Toyota, Honda and Chrysler involved in new air bag recall

DETROIT/WASHINGTON - The auto industry's air bag troubles deepened on Saturday as U.S. federal safety regulators said three big automakers will recall about 2.1 million older vehicles to fix defects that could cause air bags to deploy when they are not supposed to.

The vehicles involved in the recall announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are made by Toyota Motor Corp, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Honda Motor Co.

There have been about 400 reported cases of inadvertent air bag deployments in the recalled vehicles, NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said. The incidents have caused some minor injuries, but no known deaths, he told reporters.

The recall concerned a defective chip in air bag systems and the fix involved replacing the entire air bag module, including circuits manufactured by parts maker TRW Automotive Holdings, Rosekind said.

The automakers involved had issued three earlier recalls to fix the chip problems. But the NHTSA said it had reports that 39 vehicles fixed under those actions had experienced inadvertent air bag deployments, hence the new recall.

It was not related to millions of vehicles recalled over Takata Corp air bags. U.S. safety regulators have said defective Takata air bag inflators in certain vehicles can rupture and spray metal fragments inside the vehicle.

Air bag failures were also central to the controversy last year over General Motors Co's delay in recalling millions of vehicles with defective ignition switches that could unexpectedly cut off power to the safety systems.

Honda said that approximately 374,000 Honda and Acura vehicles are affected in the United States.

"Honda has received a small number of complaints of inadvertent airbag deployment in these vehicles after the original recall repair was completed," Honda said in a statement. "No crashes have been reported to Honda related to this issue."

Noting potential consumer concerns about air bags, the NHTSA said the chances of being involved in a crash in which an air bag could prevent serious injury or death were far greater than the risk of serious injury from an inadvertent bag deployment.

NHTSA blamed the problems it reported on Saturday on "electrical noise" in the air bag system. It said a fully effective solution might not be available until late this year.

The agency said the models affected were: 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty and 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees (about 750,000 vehicles); 2003-2004 Honda Odyssey; and 2003 Acura MDX (about 370,000 vehicles) and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe; Dodge Viper; and Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, and Toyota Avalon (about 1 million vehicles, not all of which were sold in the United States.)

The agency said the affected models had a part called an electronic control unit that controls deployment of its air bags. TRW supplied control units containing the same control circuit to all three automakers.

Although the recalls were not related to the Takata cases, the NHTSA said there was an overlap, in that about 1 million of the vehicles affected were also covered in separate recalls of Takata air bag inflator systems.

The recall highlights the difficulty automakers and regulators have with increasingly complex electronic systems. The agency said in a statement it could take several months for the companies to obtain enough parts to fix all the vehicles involved.

In the Takata cases, Honda on Friday said it has confirmed that a Takata air bag inflator ruptured in a Jan. 18 crash in Texas that killed the driver. Prior to that incident, air bags made by the Japanese company had been linked to at least five deaths.

source: interaksyon.com

The Honda CR-Z: A sports car made for our times

Hybrid cars are not only fuel-efficient; some of them look a little strange.  So at first glance, the Honda CR-Z might not look like your typical hybrid car. Honda seemed to have something else in mind when it designed the CR-Z, which is dubbed as a “hybrid sports coupe.”  It is a fuel-efficient sports car that is fun to drive and really cool to look at.

When I took the CR-Z for a test drive a few weeks ago, it was really so much fun. But, because we were having a few really wet days, I had to make sure that I was well aware of the flooded areas to avoid because this baby is built so close to the ground that rainy days can really mean stay-at-home days for the CR-Z.


What did I like?

Well, for starters, the Honda CR-Z is dressed up with 16-inch alloy wheels. It is also equipped with a new Plus Sport system that gives the driver what’s essentially a push-to-pass button. Pressing the S+ button will give the car an acceleration boost for five seconds, provided the car is going 40 kph or more.

The CR-Z is known as a mild hybrid because it comes with Honda’s 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a 15-kilowatt electric motor.  The electric motor is used to make the car go faster, but the CR-Z will not operate on purely electric power at low speeds like full-hybrid vehicles should.  On the CR-Z, the electrification serves to boost acceleration like a turbocharger. This allows the use of a smaller, more efficient engine.

