It’s a big deal when Consumer Reports awards a “Don’t Buy” rating to a vehicle, and when it announced earlier today that the 2010 Lexus GX 460 should be avoided because of safety risks, the story started popping up all over the web. Now only 12 hours later, Lexus has announced that it is asking dealers to temporarily stop selling the vehicle while it looks into the situation, and that it’s taking the Consumer Reports claim “very seriously.” [More]
suvs
Nissan Recalls 540,000 Cars
By 3.3.10
Due to potential problems in brake pedal pins and fuel-gauge components, Nissan is recalling 540,000 cars, 179,000 of which are in the US. [More]
Wild Teenagers To Inherit America's SUVs
By 8.4.09
Move over soccer moms and drug runners. Now that SUVs are heading for junk piles, the latest face of the SUV driver is the American teenager. As Abram Sauer reports at TheAwl, this is not good:
Don't Let Cash For Clunkers Become Cash For Con Artists
By 7.27.09
The government’s Cash for Clunkers rebate program offers a way to upgrade from a gas-guzzler to a vehicle with better gas mileage on the cheap, but it also opens the door for scammers to seize some five-finger discounts.
Ditching Your Gas-Guzzling SUV Could Be More Expensive Than You Think
By 8.3.08
SUVs are worth so little that it could take 15 years for a more fuel efficient vehicle to pay for itself in gas savings. Before rushing to trade-in your gas-guzzler, do the math and make sure it isn’t economical to hold onto your unfashionable behemoth. Here are three questions to consider…
5 Tips For Selling Your Gas-Guzzling SUV
By 7.9.08
SUV owners can relate to the horror felt at the moment when you look up at the gas pump and it reads somewhere between $80 to $100+. The first stage is denial, followed by rage and ultimately sadness. The final stage is an overwhelming urge to get rid of your SUV. Unfortunately, many people are having the same urge which is flooding the market with vehicles that many consider undesirable. Nevertheless, it is possible to sell that SUV, but you should be willing to invest a little extra time and patience. SmartMoney has put together 5 tips to help you sell your SUV. The list, inside…
6 Things You Should Never Say To A Car Salesman
By 7.8.08
There are few things in life that will test your mettle more than a savvy car salesman. He is a master manipulator and has a PhD in messing with your head. Even if you have checked out some confessions of a car salesman and carefully studied the evil “four-square” technique, there are still some things you could say that tell a salesman you are a soft target. CNN Money and Edmunds.com have put together a list of 6 things you should never say to a car salesman. The list, inside…
By 4.2.08
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Snapshot of the economy: Small car sales up in March, SUV sales down. Those experiencing the biggest deltas? Toyota Yaris:up 83.2%, Nissan Titan: down 44.9% [Kicking Tires]
SUV Sales Remain Strong In U.S. Despite Gas Prices
By 1.3.08
We guess the sort of person who wants a luxury SUV isn’t too concerned about the idea of gas approaching $3.50 a gallon in the coming months, because sales have only dropped 0.9% over the past year, reports BusinessWeek. “‘For a high-dollar car, people with that level of discretionary income can absorb gas fluctuations,’ says Brinley of AutoData.” But it’s not just the filthy rich who have SUV-fever: sales of small SUVs have increased by 22.7%.
By 12.6.07
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Ford is recalling 1.2 million vans, SUVs, and pickup trucks “because of a flaw in an engine sensor that could cause sudden stalling.” [Reuters]
Should Automakers Be Required To Install Stability Control Systems?
By 6.4.07
A California lawsuit is accusing GM of negligence for not including a stability control system as a standard feature on the Chevrolet Suburban. The lawsuit stems from a 2002 rollover involving a Suburban that killed a woman and her stepdaughter. GM paid the stepdaughter’s family almost half a million dollars to settle out of court.
“The safety benefits of stability control have been known to auto manufacturers since the mid 1990s,” Avila said. “But they delayed implementing because they felt that safety was not marketable, so instead of installing on the SUVs that needed it most because of their rollover problem, they put it on luxury SUVs and cars as a performance item.”
The federal government will require the inclusion of stability control systems by 2012, but GM will offer the systems on all models by 2010. Should automakers be required to install stability control systems? Tell us in the comments. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Toyota to Recall 553,000 Trucks, SUVs
By 1.23.07
- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall about 533,000 Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pickup trucks in the United States to repair faulty components that could make the vehicles difficult to steer….The latest recall covers certain 2004 to 2007 model year Sequoias and 2004 to 2006 model year Tundras, both built at Toyota’s Indiana plant, the automaker’s U.S. sales unit said in a statement.
The defect has caused 11 accidents and 6 injuries, Toyota said. They’ll begin notifying owners in Mid-February and will repair the “defective front suspension lower ball joints free of charge.”—MEGHANN MARCO
San Fran Kills SUV Limos With Hills
By 6.16.06
This is what happens when you take a stretch SUV limo through the hills and dales of San Francisco.
Consumer-Made Ad Mocks Chevy
By 3.31.06
With all the bloat and spasmodic jibbering about consumer-generated ads, it’s nice to see one backfire. Chevy teamed up with The Apprentice to hold an online contest where you remix video and sound clips to make your own Chevy Tahoe ad. Winners receive their choice various expense paid trips.
