Tesla has announced a recall of an unspecified number of vehicles to fix a rear seat mounting bracket that could post a risk in the event of a crash.

The American electric car maker has announced that due to manufacturing changes the bracket, which is both bonded and welded, could have become compromised, thus making the joint weaker than intended in some cars.

SEE ALSO: Tesla to Announce Battery Swapping

According to an official statement by Tesla, this “partial recall” is voluntary and was not brought about by any regulatory agency investigation. Tesla also claims the weld has not detached on any vehicle, no customer complaints have been made and no injuries are associated with the recall.

Affected vehicles are limited to Model S sedans manufactured between May 10, 2013 and June 8, 2013. Owners will be contacted over the next few days for repair work, that will include reinforcement of the bracket. All expenses will be covered by the automaker. Tesla will also arrange pickup and drop-off of recalled cars, with loaner cars available if needed.

Discuss this story at Tesla-Buzz.com

Chrysler announced its sixth recall over the last two weeks on Thursday. The most recent involved a software glitch on over 1,200 Ram pickup trucks from the 2013 model year. 

The recall campaign is being issued to ensure that the affected Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks comply with headlight regulations while in high-beam mode. During an internal investigation, Chrysler engineers discovered that some vehicles fail to comply with government standards for aim and intensity.

A software update will be able to solve the problem, which occurs in trucks equipped with premium headlights. Roughly 1,100 are in the U.S., 170 in Canada and 15 outside North America, the company said.

Chrysler also announced a recall this week affecting its Ram 4500 and 5500 trucks from the 2012 model year. In that case, the issue affected the front axle in approximately 6,900 units.

The company also said this week that is will recall 37,000 of its Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks for software changes to fix a tail-lamp warning light.

Discuss this story at CumminsForum.com

Imagine being in the middle of British automotive heaven only to stomp on the gas and feel something break. 

For a certain number of Aston owners, that risk is very real. The company announced today that it will recall 689 of its cars because the throttle pedal arm might break. The affected cars were built between May 14, 2012 and April 10, 2013.

SEE ALSO: Five-Point Inspection: 2013 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Roadster

Included in the list, the brand lists the DB9, Virage, V8 Vantage, V12 Vantage, and Rapide. Nothing particularly terrifying happens if the arm breaks. Nothing explodes and the secret rockets reserved for limey blokes in overpriced tuxes won’t suddenly show their teeth. Instead, the engine will return to idle and the driver will need to coast to a safe stop.

Aston martin will begin notifying affected owners and the maker will replace the throttle pedal assemblies through its dealer network free of charge.

Ford’s MyKey technology is now in six-million Ford and Lincoln vehicles in America, helping keep teen drivers safer this summer.

The MyKey was recently added as a standard feature to the 2014 Fiesta and Transit Connect and is an easily programmable system that features several options. One is the Persistent Ford Belt-Minder with audio mute sounds chimes and mutes the radio to remind teens to put on their seat belts. Drivers are reminded that they have to buckle up in order to unmute the radio. Speaking of the radio, MyKey also allows the volume control on the stereo to be limited to 44 percent of maximum output.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Ford Fiesta, Transit Connect to Gain MyKey

Other features include a speed alert chime at 45, 55, and 65 mph and a “Do Not Disturb” mode that helps parents block incoming phone calls and text messages. Lastly, MyKey provides an additional warning at 75 miles to remind the driver to fill up the gas tank.

“‘Do Not Disturb’ is yet another way Ford is helping parents encourage their kids to drive safer,” said Andy Sarkisian, Ford safety planning and strategy manager. “We are continually listening to our customers and responding to parents’ desire to make sure their kids are paying attention to the road, not their cell phones.”

Discuss this story at FordInsideNews.com

According to a recent study conducted by Penn Schoen Berland and commissioned by Ford, the summer months are the most dangerous for teen drivers.

In addition, the survey polled teen drivers and parents, revealing some surprising results between the two driving groups. Of the 500 teens and 500 parents surveyed, 66 percent of the teens and 58 percent of the parents believed that the winter season was the most dangerous; but according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 358 teen driver fatalities during the summer of 2011 compared to 271 teen driver fatalities during the winter.

As for the growing concern of distracted driving, the survey reveals that teens are engaging in several distracting activities while driving including 62 percent being distracted by others in the car, 61 percent admitting to eating or drinking while driving, 42 percent of teens admitting they turn up the radio so loud that they can’t hear nearby vehicles, and 51 percent saying they listen to an iPod or MP3 player while driving.

On the contrast, only 26 percent of the parents surveyed used a device to enforce driving rules or restrict cell phone use for teens while they are driving.

Ford is looking to reinforce safety with teen drivers with its Ford Driving Skills for Life program, which will double its number of students this year to approximately 40,000. The program will visit at least 40 high schools in Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia where teens will experience real-world driving situations in a controlled environment with specially equipped vehicles.

Discuss this story at FordInsideNews.com

Airbags and power steering problems are at the center of a recall involving more than 620,000 recent Jeep models.

Chrysler said today that it will recall more than 400,000 2010-12 Jeep Patriot and Compass SUVs because of a software error that can delay or prevent seat belt pre-tensioners in the cars from deploying in certain rollover accidents. Roughly 254,000 of those are in the U.S. while 45,400 are in Canada and 109,400 around the rest of the world.

In a separate recall, the company is also addressing an issue in roughly 220,000 Jeep SUVs that may cause premature wear to a transmission oil cooler line including just over 180,000 in  the U.S.

A power-steering component can rub against the line, causing a hole and subsequent damage to the transmission.  The company said it is aware of 81 reports of the problem.

Dealers will install a redesigned power-steering component to prevent the problem. Vehicles with lines that don’t show signs of damage will be fitted with a protective sleeve as an extra precaution and Chrysler will begin notifying owners on July 1.