The CR-Z can be set in Sport, Normal or Econ modes, which adjust throttle sensitivity, steering assist, air-conditioning usage and transmission programming on cars, or additional electric motor assist on cars with the manual transmission.  In other words, the car makes all the adjustments while you’re driving so that fuel efficiency is achieved. When you switch modes, driving along at a steady 80 kph, the engine either slumps or surges. It’s strong and responsive at 90 kph, in Sport. It makes you want to stay in Sport all the time.




The dashboard looks futuristic to my eyes.  I also like the good support that the cloth mesh seats offer. But, most of all, I like the headlamps on the CR-Z, which give the car extra pogi points.

If you look at the car from the front it almost seems as if the car is smiling, with its big-mouthed mesh black grille, which swoops low and round along the bottom and a straight horizontal edge along the top. The headlamp sweeps back like the wings of an eagle.

The instrument cluster is dominated by the tachometer with digital speed readout in the center that sort of floats in 3D.  There’s a gauge that shows battery charge, and another showing the electric motor power flow: It shows power flowing in from regenerative braking or out to help the engine. Manual transmission models have arrows that suggest shift points for higher-mileage driving; we’ve never been fans of shift lights. There’s a multi-information display, including ECO guide and ECO scoring, with leaves.

The CR-Z has dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags, front and side airbags with Honda’s Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) on the passenger’s side and side curtain airbags. Active head restraints and ABS complete the safety package.

“Zippy” is my best word to describe the CR-Z’s performance. It’s stable in the wind, even with its lightweight body — a benefit of its aerodynamic build.

Honda has touted the CR-Z as a sport hybrid — and because of these sport-inspired features it is quite agile. While driving on open roads I noticed that the CR-Z grips the corners confidently, and the engine sounds really sporty at a higher rpm.  This made driving out on open roads so much fun for the racecar driver in me.

The CR-Z provides a completely different motoring experience from any other car that I have driven in the past.  I guess it is safe to say that drivers like me will enjoy the CR-Z because it is easy to drive. Just like a go-cart, it can go fast when you put your pedal to the metal and it is a hybrid, so it runs with fuel efficiency built in.

And, with the price of gas these days, it really seems like a sports car made for our times.

source: philstar.com

A journey of faith with a Pilot

It was a scorching Holy Week, but the streets of the Metro Manila were empty and driving was a joy.

My first destination was Pampanga. I was test-driving a Honda Pilot and was excited to see just how this SUV would do in the heat of the summer sun.

For starters, I think the Honda Pilot stands apart from the majority of crossovers. What I really like about it is its rugged and macho look. While I’ve noticed that most SUVs have become more aerodynamic and carlike in the past decade, the Pilot has opted to go in the opposite direction. It started life as a wagon, and in the past years has adopted a more SUV-like shape.

Although, the Pilot might have a more rugged look and seem daunting to most women drivers, it’s still a crossover and it makes driving it such a pleasure. No heaviness to the steering. Shifting lanes and maneuvering it into small paces was really quite easy for a small driver like me.

The Pilot’s boxy body has an especially roomy interior, as well as great versatility for busy weekend-hauling needs. Yet with a carlike unibody design, bolstered structurally with some of the benefits of an SUV, the Pilot is able to draw from the best of both worlds.

I decided to take the Pilot on a trip to Pampanga and in keeping with the Holy Week tradition I opted to head for Visita Iglesia and visit a few churches there.




The Pilot’s five-speed automatic transmission, its 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, was a little cause for alarm for me as I thought that I might have to spend all my money on gas. But I was pleasantly surprised at how fuel-efficient this SUV is. I kept it on “eco” mode all throughout my drive to Pampanga.

The stop-and-go traffic on the NLEX was really bad. It took me almost four hours to reach the San Fernando exit. I had planned to make it to Sta. Rita Church first, then on to Betis Church and then to the Cathedral of San Fernando. That was not to be the case.

As I sat in the driver’s seat (yes, I was driving solo) I had time to fiddle with my chair and adjust it to the right height. The traffic did not bother me; matter of fact I welcomed it, as it gave me a better feel of the ride of the Pilot.

