Service

Airbag maker Takata to book $307 million loss after Japan autos recall

April 18, 2013 09:31 CET
Takata, the airbag manufacturer that last week was cited in the recall of 3.4 million vehicles made by Japanese automakers, said on Thursday it will book an annual extraordinary loss of $307 million.... Read More »

 

Recall of airbags shows risk of global supply chains

April 18, 2013 06:01 CET
A massive vehicle recall by four Japanese automakers because of faulty airbags underscores the perils of huge global supply chains as companies increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts.... Read More »

 

Airbag recall shows risk of global supply chains

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
A massive vehicle recall by four Japanese automakers because of faulty airbags underscores the perils of huge global supply chains as companies increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts.... Read More »

 

Lithium batteries fail to deliver, must be safer, regulators told

2:19 pm U.S. ET | April 11, 2013
Lithium ion battery sales and performance have fallen far short of forecasts, and better technology is needed to improve their safety, battery experts told federal regulators today.... Read More »

 

Toyota, other Japanese automakers recall 3.4 million vehicles over airbag

April 11, 2013 10:49 CET
Japanese automakers including Toyota, Nissan and Honda are recalling about 3.4 million vehicles worldwide due to defective airbags supplied by Takata. The recall underscores the risk of huge global supply chain problems as automakers increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts to cut costs.... Read More »

 

Jaguar Land Rover N.A. names Duke Hale to head customer service

4:18 pm U.S. ET | April 9, 2013
Jaguar Land Rover North America has hired Duke Hale as vice president of customer service. Hale will head up warranty, parts operations and owner relations in this newly created post.... Read More »

 

Chrysler recalls more than 214,000 vehicles in U.S.

4:01 pm U.S. ET | April 9, 2013
Chrysler Group is recalling more than 214,000 cars and trucks to fix a range of problems, including an engine cover that overheated and led to a fire under the hood of a prototype Ram 3500, documents released today show.... Read More »

 

FINANCE & INSURANCE

Service lane focus lifts Lithia's F&I sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
New software and a boost in spiffs have made it easy -- and lucrative -- for Lithia Motors Inc.'s service advisers to sell extended service contracts and lifetime oil change plans.... Read More »

 

GM alerts 779,000 owners to need for more-frequent oil changes

10:26 am U.S. ET | April 5, 2013
General Motors is warning owners of almost 800,000 2010-12 vehicles that they may need oil changes more frequently than their onboard oil monitoring systems are telling them.... Read More »

 

Hyundai to take 'global action' to fix brake light switch

April 4, 2013 06:01 CET
Hyundai and its affiliate, Kia, will take "global action" to fix a potentially faulty brake light switch, after they said they planned to recall almost 1.9 million cars in the United States. The move may mean the world's fifth-biggest automaker ends up recalling even more vehicles than that number, Hyundai's U.S. record, and is a stark warning that it may have sacrificed quality standards for rapid expansion.... Read More »

 

Hyundai, Kia recall 1.7M vehicles for faulty brake switch

8:35 am U.S. ET | April 3, 2013
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are recalling vehicles in the United States to replace a faulty switch that can prevent brake lights from illuminating and trigger other problems. About 1.7 million vehicles are involved. It is the second major recall involving the stop lamp switch, following the callback of more than 500,000 Hyundai vehicles in 2009.... Read More »

 

Subaru recalls 2005-2009 Legacys and Outbacks to check brakes

11:57 am U.S. ET | April 2, 2013
Subaru is recalling about 225,000 Legacy and Outback sedans and wagons from model years 2005-2009 in the United States and Canada to check for corroded brake lines.... Read More »

 

FIXED OPERATIONS

Lithia tests 2 service dept. apps

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Lithia Motors Inc. is testing two apps for the service department: one that shows customers if their vehicle needs service and another aimed at streamlining communication with customers.... Read More »

 

FIXED OPERATIONS

Hyundai dealers get up to speed on quick lubes

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
More than 80 Hyundai dealerships have signed up for Car Care Express. The program helps dealers adopt best practices for speedy oil changes, vehicle inspections, tire rotation, air-filter replacement and other basic services.... Read More »

 

Tire study: Replacement rate runs higher for run-flats

1:36 pm U.S. ET | March 29, 2013
Run-flat tires are far more likely than conventional tires to need replacement because of a flat or blowout, according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates.... Read More »

 

Bad cable, fires cause Challenger recall

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
A faulty terminal on a battery cable caused Chrysler Group last week to warn about 2,500 owners of 2013 Dodge Challengers to park their cars immediately or risk a fire.... Read More »

 

Pa. Toyota store must pay crash victims $16 million, jury says

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 23, 2013
A jury has ordered a Toyota dealership in Philadelphia to pay six crash victims $15.7 million for its negligent maintenance and repair of the 2006 Toyota Sienna rental in which they were riding.... Read More »

 

Honda recalls Acura TSX sedans to reinforce electronic control unit

9:47 am U.S. ET | March 22, 2013
Honda will recall 76,000 Acura TSX sedans in the United States to install a water-resistant cover over the electronic control unit to prevent corrosion that could ultimately lead to stalling.... Read More »

 

CHINA

VW China recall may cost more than $600 million

March 20, 2013 10:00 CET
VW Group's recall in China to fix defective gearboxes may cost it more than $600 million. The recall affects 384,181 vehicles including the VW Golf Audi A3, China's quality inspector said. While VW declined to comment on the financial toll, research firm LMC Automotive estimated the replacements will cost between 3,000 yuan ($483) to 10,000 yuan per vehicle.... Read More »

 

Buick, Caddy recall 33,700 new vehicles to fix transmission software

12:27 pm U.S. ET | March 20, 2013
GM is recalling about 33,700 model-year 2013 Buick LaCrosse sedans and Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles globally to address a potential software problem that could increase the risk of a crash.... Read More »

 

VW's China recall may cost more than $600 million

9:04 am U.S. ET | March 20, 2013
Volkswagen AG recalled a record number of vehicles in China to replace defective gearboxes that may result in the loss of acceleration, in a move that may cost the company more than $600 million.... Read More »

 

Chrysler tells 2,500 owners of V-6 Challengers to stop driving because of fire risk

3:05 pm U.S. ET | March 17, 2013
Chrysler Group is warning about 2,500 owners of 2013 Dodge Challengers with V-6 engines built in December and January not to drive their cars because of a potential short-circuit that could lead to a fire. Seven such fires have occurred, none causing injury, on Challengers built from Dec. 3, 2012, through Jan. 24, 2013.... Read More »

 

Toyota recalls FJ Cruiser to inspect, repair rear seat-belt retractors

2:54 pm U.S. ET | March 15, 2013
Toyota is recalling about 310,000 FJ Cruiser compact SUVs worldwide because cracks can develop in the rear door panels, allowing the seat-belt retractors to detach.... Read More »

 

Honda recalls 250,000 vehicles for braking problems

8:14 am U.S. ET | March 14, 2013
Honda Motor Co. is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles globally, including some Acura MDX crossover SUVs, due to braking problems, the automaker said on Thursday.... Read More »

 

Nissan recalls five 2013 models on passenger airbag concerns

10:16 am U.S. ET | March 13, 2013
Nissan is recalling five 2013 model year vehicles, including top sellers Altima and Sentra, because the front passenger airbag may not deploy in a crash, the automaker told U.S. regulators. The models in the recall are Nissan's Altima, Sentra, Pathfinder and Leaf as well as Infiniti JX35, it said today.... Read More »