About 412,000 of Honda Motor Co. vehicles in the US will be recalled over risks that brake pedals may feel soft and slip closer to the floor over time.

Customer complaints have led to this recall of about 344,000 Odyssey minivans and 68,000 Element SUVs for the 2007 and 2008 model years. In a statement, Honda said that there’s a possibility that air would enter the unit that controls braking and stability system. This may lead to the “soft brake pedal” or “low brake pedal” after several months or years. According to Honda spokesman Chris Martin, the US Transportation Highway Safety Administration has received reports of several crashes and three minor injuries related to this issue. Honda clarified that not all vehicles included in the recall have this issue but because it wants to assure customers about their cars’ performance, the carmaker chose to recall all positive units. Of course, everyone’s a bit jumpy when it comes to recalls. Toyota currently faces scrutiny over vehicle safety issue in light of safety problems affecting Toyota Motor Corp vehicles.

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Tags:car news, Honda, honda element recall, honda ofdyssey recall, honda us recall
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Ford’s Transit Connect Electric, which was introduced just a few weeks ago at the Chicago Auto Show, has gotten the attention of AT&T. The telecom company has announced that it would be the electric van’s lead customer.

Jerome Webber, AT&T’s vice-president of fleet operations, said that the future of its corporate fleet lies in cleaner, alternative-fuel vehicles. Webber added the Transit Connect Electric is a “real breakthrough” that they consider it to be a strong addition to its range of alternative-fuel vehicles. This purchase though wouldn’t replace a significant portion of the communications company’s fleet. Azure Dynamics, the company responsible for converting the European vanlet into an EV, is limiting the first year’s production. AT&T clarified that for now, it will only buy two examples. But this should be enough for AT&T to fully evaluate the electric Transit Connect next to the 15 gas-powered examples it already owns. The obvious differences are that the Transit Connect Electric will have a limited range and will be as quiet as a mouse. It will however have the same cargo area and offer as much space and almost as much payload as the standard Transit Connect. Photo gallery after the jump!

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Tags:car news, Ford, transit connect electric at&t
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Skoda’s Fabia range – the hatchback, the estate and the Roomster MPV – has been facelifted and will soon be available in the UK with a new pricing range. The hatch model is priced from 9,330 pounds sterling, while the Roomster has a base price of 11,260 pounds sterling.

The redesigned models have new engines, a fresh radiator grille and new headlights that have been widened to emphasize the horizontal line of the front end design. Aside from that, the range also got new alloy rims and is now offered with a wider range of exterior colors. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:2010 skoda fabia facelift price, car news, fabia facelift price, Skoda
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A recall for 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring minivans equipped with a power-operated rear liftgate has been announced. The safety recall notice was posted at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) official site by the American division of Honda.

The recall affects 21,776 vehicles. According to the report, the tailgate strut could fail, resulting in the power liftgate closing unexpectedly, which lead to injuries if a person is within the liftgate’s closing path. Currently, Honda is conducting a safety improvement campaign for certain model year 2005 Odyssey Touring vehicles equipped with power operated rear liftgate. Honda revealed that the power liftgate gas struts may deteriorate early and when these are worn out, they’re unable to hold the power liftgate in the fully open position. As a result, the power liftgate closes unexpectedly.

Tags:car news, Honda, honda odyssey recall
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The latest version of Vauxhall / Opel’s people-carrier, the 2011 Meriva five-seater MPV which was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show is priced from £15,495 (15,900 euros in Germany for the entry-level 1.4-liter gasoline engine which delivers 74 kW/100 hp) and will go on sale in the UK at the middle of the year.

The carmaker has made the vehicle longer, wider, taller and with more style. For the first time, the MPV is based on the Astra/Zafira platform, which has adopted the “flex doors” (similar to the Rolls-Royce’s coach doors). The Meriva has been leading the small MPV class since launch in 2003, with more than a million sales. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:2010 geneva motor show, 2010 opel meriva, 2010 vauxhall meriva, car news, Geneva Motor Show, Opel, Vauxhall
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Volkwagen revealed at the Geneva Motor Show its brand new 2010 Sharan, also known as the favourite vehicle of countless families all over Europe. This new generation is equipped for the first time with sliding doors in the back as well as a new design, inspired by the new trend in Volkswagen family.

