Ford has announced the recall of another 155,000 pickups and SUVs to repair a cruise control switch that has already forced Ford to recall nearly 6 million vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the cruise control switch could corrode over time, overheat and ignite.

Ford said the latest recall involved 2003 versions of the F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 trucks, the Ford Excursion SUV and the Lincoln Blackwood pickup. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 1,472 complaints connected to the problem, including 65 reports of fires.

## Source: Houston Chronicle ##

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It was inevitable. It was only a question of when someone would be the first to crash their Bugatti Veyron. That is has taken this long is a testament to the supercar’s capabilities.

Their name is unknown, but you can bet that the individual behind the wheel, will live in infamy as the first private owner to crash their Bugatti Veyron. Despite the car’s aerodynamics, all-wheel drive and massive tires (perhaps because of the car’s massive tires), this Bugatti is thought to have hydroplaned on a wet roadway before before losing control and heading off the road into a ditch.

The car behind the A-pillar looks unscathed, but there is no news on whether the car is total write off.

## Source: SportBilen ##

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Volkswagen announced it would recall 790,000 vehicles because of a defective brake light switch. VW said the brake light switches could malfunction if they were not installed properly, and the light could either remain on or not work at all. In some vehicles with automatic transmissions, a faulty brake light and the shift interlock could prevent the vehicle from being shifted out of park, thus immobilizing the vehicle.

The recall involves several vehicles: 1999-2006 model years of the Golf and GTI, 2001-2005 Jettas, 2001-2007 New Beetles and the 2004 R32. It expands upon last year’s recall of 362,000 Jettas and New Beetles because of the same defect.

The recall will begin in late April and VW dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge.

## Source: BusinessWeek ##

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General Motors has recalled almost of its new 2007 Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia crossovers because of potentially faulty airbag sensors that control the front airbag deployment. The problem with the sensors is reported to be a software issue, which may prevent the front air bags from deploying in a crash.

The recall includes all of 13,032 of the SUVs built until early this month. GM spokesman Alan Adler said it doesn’t include those built after February 2.

GM will resolve the software issue by reprogramming the computer that controls the air bags. The service only take about 25 minutes. GM said most of the vehicles affected by the recall are still on dealer lots and will be fixed before they’re sold.

## Source: AZCentral ##

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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced it plans to develop new regulations for child safety seats by the end of the year to improve child safety in cars. NHTSA chief Nicole Nason said her office plans to update the federal regulations governing safety seats and the LATCH system for securing them without using safety belts.

While the LATCH system has been required on all new cars since 2002, a 2006 showed that 40 percent of parents are still using seat belts to restrain children. Although just 5 percent of children are completely unrestrained, they account for 30 percent of child fatalities.

NHTSA hasn’t decided whether to mandate side-impact crash tests for child seats, but it is being considered. Recently Consumer Reports ran side-impact tests and reported that most infant car seats failed its side-impact crash tests.  The magazine has since retracted the report due to some errors.

## Source: The Detroit News ##

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The 2007 Ford Edge and its Lincoln MKX platform-mate have earned Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). To earn a Top Safety Pick, vehicles must earn good ratings in IIHS’ front, side and rear crash tests, but, new for 2007, is a requirement that vehicles must also offer electronic stability control.

The Edge and MKX are the first of a line of Ford vehicles benefiting from accelerating the rollout of the automaker’s exclusive roll stability control system and advanced crash protection systems. Ford’s AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control (RSC), the world’s only system with two gyroscopic sensors to actively measures and help control both yaw and roll movements.

“Earning a ‘Top Safety Pick’ is great news because the Insurance Institute’s tests are some of the most demanding conducted outside of our own laboratories, and customers are increasingly relying on them when choosing a new vehicle,” said Sue Cischke, vice president of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company. “The Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX also earned the government’s highest 5-Star ratings in recent side impact crash testing.”