It was smooth and easy to maneuver in situations where I did have to overtake at a moment’s notice. At first I was cautious, but once I got a feel of the size of the Pilot and just how quickly it responded to quick lane switching — it was an enjoyable ride to Pampanga.

The real traffic, though, started at the Gapan-Olongapo road where traffic had built up really bad. There was chaos from the cars on the road, and the men walking while flagellating themselves was a riot.


I opted to turn back. And this is where the Pilot was truly a joy to drive. I was able to steer this SUV into small spaces — even with cars refusing to let a few of us drivers turn back. At the same time I felt truly safe inside the Pilot as its rugged body persuaded smaller cars to give way.

I was only able to make it to San Fernando Cathedral that day. The church was filled with folks doing the Stations of the Cross and others getting ready for the Washing of the Feet Mass that was going to take place in a few hours.

Before I left the Cathedral, I took a photo of the Pilot at the Cathedral parking area and I gave it a pat on the hood for being so good to me. I hopped on the Pilot and made my way back to Manila. The drive was a breeze as the NLEX was traffic-free coming into Manila.

I recalled having read recently that the Pilot has for years been a top safety achiever, and it includes side-curtain bags cover all three rows, along with the usual roster of security items. For this year, a rearview camera system is standard on all models and helps with visibility.  The rearview visibility really made backing up quite easy.

On Good Friday it is a tradition that I take my Mom to visit a few churches. Being in her 80s, she prefers to go to the churches early on Friday morning, as there are less people there. I can’t blame her.

I took her on a ride in the Pilot and we took Vodka, my little Bichon Frise, with us. We visited three churches that day — all within the vicinity of Metro Manila. Our first stop was Mount Carmel Church in Quezon City. I like this church because it has such a big parking area. Our Next stop was Mary the Queen Church in Greenhills. I had to let my mom down first and then drive around because parking is a hassle in this area.

Our last stop was Santuario de San Jose in Geeenhills, another church where parking can be a problem. I did get to maneuver the Pilot into a small parking space.

“I like this car,” my mom said. “The seats here at the back are comfy and the air-conditioning is really cool considering it’s so hot outside.”

After I dropped my mom off at home, I headed south. My destination was the Cathedral of Calamba.  On that really hot Friday, by noon the Pilot kept me cool, not just with its air-conditioning, but also through the ease of driving it along the SLEX.

I got to the Cathedral of Calamba in 45 minutes. The church was full, but there was parking. Again lots of squeezing into small spaces for the Pilot, which was now feeling like my ever-reliable companion, and it did not fail me.

I took a walk through the Garden of Gethsemane in Calamba, which had the Stations of the Cross etched in woodcarvings.

That done, I drove back to Manila and opted to go to BGC and check out the interactive Way of the Cross there.

It was quite interesting, the way BGC had set up its rather modern, interactive way of the cross. So that one does not just read a prayer book, the Stations of the Cross were written on a black cloth and then at the end of each station, the faithful are asked to perform an act. For example, in the Station where Jesus carries the Cross, there was a cemented area where people were asked to carry a cross that weighed seven pounds to get a feel, even if just a small feel, of what Jesus might have felt when he carried the cross.





Interesting.

I had made a vow to complete seven churches this year. So, my next stop was Padre Pio Chapel on C5.

I did not know that if I wanted to get into the area where the Stations of the Cross were in this church, I had to carry a cross. The crosses came in different sizes with the bigger ones for the men and the smaller ones for the women. I was given a small cross.

Since this was the second interactive Stations of the Cross chapel I had visited, it made me wonder if the new generation of people needed to have physical proof to strengthen their faith.  It was not like that while I was growing up, yet I believe the reality of Christian faith was no less real to me.

My last stop was Christ the King Church in Quezon City. I had fun with the Pilot getting into the parking area, as it was full and uphill to boot. But then, easy driving is an understatement in this SUV.

I headed home that day with much to ponder faith and how it seems to be changing.  Or perhaps the churches are trying to find ways to keep the faithful coming back — and to remain relevant to Catholics.

At the same time, I smiled amid my “profound” thoughts about faith and thanked God for the Pilot, which kept me safe through my journey of faith.

source: philstar.com