Mazda CX-9 Recall: Seat Heaters Could Catch Fire

Mazda's recalling its 2010 model year CX-9 because of a defect that could cause the seat heaters to overheat and maybe even catch fire.

The official NHTSA recall report is here.

Nissan Recalls Armada, Titan, Quest, Frontier, Pathfinder, Xterra

Brake pedal pins and faulty gas gauges. Details from Automotive News (free registration required) here.

Toyota Senate Hearing: Brake Overrides To Be "Recommended" By Feds?

The Obama administration may "recommend" automakers install brake override systems in an effort to prevent unintended acceleration, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Brake override kills power to the engine when both the brake and gas pedals are pressed simultaneously.

LaHood testified before a Senate committee looking into the Toyota gas pedal recall Tuesday...a hearing in which he and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration took nearly as much heat as Toyota.

Full details from the New York Times.  Video replay from C-SPAN here.

Feds: Toyota Death Toll 52 Since 2000

The Detroit News says the government has updated the number of people killed in accidents linked to unintended acceleration in the past ten years. It's now at 52.  Details here.

Live Video Streaming: Toyota Senate Hearings

This time it's the Senate Commerce Committee, Science and Transportation that wants answers. In the hot seat: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, NHTSA administrator David Strickland, and Center for Auto Safety executive director Clarence Ditlow.

Hearings start at 10AM Eastern (7AM Pacific) and will go til 5:30 PM Eastern (2:30 Pacific). Click here to watch live streaming.

GM Recalls 1.3 Million Cars For Power Steering Trouble

Last month, we told you the feds were investigating complaints about electrical power steering problems in the Chevy Cobalt.

Well, it's now a recall. 1.3 million Cobalts, Pontiac G5s and their Canadian and Mexican variants.

The Detroit News has full details here.

Reuters: Zero Percent Interest For 5 Years; 2 Years Free Maintenance On New Toyotas

It's the favorite question of car salesmen everywhere: "What would it take to get you to buy this car today?"

Sources tell Reuters that Toyota thinks the answer might be 0% financing for five years and 2 years worth of free maintenance. The full story here.

Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab Review

What you see is the new Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab in its natural environment. The 3500 is a one-ton pickup...the kind of thing best suited for hauling huge horse trailers (or Brahma bull trailers) around. The ideal rodeo vehicle.

In fact, I would have said that the market for this was pretty well limited to the horses for business and/or pleasure set until I drove it.

Unintended Acceleration: Unleaded Solder and Tin Whiskers?

Ever hear of "tin whiskers"?  They grow out of soldered wiring unless the solder has lead in it. But the past few years, environmentalists have pushed for and won concessions about the use of lead. 

The Truth About Cars has a great piece on what happens when those whiskers grow, the electrical gremlins that can occur...and how all this might fit into the unintended acceleration puzzle. It's a must-read.