Every new Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUV and crossover launched since the 2006 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer comes with standard electronic stability control and side impact protection. By the end of 2009, every Ford retail vehicle will feature these safety technologies.

## Source: Ford ##

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Toyota Motor Co. is developing a system for cars that detects drunken drivers, which would automatically shuts the vehicle down if sensors pick up signs of excessive alcohol consumption, according Japan’s Asahi Shimbun.

Cars outfitted with the alcohol detection system will not start if sensors in the steering wheel detect high levels of alcohol in the driver’s blood. The system could detect abnormal steering, or use a special camera to determine if the driver’s pupils are not in focus. Under these situations, the car would then be slowed to a halt.

Toyota hope to have the system available by the end of 2009.

## Source: The Detroit Free Press ##

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General Motors has added five new “anthropomorphic test devices” — crash test dummies — to its pool of dummies. What make these dummies special is that they are smarter than the dummies of the past. The new dummies come with internal data recorders capable of collecting 10,000 samples of crash data per second for each of the 24 data channels.

“We have progressed from data recorders the size of phone booths 10 years ago to the size of a shoe box that we put on the vehicle,” said Jack Jensen, engineering group manager in charge of the ATD laboratory at GM’s Milford Proving Ground. “Now, that same capability has been reduced to the size of a cell phone and is contained on the dummy itself.”

While older dummies have cumbersome cables connecting them to the data recorders, them which restricted their movement and usefulness. “These dummies aren’t encumbered by 50 pounds of wires and can move around more freely, the way a person would in a crash,” Jensen said.

The i-Dummies — the “i” referring to the integrated electronics — cost about $125,000 each, they are easier to move around, which will save time during testing and allow tests to be completed faster.

## Source: General Motors ##

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Volkswagen has announced safety recalls to address two issues in some 2006 and 2007 model year Passat sedans, and in some 2007 model year Passat wagons. Some of the affected 2006 model year Passat vehicles have a wiper motor that may fail during heavy rain due to moisture entering the wiper motor. If this happens, it could result in reduced visibility.

The second recall affects some 2.0T 2006 and 2007 Passat sedans and some 2007 Passat wagons. The affected vehicles may have a power brake vacuum line that may fracture and become disconnected at low ambient temperatures. If this happens, the brake power assist can become inoperative, and the driver will experience increased effort to apply the brake and possible increased stopping distance.

Approximately 62,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada could be potentially affected.

## Source: Volkswagen ##

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The all-new 2007 Honda CR-V joined its 2007 siblings when it received a 5-star crash rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Honda is the only full-line brand to have achieved the distinction. The CR-V earned 5 stars across the board on its crash ratings. To top it off, passengers in the new Honda are surrounded by a full range of standard air bags and held upright by standard stability control.

“We are determined to provide Honda customers with confidence and peace of mind when it comes to safety, and these 5-star crash safety ratings for our light trucks are a great symbol of the safety our vehicles offer,” said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Consumers looking for trucks with the best possible government crash safety ratings can’t go wrong with a Honda.”

The 2007 Honda CR-V missed a perfect score on its rollover scores. The NHTSA rated the CR-V four out of five stars for the rollover test, with a 15 percent chance of rollover for the FWD model and a 17 percent chance for four-wheel drive models.

## Sources: Honda and NHTSA ##

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General Motors said it will make rollover-enabled side curtain airbags standard on all cars and trucks by the 2012 model year. Rollover bags are currently available on 43 percent of GM light trucks, and all GM light trucks will have them standard by the 2009 model year.

The announcement came as part of General Motors’ opening of its rollover crash test facility in Milford, Mich., becoming the first North American automaker to integrate in-house testing for the infrequent but potentially deadly rollover crashes that claim 10,000 lives a year. Rollovers account for just 2 percent of all crashes but claim 40 percent of the fatalities annually on American roadways, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Side curtain airbags and other safety devices that activate during rollover promise to significantly reduce fatalities.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimated earlier this year that almost 80 percent of single-vehicle rollovers could be avoided if all vehicles on the road were equipped with electronic stability control.