Under the hood, we have the TDI and TSI engines (103kW / 140PS to 147kW / 200PS) and transmission systems (DSG optional). The 2010 Sharan includes EasyFold seating system (up to seven easily adjustable seats), high-end quality, uncompromising safety (seven airbags, Light Assist automatic main beam control, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running and position light) and numerous clever details. Also, we have new adaptive chassis control (DCC) and a level regulating system. The 2010 Vw Sharan will be available in Trendline, Comfortline and Highline versions and the base model will include features such as semi-automatic air-conditioning (‘Climatic’) and radio/CD system (‘RCD 210’). Volkswagen will again offer the four-wheel drive version (Sharan 2.0 TDI 4Motion with 140PS), which means that the vehicle will be the only in its class to offer such a system. The new Sharan will hit the dealerships by the end of March. Photo gallery after the jump!

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Tags:2010 geneva motor show, 2010 sharan, 2010 vw sharan, car news, Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen, vw, vw gti concept
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Citing problems with the airbag system, Chrysler issued a safety recall notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) official site.

The recall involves 312,000 minivans namely: the 2005-2006 Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan vehicles. According to complaints, the front crash sensors could crack and water can then get into the sensor. The NHTSA report states that this can cause the sensor to become inoperative and illuminate the airbag warning light. These sensors were added to enhance the performance of the airbag system in certain frontal crashes. Chrysler also said that the vehicles affected by the recall are the ones sold or registered in states located mostly in the northern half of the US.

Tags:car news, chrysler, chrysler minivans airbag recall
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As you may know already, the Toyota Prius is one of the most popular hybrid vehicles on the market and due to its success the Japanese manufacturer wants to expand its range of hybrids.

Apparently, the range will include a Prius-based estate, a coupe and an MPV. The new coupe will be based on the FT-CH Concept, introduced back in January at the Detroit Auto Show and will take on cars such as the Honda CR-Z. The Prius-based estate and MPV will debut in spring 2011 and will carry Toyota’s 1.8-litre VVT-i hybrid system, found also on the brand new Lexus CT 200h. Also, it appears that the Japanese firm will also build a hybrid sports car, a rear-drive plug-in based on the next-gen Lexus IS platform.

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Tags:car news, Toyota, toyota prius coupe, toyota prius estate, toyota prius mpv
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Final production versions of Ford’s new C-Max and Grand C-Max models will be displayed at the Geneva Motor Show next month. These two models made their debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year.

They are among the first Ford models to have Ford’s new Ecoboost petrol engines and upgraded Duratorq diesel engines. Ford has chosen these C-Max models to be the first in its lineup to have the new C-segment platform, which will soon be used to underpin the next Focus. At Geneva, we will also get to witness the European-spec Focus, and the Mondeo and Kuga models, which will feature the new Ecoboost and Duratorq engines. The Ford lineup will also have the facelifted and S-Max and Galaxy models.

Tags:2010 ford c-max, 2010 ford grand c-max, 2010 geneva motor show, car news, Ford, Geneva Motor Show
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General Motors’ strategy is catching on. Chrysler Group has announced that it is offering minivan customers a 60-day, money-back guarantee. Unhappy buyers who had traded in a competitor’s vehicle for a Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan can cite the “minivan pledge” to take advantage of this.

The offer runs through March 31. Sales chief Fred Diaz talked about Chrysler Group’s confidence in selling the best minivans in the marketplace; hence, this promise that the company will take back the minivan if customers aren’t satisfied with it. This offer doesn’t come without strings though. Continued after the jump!

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Tags:car news, chrysler, chrysler minivan 60-day
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