Category Archives: engineering

Stanley Cup of Fuel Economy? Canada vs U.S. in EcoCar2

The competition employs Canadian engineering students, together with 13 U.S. university teams, to explore ways to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles without “compromising” performance, safety and consumer acceptability. Continue reading

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General Motors Recalling TRW ESC Because it Can Run Wild

This seemingly benign electronic programming glitch can have severe consequences because it can result in the ESC activating at high speeds without warning resulting in “sudden changes in vehicle handling and deceleration, particularly at higher speeds, which may cause the driver difficulty in maintaining the vehicle’s desired path of travel and desired vehicle speed, and could result in a crash without warning.” Continue reading

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Goodyear Experiments with an Inside Tire Air Pump

The technology involved is interesting if only because underinflated tires result in between a 2.5% and 3.3% decrease in fuel mileage, according industry research. That translates to about 12 cents per gallon at the pump at current – outrageous – fuel prices. Continue reading

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Ford Europe Changes Product Development Team

Ford Motor Company today announced a realignment of its global Product Development leadership team, naming Barb Samardzich, vice president, Global Product Programs, to the position of vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe. Continue reading

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Toyota Opens a European Proving Ground in Belgium

The new Zaventem Proving Ground will play an important role for Toyota’s European vehicle development as part of the company’s plan to become Toyota’s global development center for the small and compact vehicle segments, the Japanese company said in a release. It’s hard to believe Toyota will move those jobs out of Japan where generations of Corolla and other small models have been developed. Continue reading

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Chevy Recalls Colorado, GMC Canyon for Bad Transmissions

The safety defect in violation of FMVSS #114, which deals with the shift interlock design, is caused by a defective automatic transmission adjustment clip built in China. Continue reading

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Renault-Nissan to Open Silicon Valley Office

Renault-Nissan will open a research office later this month in the heart of Silicon Valley, directly across from Google. Small teams will initially work on vehicle IT development, advanced engineering research and technology recruitment. Continue reading

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Volvo Recalls S60 for Defective Software and Engine Stalling

Volvo is recalling 2012 model year S60 passenger cars because they can stall without warning. All Volvo S60 models made from 18 November 2010 through 5 May 2011 will have the engine control software reprogrammed to eliminate this safety defect. Continue reading

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Small Cars Improve in Latest Crash Tests. Size Still Matters

While you can’t change the laws of physics, you can use them to improve crash test results for vehicles. Six of 13 small cars tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earned the Top Safety Pick award. None earned … Continue reading

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NHTSA Investigating Ford Freestyle Models after 18 Crashes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Ford Freestyle models after it received hundreds of complaints about engine surging.

At least 18 crashes are alleged after the minivans jumped ahead when the driver’s foot was not firmly on the brake pedal, according to the NHTSA defect investigation that started last week. Continue reading

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Nissan Recalls Pathfinder, Infiniti QX4 for Rust, Steering Failure

Nissan Pathfinders from model years 1996-2004, and Infiniti QX4 SUVs from 1997-2003 are affected by regional recalls for vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the following 20 states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Critics of regional recalls for safety defects maintain that they do not address the entire population of defective vehicles. Automakers like them since it cuts the expense by limiting the inspection to fewer vehicles. Continue reading

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Truck Underride Guards Fail in Crashes so IIHS Wants New Rule

In 2009, 70% of the 3,163 people who died in all large truck crashes were occupants of cars or other passenger vehicles. Underride crashes makes death or serious injury more likely since the upper part of the passenger vehicle’s occupant compartment typically crushes as the truck body intrudes into the vehicle safety cage. Continue reading

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General Motors Announces EcoCar2 at SAE World Congress

In a sign of how the U.S. no longer occupies the predominate position it once held in automotive engineering, LG Chem ,a Korean company that supplies the lithium-ion cells used in the Chevrolet Volt, will be event’s tier one strategic partner. Continue reading

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Honda Passport SUVs Recalled for Wheels Falling Off

Honda will recall 35,984 Passport SUVs sold in the United States from model years 1998-2002 to inspect the rear suspension lower trailing links. The forward mounting bracket for the left or right rear suspension lower link may suffer excessive corrosion leading to a failure of the suspension, increasing the risk of a crash.

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Driving Impression – Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet is finally replacing its aging Cobalt with the Cruze sedan, which is already on sale in more than 60 countries in Asia and Europe since 2009. The new Cruze is a design hybrid since its engineering was done at Opel in Germany and Daewoo in Korea. North American versions went into production at Lordstown, Ohio this summer. Continue reading

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