At the Milford facility, GM will be able to conduct a several different rollover tests, including the Trip Over, where a driver loses control, slides sideways, and has the motion of the vehicle stopped by hitting a curb or sliding off of the road, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of rollovers; the Ditch Fall-over, Corkscrew Ramp Flip-over; and the Dolly Rollover.

Full press release, including details of the types of tests, after the jump.

## Source: General Motors ##

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced the 13 vehicles that earned its Top Safety Pick awards for 2007. The IIHS award recognizes vehicles doing the best job to protect passengers in front, side, and rear crashes. The IIHS made the criteria for 2007 tougher, including a new requirement that winners have to offer electronic stability control (ESC), at least as an option.

“The idea of tightening the criteria for the award is to encourage more vehicle safety improvements,” Lund says. “Last year a car could win with an acceptable rating in the rear test instead of the highest rating of good, and ESC wasn’t considered. Now it’s tougher to win, and some of the 2006 winners don’t meet the criteria for this year’s award because the manufacturers haven’t improved the head restraints from acceptable to good or don’t offer ESC.”

The 2007 Top Safety Pick winners include 4 cars, 7 SUVs, and 2 minivans. Several of the 2006 winners did not make the list for 2007 because of the tougher criteria, including the Ford Five-Hundred and Mercury Montego, which would have made the list had ESC been offered even as an option.

Honda/Acura and Subaru had the most winners overall, with three Top Safety Pick awards for each company. Seventeen other vehicles would have won 2007 awards if they had good seat/head restraint designs. Toyota could have claimed nine TOP awards, including three Lexus winners. Honda could have picked up four additional awards, including one for an Acura.

Check out the IIHS full press release and list of winners and also rans after the jump.

## Source: IIHS ##

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Now that DaimlerChrysler has unveiled the all-new, second-generation smart fortwo, concerns about the safety of the diminutive city car are being raised again. Despite the car’s small size, the built-in tridion safety cell has performed surprising well in crash tests.

Check out this Fifth Gear video that includes official Mercedes videos with a smart colliding with a larger Mercedes-Benz sedan. While the smart held up surprisingly well, we would still prefer to be in the Mercedes. The heart of the video is Fifth Gear’s produced segment where they crash a smart smashes into a concrete barrier at highway speeds.

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The National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into reports of fires in some Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVs, which are based on the same platform. The Mercury Mariner is also based on the platform but was not introduced until 2005 and is not named in the investigation.

Vehicles from the 2001 to 2003 model years are being investigated. The NHTSA opened the investigation after receiving eight separate complaints of fires in the engine. The NHTSA has also received two other complaints alleging “fire-related phenomena,” such as sparks, melted electrical connectors or smoke, in the same area of the vehicles. The suspected cause is the ABS control module, as the fires originated in or near module.

## Source: CNN ##

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Side curtain airbags, which protect people’s heads, can reduce deaths in accidents by 52 percent in sport-utility vehicles, and by 37 percent in all vehicles, according to a new study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The IIHS report says that side curtain bags are more effective than airbags that protect only the chest and abdomen but not the head, which alone reduce deaths by 26 percent.

“We found lower fatality risks across the board — among older and younger drivers, male and female drivers, and drivers of both small cars and larger passenger vehicles,” says Anne McCartt, Institute vice president for research and an author of the study.

Today, more than 80 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. have curtain airbags as standard or available equipment. While federal regulations don’t require side airbags in passenger vehicles, manufacturers are installing them on more models. A large part of this is the result of a voluntary agreement among automakers to improve protection from side impacts with SUVs and pickups. The agreement essentially will result in all cars, SUVs, and pickups being equipped with side airbags with head protection by the 2010 model year.

Once standard, the IIHS estimates that as many as 2000 deaths per year will be prevented.

Full press release after the jump.

## Source: IIHS ##

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