The AP reports that Nissan is recalling over 240,000 trucks because of a flaw that could front air bags from deploying in a crash. The recalls are in twenty cold weather states where salt used on roads coult rust a crash zone sensor.
The government said in a posting on its Web site Wednesday that the recall affects the Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra for the 2005-2009 model years.
In states where winter time road salt is used, a mix of snow and salt could enter a crash zone sensor area and rust, interrupting the signal and potentially preventing the front air bags from deploying in a crash.
The recall report from the can be found here (PDF file) (via TruckTrend.com)
Recent insurance industry crash tests have raised safety concerns about small trucks - particularly impacts from the side.
The latest crash tests by the insurance industry raise safety questions about small pickups, which are drawing more interest because they get better mileage than larger trucks.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported Thursday that several small pickups from the 2008 model year offered dismal protection in side crashes. Versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and its twin vehicle, the GMC Canyon, without optional side air bags earned the institute's lowest rating of poor in the side test.
Several pickups were judged marginal, the second-lowest in the four-scale ratings, in the side tests: the Dodge Dakota and Mitsubishi Raider without optional side air bags; the Ford Ranger; Mazda B-Series; and the Nissan Frontier without side air bags. The Ranger and B-Series, which share the same underpinnings, do not offer side air bags.
Small pick-up trucks have the highest death rates of any vehicle on the road reports Susan Koeppen for CBS. Several of the trucks have poor side-safety ratings due to a lack of a side airbags. Only the Toyota Tacoma received a good rating - it will have side airbags as a standard feature in all of its 2009 models.
"The Silverado impressed us most of all because it is a great reworking of an iconic American vehicle," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. "The Chevy pick up truck has been a part of the American automotive landscape for decades. This Silverado takes it into the twenty-first century."
MacKenzie said the 2007 Silverado is leaps ahead of the vehicle it is replacing, citing a number of measurable improvements in refinement and fuel-economy, such as a 5.3 liter V-8 engine that can shift into V-4 mode for greater mileage per gallon, and an optional interior that offers near-luxury car levels of comfort and equipment. The Motor Trend team also noted a tremendous improvement in perceived quality throughout the new Silverado. The use of upscale materials and thoughtful design details mean the new Silverado now beats some SUVs in terms of fit and finish.
General Motors engineers haven't forgotten the Silverado often works for a living. The new model offers a choice of cab and bed sizes, plus suspensions and drive trains, to suit a variety of applications. Developed in conjunction with GM's new GMT900 SUVs, the new Silverado remains truck-tough under its classy sheet metal.
MacKenzie added, "The Silverado offers traditional values people want in a pick-up - it's rugged, durable and versatile, but it's also stylish and comfortable. GM has done a good job in understanding that these trucks are not just for work but also for recreation, and it's done a great job in maintaining the Silverado's reputation for value - prices have only increased about $300 on most models."
Earlier this year Motor Trend selected the Toyota Camry as the 2007 Car of the Year. The award goes to the entire Camry range, including the Camry Hybrid.
"Creating an innovative, engaging automobile with broad mainstream appeal is one of the toughest tasks facing any automaker," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. "The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build. It offers something for nearly everyone—performance, efficiency, and roominess-at a price point most Americans can afford."
MacKenzie added, "Toyota offers the Camry with a regular four cylinder engine, or a sporty V-6 that enables it to hit 60mph in just six seconds – that's about as fast as a V-8 musclecar from the 60s and 70s. Buyers looking for ultimate fuel economy can choose the Camry Hybrid, which uses the same innovative hybrid powertrain technology as Toyota’s Prius to save gas."
You can read more about the 2007 Toyota Camry here.
The Jeep brand has announced The Jeep Compass Music Tour which will feature eight artists performing 320 free concerts. Jeep has also launched a MySpace profile to promote the new 2007 Jeep Compass and the concert tour.
