It turns out it lies with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They haven’t developed a lifelike child crash test dummy, which is needed to properly test the safety of seats built for heavier children. Until then, child seat manufacturers are left to self-regulate their car seats, instead of following guidelines instituted to protect children in front, side, rear-end and rollover accidents.

The problem, says safety experts, is the lack of funding for research and development into lifelike child test dummies. With the rise of overweight children, seats made just a few years ago to hold children up to 65 pounds are now marketed for those up to 85 pounds.

[Source: The Washington Post]

Always on the vanguard of public safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether overenthusiastic seat heaters pose a health and safety risk, citing 150 people who have been injured by leaving their buns in the oven for too long.

In one case, a parapeligic man suffered burns in his Chevy Silverado after turning on the seat heater by mistake when he went to open a window, and as he was unable to feel the heat, left it on for two and a half hours. GM started printing seat heater warnings in their 2010 owners’ manuals , and all 2011 cars now carry them.

The seat heaters could carry an “unreasonable risk to safety,” the NHTSA was quoted in USA Today. An Oregon law firm is helping with the investigation.

[Source: Autoblog]

Sometimes, statistics don’t tell the whole story. That rings especially true when it comes to talking about distracted driving. And even though we all know the dangers associated with distracted driving, it takes the stories of people who have been impacted to really drive the point home.

And that’s the why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the Faces of Distracted Driving series. Distracted driving can be cited for killing nearly 5,500 people last year and injuring 500,000 more. But to really get behind the numbers, parents and teens can watch the stories of the lives that were cut short and the sadness they left behind.

In one story, you learn about 21-year-old Casey Feldman who was struck and killed by a distracted driver as she crossed the street in Ocean City, New Jersey on July 17, 2009. In another, the family of 17-year-old Alex Brown recounts how on November 10, 2009, she was killed when she crashed her truck on a rural road while texting. There’s also the story of Judy Teater and her 12-year-old son Joe who were hit by a young woman in a Hummer hit them while she was talking on her cell phone and ran a red light.

You can watch all the video here, and if you have a distracted driving story to share, upload a video to YouTube and email the link to faces@distraction.gov.

[Source: Consumer Reports]