Filed under: Sedan , Government/Legal , Hyundai , Police/Emergency , Specialty , Luxury Hyundai Equus LV500 Limousine - Cick above for high-res image gallery By now, vehicles like the Genesis and Equus have convinced most of how far Hyundai’s come from bring the purveyors of punchline hatchbacks. But in case that wasn’t enough, Hyundai has dropped the bigger-than-the-average-bear Equus VL500 limousine on the home market. Still not enough? How about presidential-grade armored versions, then? That’s precisely what …

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Autoblog

Topics: koreanpresident, korea, south-korea

Toyota yesterday instructed 3.8 million vehicle owners to take the floor mats out of their cars, trucks and SUVs. News reports to the contrary, Toyota is officially calling this a “safety advisory” and says it has not yet issued a recall. But it’s more like a directive in real life. “Sudden Acceleration” is the reason for the action. It turns out there have been a few cases of people suddenly accelerating out of control with some fatal …

David Kiley

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Auto Beat - BusinessWeek

Topics: auto, mercedes, cars, brands under fire

Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety , Lexus , Toyota The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has just issued a safety alert to owners of particular Toyota and Lexus models from 2004-2010 (see list below) that will soon involve a full recall of some 3.8 million vehicles. The issue involves a nagging problem Toyota has had with floor mats in certain models that, in some cases, have caused the accelerator pedal to get stuck in a wide open throttle position (see …

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Autoblog

Topics: government, nhtsa, breaking

Regular readers, especially those who work for or buy cars from Detroit’s automakers, often bemoan that Toyota’s recalls don’t get enough attention in the media. Well, here’s one hot off the press. Toyota said today that it is launching its largest recall in history, bringing back 3.8 million vehicles because an unsecure floor mat may hit the accelerator, send the car speeding forward and cause accidents. The fix seems simple enough, but that is a lot…

David Welch

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Auto Beat - BusinessWeek

Topics: tundra, engines, media

Filed under: Truck , Government/Legal , Safety Research shows that a driver can be as much as 23 times more likely to get into an accident if he or she is texting while driving. New legislation in Washington aims to ban texting while driving by forcing states to adopt the federal mandate or risk losing federal highway greenbacks. One group is fighting the legislation, and it’s not teen drivers or multimedia addicts, it’s our …

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Autoblog

Topics: text messaging, thoughts, computerusage, driver, entry

Filed under: Hybrid , Government/Legal , Alternative Fuel Besides the potential feeling of environmental superiority, one of the great benefits to having a hybrid in California has been the availability of a magic little sticker set for a vehicle’s rear bumper and fender. The “Access OK” tags have allowed its possessors to cruise in the carpool lanes even while driving solo. The special lanes - alternatively known as HOV lanes (High Occupancy …

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Autoblog

Topics: electric vehicles, hybrid car, electricvehicle, electriccar

Filed under: Etc. , Europe , Government/Legal , Rolls-Royce , UK Robert Caton was trying to keep a leash on his mounting stress, but - aided by depression and two bottles of whiskey - the beast got away from him. The ensuing explosion - and, again, depression and two bottles of whiskey - led Caton to drive his restored 1983 Rolls-Royce through the front window of a Tesco store. Luckily no one was killed, but the store and the car…

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Autoblog

Topics: rolls royce, robertcaton, robert caton

Filed under: Government/Legal , Recalls , Safety 2009 Nissan Maxima - Click above for high-res image gallery Certain 2009 and 2010 Nissan Altima and Maxima models may be fitted with out-of-spec suspension components that may contribute to an accident. As a result, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a recall campaign (ID #09V358000) to correct the problem in up to 26,398 vehicles. The identified issue is isolated to the upper front strut insulators in both models - the inferior insulators may crack, allowing…

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Topics: nissan altima, 2010nissanmaxima, 2009maxima, safety, 2010nissanaltima

Filed under: Minivan/Van , Etc. , Government/Legal , Plants/Manufacturing , Work , Ford 2010 Ford Transit Connect - Click above for high-res image gallery The law of unintended consequences is a funny one. Take the chicken tax. Back in the 1960s, West Germany imposed high tariffs on American grown chicken. President Johnson - a man you would not want to mess with - fought back by imposing high import tariffs on foreign made trucks and commercial vans. This is one of the reasons why there are no full-size…

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Autoblog

Topics: fordtransitconnect, chickentax, ford

Filed under: Coupe , Performance , Etc. , Government/Legal , Porsche , Canada Here’s the facts: Two Canadian men in a Porsche 997 encountered a woman (who jumped in front of their car) claiming that a man in a nearby Pontiac Wave (that’s a Chevrolet Aveo to me and you) had just tried to assault her. The woman climbed in the back of the 997, and with the police on the phone, the Porsche boys chased the Pontiac all over Ottawa …

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Autoblog

Topics: sports, police, 997