NHTSA Investigating Toyota, GM and Honda
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened investigations into defects found on 2006-2008 Toyota RAV4’s, 2005 Honda Pilots and 2007-2009 GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook.
The investigations are not related, they just happen to coincide in timing. The Toyota defect being inspected is the corrosion-related failure of the rear left end tie rod in 06-08 RAV4’s. Some of the reported complaints of this defect said that the tie rod failed when the vehicle was travelling over 35 mph, which caused loss of control.
Loss of low beam headlights is at the root of the 2008 Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia investigation. The wiring harness inside the headlight has been known to melt because of heat, thus eliminating the low-beam headlight function. NHTSA has received 415 consumer complaints about this issue.
The 2005 Honda Pilot investigation pertains to the faulty stability control system, which has been reported to cause involuntary application of the brakes and loss of steering control. One incident report said, “We had our 2-year-old and newborn in a car which screeched to an unexpected full stop in the middle of an intersection halfway through a turn.”
All of these vehicles are under investigation, and recalls will be issues if the administration finds any major issues.
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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