Auto Trends

Traffic Stop Scenario, originally uploaded by DUI101

If you can read (and speak) this… then you have nothing to fear!

A number of traffic violations are under investigation this month in Dallas, Texas. It appears that drivers are getting stung for their inability to speak English. The investigation kicked off when Ernestina Mondragon, requested an internal investigation for several traffic violations she received on October 2, 2009.

An officer pulled her over on the day of question for at least one visible violation, the improper use of a U-turn. Over the course of trying the communicate with her, the officer must have become agitated, and issued her a violation for her inability to speak English. She received a total of three traffic violations: two traffic-related (the second for not having her license with her), and the “no-English”.

If you wanted to find proof of the continued recession in states such as Texas, this could be a good place to start. You might think that this just happens to be one of those isolated cases from some rookie just learning the ropes, and it is to some degree… but it is not as isolated as you may think.

Currently there are nearly 40 tickets that have been issued by what appears to be six different officers, over the period of three years, stating a violation for a drivers inability to speak English properly. The Dallas police department has stated that in the case of Mrs. Mondragon, a federal law was misapplied. A law which states that a driver of commercial vehicles in Texas, must speak English.

Mrs. Mondragon’s ticket has since been dismissed in court.

For those of you who complained of those multi-language phone calls that always begin with, “If you can speak English, please press ‘1′ now…”

You haven’t been to Texas lately!

Source: 9News.com

Tacoma Sale 018, originally uploaded by roverboy

Toyota has announced today that it will be recalling a total of 3.8 million of its vehicles, including the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350, 2006-2010 Lexus IS250, and IS350.

Their greatest number of recalls prior to this was nearly 900,000 vehicles in 2005, due to front suspension defects on their Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia, Landcruiser, and 4-Runner (May 2001- December 2003).

The 2005 issue was a serious issue involving the ball joints which tended to wear quicker than expected, causes steering issues, that could lead to a loss of control of the vehicle. Today’s recall, is a serious one, yet involves such a simple fix, that just about any consumer should be able to handle this one on their own.

The process of recall repair is as simple as these three steps:

1. Walk out to Toyota vehicle and open drivers side door.

2. Reach down and grab the drivers-side floor mat, and yank it out.

3. Do not put mat back in vehicle!

This simple recall is due to an issue reported by Toyota that involves the drivers-side mat binding itself underneath the accelerator pedal, causing it to snag and interfere with normal vehicle operation (mainly, unwanted acceleration). These accessory mats are reportedly too large for the floor area, and have already caused four occupant deaths in at least one Lexus ES.

This will be Toyota’s largest recall in its history as an automotive manufacturer, and could very well also be one of the simplest recall fixes in history! Of course, this do-it-yourself fix is only temporary, as Toyota will replace the mats once the recall notices are official. How much this will cost Toyota is unknown, but the real fear is how much it could damage their brand recognition for the future.

Source: The Car Connection

No doubt you have heard about some of the tragedies that succumbed the fate of the Cash For Clunkers program. Of course I am speaking from the point of view of a true car enthusiasts. Other folks would probably say good ridden to just about anything on the road that can achieve a 35 mpg rating with both tires tied behind its trunk. Never-the-less, the Cars.gov website has released its official list of cars that were destroyed during the program, and Auto Blog was right on it, leaving a trail of tears as they read.

For those who are more of a glass is half full type of individual, Auto Blog reminds us that many of the most surprising vehicles on this list, just may be a typing or clerical error. None-the-less, not all of these can be a mistake, so I can assure you that at least a few tears should be in order. So without further adieu, let’s start the Cash for Clunker Trade-in Tragedy pictorial…

1987 Buick ASC GNX

Photo via Travis Isaacs
With its turbocharged 3.8-liter V6, this vehicle has become one of the most renowned 6-bangers in history.

1992 GMC Typhoon

Photo via em0erk
A 4.3 liter turbocharged V-6 SUV that could punch out 0-60 in under 5-seconds.

2008 Foose Ford F-150

Photo via josedesomb66
There were only 500 of these 450 horsepower monsters made, and considering two got clunked, I guess we’re down to 498.

1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante

Photo via fly_on_the_wall
Too painful for me to even think about!

1987 Duntov GT

Photo via essichgurgn
Anything that is this exotic is bound to be worth more than $4,500… even with bullet holes in the trunk!

2005 Mazda RX-8

Photo via CarbonXRS
I kid you not!

2006 350Z Roadster

Photo via tadpole_x
Somebody must have really hated this car!

1985 TVR 280i Convertible

Photo via Matt-Hill
Ah, okay, well that’s enough tears for that one…

Here is the full list of surprises (Read ‘em and weep):

• 1987 Buick ASC GNX
• 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante
• 1997 Bentley Continental R
• 1989 20th Anniversary Pontiac Trans Am
• 1992 GMC Typhoon
• 1985 Audi Quattro
• 1992 BMW 850i
• 2006 Audi A4 Convertible
• 2006 Cadillac STS
• 2008 Foose F-150
• 2007 GMC Acadias
• 2008 Hyundai Accent
• 2006 Nissan 350Z Roadster
• 2006 Roush Stage 3 F-150
• 2006 Toyota Corolla
• 2005 Mazda RX-8
• 2002 Kia Spectra
• 1988 Aurora Cobra
• 1996 Buick Funeral Hearses
• 1987 Duntov GT
• 1987 Excalibur Autos Phaeton
• 1990 Honda CRX
• 1985 Maserati Quattroporte
• 1999 Mercedes C43 AMG
• 1985 TVR 280i Convertible

Source: AutoBlog