On Monday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked Chrysler to recall 2.7 million Jeep SUVs and the automaker declined. Neither of these issues are are connected to that problem, which involves fires resulting from rear-end crashes in the 1993-2004 Grand Cherokee and 2002,07 Liberty.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Discuss this story at MyJeepCompass.com

In an attempt to remind women in Mexico that putting on makeup while driving is dangerous, MINI has released a video that gave a few women quite a few surprises.

According to the maker, 22 percent of the accidents in Mexico are caused by women and apparently it’s because they’re too busy putting makeup on their faces while driving. So MINI secretly put hidden airbags in women’s bathrooms and deployed them while women applied makeup on their faces – you know, in a way to startle them on what could happen if they deployed their vehicle’s airbags in an accident while applying lipstick.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Discuss this story at MINI2.com

Toyota has announced a recall of 87,000 Prius and Lexus HS250h models from the 2010 model year.

The recall involves an issue surrounding a brake pressure accumulator that may fail as a result of a fatigue crack caused by vibration.

Owners will be notified by first class mail, with recalled vehicles having their brake booster pump inspected to see if a replacement part is necessary. If it is, a new (and improved) unit will be installed at no cost.

SEE ALSO: Toyota Prius vs VW Jetta TDI Comparison – Video

There are no recorded cases of accidents or injuries reported in association with this recall.

Anyone with questions is advised to call the Toyota Customer Experience number at 1-800-331-4331 or the Lexus Customer Satisfaction number at 1-800-255-3987 or visit either www.toyota.com/recall or www.lexus.com/recall.

Discuss this story at ToyotaNation.com

Chrysler said today that it does not intend to call-back roughly 2.7 million vehicles to make repairs despite the government requesting a recall.

“Chrysler Group has been working and sharing data with the Agency on this issue since September 2010. The company does not agree with NHTSA’s conclusions and does not intend to recall the vehicles cited in the investigation. The subject vehicles are safe and are not defective,” the company said in a statement.

The requested recall would affect Jeep Grand Cherokees ranging from the 1993 through 2004 model years and Jeep Liberty SUVs from 2002 through 2007.

Potentially fatal fires following rear-end crashes are at the center of the dispute. NHTSA began its investigation in 2009 and in June, 2012 moved to an engineering analysis citing 15 deaths and 41 injuries said to be caused by rear-impact crashes.

The gas tank in both SUVs is located between the rear bumper and axle and is made of plastic; both of which were cited as possible reasons for the apparent frequency of fires caused by rear-end crashes.

But Chrysler’s statement maintains that the vehicles in question “met and exceeded all applicable requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including FMVSS 301, pertaining to fuel-system integrity.”

The company also said its test show the issue in question occurring once for every million years of vehicle operation, which it says is similar to comparable vehicles sold at the time.

Discuss this story at JeepForum.com

Depending on the results of a government probe, General Motors might find an old recall campaign expanding exponentially. 

Over the couse of two recalls, the American automaker covered just over 6,800 vehicles with front airbags that might not inflate because of a defect in the electrical connections. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is examining a possible expansion.

The investigation involves the Chevrolet Cruze, Camaro, Sonic and Buick Verano and covers an estimated 400,000 vehicles.

According to NHTSA, there haven’t been any reports of crashes because of the defect, but General Motors might not have fully identified the cause of the problem.

U.S. auto safety regulators are still hesitant about self driving cars being allowed beyond the experimental phase.

“Whether we’re talking about automated features in cars today or fully automated vehicles of the future, our top priority is to ensure these vehicles – and their occupants – are safe,” said Secretary Ray LaHood.

A policy statement released today shows that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration still has “considerable concerns” about state regulations on the safety of self-driving cars. At the time, it does not recommend allowing operation for anything other than testing.

NHTSA said it will study self-driving vehicles over the next four years in anticipation of the possibility that they will become commercially available.

Menawhile, tech giant Google is working to develop self driving cars and has said in the past that it expects the technology to be ready in the next five years. NHTSA’s policy statement suggests that safety regulators will not allow those cars to be broadly used, which are also being developed by companies including Audi and Toyota, in that time.

Florida, Nevada and California all currently allow the companies to test their self-driving technology on public roads.

“We’re encouraged by the new automated vehicle technologies being developed and implemented today, but want to ensure that motor vehicle safety is considered in the development of these advances,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

A Chevrolet Volt owner is claiming to have experienced unintended acceleration during highway driving in his range-extended electric car.

Sharing his experience on the enthusiast forum GM-Volt.com the owner, who goes by the screen name lsteiner, says he inadvertently pressed the power button four times in succession rather than the drive mode button (which is located just above the power button).

Reportedly, the car’s LCD screen experienced problems, the air conditioning turned off and hot air came through the cabin vents. Then the user says his 2013 model year Volt lurched forward as if the throttle were being applied. After pushing the brake and releasing the pedal, the car allegedly rushed forward again with the gasoline engine revving “at its highest point.”

The user then writes that he drove to the side of the road, slowed the car to a  stop by stepping heavily on the brake and pressing the power button.

There are two complaints listed on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration site relating to problems with the car after the driver mistakenly pressing the power button several times. In those cases, the car lost power while driving rather than accelerating.

A General Motors spokesperson was unavailable to comment.

There are no recorded complaints filed with NHSTA by other Volt owners.

UPDATE: After the publication of this story, a Chevrolet spokesperson issued the following statement at 3:07 p.m. EST

“We are aware of the incident. We are investigating it and trying to work with the customer. We are not aware of the situation for any other vehicles.” She also clarified that General Motors is not aware of any other instances of the same problem occurring. 

[Source: The Truth About Cars]