Tire Recall

Ohio based Hercules Tire & Rubber Company is recalling 90,000 of its SUV 15 and 16 inch all Tract A/T tires manufactured between June 2008 and May 2010.

The reason for the recall is the tread can separate causing the tire to lose air which could increase the risk of an accident.

According to documents filed with U.S safety regulators Hercules Tire will replace the affected tires with a new version that have a full nylon cap, the recalled tires have a partial nylon cap.

Third Brake Light

As the story goes in 1973 after being rear ended twelve times a frustrated San Francisco taxi cab driver took matters into his own hands. He hard wired a truck tail light to his brake lights and put the light in his back window and he was never rear ended again. 

In 1986 the Center High Mount Stop Lamp sometimes referred to as the cyclops light and what we think of as the third brake light was mandated for use in the U.S. The idea behind the third brake light is that by placing it higher and more prominently it can be seen better and thereby helping to prevent rear end collisions. No vehicle that has been manufactured for sale in United States after 1991 has been without the third brake light.

Four Tips for Vehicle Purchase Loans

1. Credit Score

Your credit score will directly affect your interest rate. The higher your credit rating the lower the interest rate and likewise the lower your credit score the higher the interest rate. To a lender the lower the credit rating the greater the risk that the purchaser will default on the loan. The difference can vary quite a bit, as much as 10 to 15 percentage points. If your credit score is low and you don't need to purchase a vehicle right away, take some time and improve your credit scores. In the long run you will have saved yourself thousands of dollars. There are many helpful sites on the internet that can help you to improve your credit scores.

2. Shorter Terms Lower Interest Rates

Lenders view longer term loans as a higher risk than shorter term loans, banks offer a lower interest rate for purchasers who will to agree to a shorter loan period. If you are looking for the lowest auto loan rate possible choose a loan that has the shortest repayment time period.

3. Dealerships Sometime Profit on Interest Rates

In addition to dealerships earning a profit when sell a vehicle they can also be earning money when a buyer finances a vehicle from one of their "preferred lenders". In these cases the lenders may allow the dealership to charge the buyer a higher interest rate which can be as much as 2 to 3 percentage points and the dealer keeps the difference. So in addition to shopping around for the perfect vehicle remember you can shop around for the perfect loan for your budget.

4. Negotiate for Rates

You can negotiate for a lower interest rate, if you have good or excellent credit you have more room for negotiation. If you feel the interest rate being offered to you is too high most likely it is. If negotiations don't work out take your car loan to a major bank. If you are a member of a credit union even better, generally credit unions offer their members better rates.

Dodge Announces Cancellation of Hellcat Orders

 Approximately 900 customers who placed orders for 2015 Dodge Challenger or Charger SRT Hellcat will have to get back in line. The unfilled orders are being canceled by the manufacture. 

Consumers will receive a phone call from Dodge explaining why their car order was canceled and receive a voucher that will let them to purchase the more expensive 2016 model at the 2015 price (2016 price has not been announced). Fortunately Fiat Chrysler will be doubling the production of these cars for the 2016 model year.

According to Tim Kuniskis (Dodge brand head) stated that "canceling customer orders is probably not what they want to hear, but we're going to do it so that we have a fresh, clean slate going forward with everything that we learned in 2015."

Also dealers won't be able to place orders for the 2016 Hellcats above their allocation and can lose some their future Hellcat allocations if they don't sell the Hellcats quickly after receiving them.

If you're interested in ordering one of the 2016 Hellcats, Dodge will be taking orders beginning August 10, 2015.

Vehicle Recall by Fiat Chrysler

Fiat Chrysler is getting ready to recall 1.4 million vehicles equipped with 8.4 inch touchscreen Uconnected radios. The reason for the recall is a software loophole. A demonstration by professional hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek provided proof that a 2014 Jeep Cherokee could be taken over remotely. According to Fiat Chrysler  the take over of the Jeep “required unique and extensive technical knowledge, prolonged physical access to a subject vehicle and extended periods of time to write code.”

The demonstration by the hackers showed that they were able to hack into the vehicles Uconnected system via a laptop working form home to command the Jeep while the Jeep was traveling on a St. Louis highway driven by Andy Greenberg (journalist). The hackers were able to turn on and off the windshield wipers, spray the windshield wiper fluid and were eventually able to completely turn off the Jeeps engine while it was traveling down the highway. In a parking lot the hackers demonstrated how the steering wheel could be taken over, but only while the Jeep was in reverse. They were even able to disable the brakes which sent the Jeep into a ditch. The Sprint cellular network provides data for the Uconnected system.

Here's a list of the vehicles affected by the recall equipped with the Uconnected system:

•  2013-15 Dodge Viper specialty vehicles
•  2013-15 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups
•  2013-15 Ram 3500, 4500, 5500 Chassis Cabs
•  2014-15 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs
•  2014-15 Dodge Durango SUVs
•  2015 Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans
•  2015 Dodge Challenger sports coupes

Other vehicles equipped with the Uconnected system that are not affected are: the Journey and the Dodge Dart.

Here’s a Fun Bit of Information

The Apollo and Mercury astronauts were given free Corvettes from General Motors after they completed their missions in space.

World Wide Recall for Toyota Prius V Wagon

Toyota announced a recall for approximately 625,000 of its Prius Hybrids for stalling issues. According to Toyota the problem is with the software settings in the motor control units which can cause them to over heat ultimately putting the cars in "safe Mode" where the cars then shut down without any warning.

This recalls affects 109,000 Prius V wagons model years 2012-2014  in the United States. In other markets the V wagon is called Prius Alpha and Prius Plus. 

ARC Automotive Investigated by NHTSA for Airbag Inflators

An investigation has been opened by U.S. safety regulators to explore ARC Automotive Inc. for faulty airbag inflators. ARC manufactures airbag inflators that are used in airbag modules by other auto suppliers and then sold to car manufactures.

This new investigation comes on the heels of the doubled recall by Takata two months ago bringing the number of vehicles on their recall to somewhere around 34 million. 

The investigation of ARC Automotive will cover approximately 420,000 model year 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivans, also 70,000 model year 2004 Kia Optima midsize sedans according to a post by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on their website.

There have been 2 complaints to NHTSA involving ARC inflators. Two injuries and no known deaths reported.

 Did you that Mr. Rogers the famous children’s show host once had his car stolen.  Lucky for Mr. Rogers the thieves had a conscious, after seeing the theft of Mr. Rogers’ car reported on the news they returned the car with a note that read “sorry, we didn’t know it was yours”.

1924 Steam Powered Car

Did you know that in 1924 there was a car that was powered by steam? Yes there was, and it was able to reach speeds over 100 mph and around 15 mpg of kerosene with meager emissions.

Cool Bit of Info

Did you why in racing Nissan used the number 23? This is really cool the number 2 translates to ni and the number 3 translates to san, put it together to get ni-san.

Japan-Automakers Help Cover Cost of Hydrogen Stations Expenses

Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Co. have plans to subsidize hydrogen stations in Japan. The three largest Japanese automakers plan to help stations run by infrastructure companies with as much as a third of the operating expenses. The companies are hoping this will make the cars powered by fuel cells more popular with consumers.