"The Jeep Compass music tour kick-off concert and subsequent grassroots concerts are a great opportunity to expose a wide audience to some new, really talented artists," said G. Love. "We are excited to be part of the New York event and look forward to making some great music."
Following the Central Park kick-off event, Uncharted: The Jeep Compass Music Tour hits the road, with the emerging artists touring eight regions of the country and performing at stops -- some planned and some spontaneous -- in their designated region. The performance stops will be at traditional concert venues and public locations that are popular with music-oriented audiences. During each performance, the artists will incorporate the all-new Jeep Compass with its flip-down rear lift gate speakers.
"The artists in Uncharted: The Jeep Compass Music Tour were selected for their 'true-to-themselves' sound. Similar to the Jeep brand, they are authentic and original," said Jay Kuhnie, Director - Jeep Communications. "Through this concert series, we want to reach a new audience who are not traditional Jeep buyers, but a much younger group that makes music a part of its lifestyle. G. Love is an excellent choice to kick off the concert series with his unique sound and popularity with the people we want to reach."
The MySpace profile includes icons, downloads and music. Jeep is also letting people become "friends" with the MySpace site to increase visibility of the site.
The awards will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2006, at the opening of the North American International Automobile Show in Detroit. The awards are voted on by a group of 49 respected automotive journalists that includes Don Chaikin from Popular Mechanics.
ForbesAutos.com has reviewed the 2006 Hummer H3, the new smaller Hummer. Forbes says the H3 handles better than the other Hummers but the gas mileage is still not good.
GM did its best to make the H3 fuel-friendly, equipping it with a relatively small (3.5 liters) 220-horsepower, five-cylinder truck engine (from the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon). It doesn't help much, though. Our 300 miles of untrafficked rural-road and interstate driving gave a bottom line of 14.7 miles per gallon. The full-time all-wheel drive and 4,700-pound curb weight are among the culprits for such a high rate of fuel consumption.
Autoweek reports that there is also a Hummer H4 coming out in 2008 or 2009 that aims to be a "a rough-and-tough competitor for the Jeep Wrangler."
The Associated Press reports that Ford has recalled 3.8 million trucks and SUVs because of a cruise control switch that may be causing engine fires. The AP says this is the 5th biggest recall in history.
In the Ford case, NHTSA has received more than 550 complaints of engine fires from the cruise control switch. There have been allegations of three deaths in cases cited in news reports or lawsuits in Iowa, Georgia and Arkansas.
The affected vehicles include: 1994-2002 model F-150s, 1997-2002 Expeditions, 1998-2002 Navigators and 1994-1996 Broncos equipped with factory-installed speed control.
"We have a solution that fixes the problem and we're confident that this is going to be the right remedy," said Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley.
Ford said its inquiry found that brake fluid could leak through the cruise control's deactivation switch into the system's electrical components, leading to potential corrosion. The corrosion could lead to a buildup of electrical current which could cause overheating and a fire.
The same article says Toyota recalled over 900,000 vehicles to fix a power steering problem.
Ford is recalling nearly 800,000 pickups and SUVs. The recall is over concern that the cruise control switch could short circuit which would then lead to a fire under the hood. CBSNews.com reports that the recall affects "approximately 792,000 Ford F-150 pickups, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 2000 model year. Also affected are 2001 F-Series Supercrew trucks that were made at the same time." Recently on an NBC Today show the owner of an F-150 truck explained how his truck caught fire and burned his truck and garage even though the ignition was turned off.
2004 could go down as the year for the truck and SUV. Popular Mechanics reports that more people are buying trucks than passenger cars and nearly all manufacturers include new trucks and SUVs in their 2004 models. Click here to read more at popularmechanics.com.
Earlier this year Motor Trend selected the Toyota Camry as the 2007 Car of the Year. The award goes to the entire Camry range, including the Camry Hybrid.
The Jeep brand has announced The Jeep Compass Music Tour which will feature eight artists performing 320 free concerts. Jeep has also launched a 
ForbesAutos.com has 