Allison Walker, The Lady Auto Mechanic, has a list of things she wished drivers would do. We heard what our listeners thought other drivers should do and took their car questions.
1. Look out for motorcycles.
2. Need brake lights
3. Use turn signals.
4. No tailgating.
5. No distractions.
Here are the recalls for the week:
2015-2016 Chevrolet Caprice PPV, SS: Corrosion of the connector between the electric power steering module and the torque sensor connector may cause a loss of electric power steering assist, increasing the steering effort needed to control the car if power steering is lost and increasing the risk of a crash. The Fix: Dealers will replace the steering gear assembly for free.
2020 Porsche Cayenne: An insufficient weld on a transmission oil pipe may cause the vehicle to leak automatic transmission fluid, which while driving could cause the road surface to be made slippery, increasing the risk of a crash. The Fix: Dealers will inspect the transmission oil pipe and replace it, if necessary, for free.
You can find out if your car has a past recall by going to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s website: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and inputting your VIN number.
Harbor Freight is recalling 454,000 jack stands because they pose a safety risk and advises consumers to stop using them immediately.
Some Pittsburgh Automotive 3 Ton and 6 Ton Heavy Duty Steel Jack Stands. The recall is only for stands with item numbers 61196, 61197 and 56371. https://images.harborfreight.com/hftweb/recalls/Jack-Stand-Recall-56371_61196_61197.pdf
Consumer Reports has a list of vehicles that have a record of much-worse-than-average overall reliability based on subscriber responses to their Annual Auto Survey. Today, we’re going to caution you about:
Mini Cooper 2005,2008-2013, 2015 engine problems
Please consider reading up on the reliability of this car before purchasing it as a used car, suggests Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/used-cars/used-cars-to-avoid-buying/ https://www.carcomplaints.com/ is another resource for unreliable car lists.
If you’re interested in reviews of new cars Casey Williams for WFYI, in Indianapolis has reviewed the 2020 Subaru Outback XT Onyx this week. https://www.wfyi.org/news/authors/casey-williams
Cyber security experts recommend doing a factory reset of a vehicle’s infotainment system when selling it, or when returning a rental car that you paired your phone with. Or take the vehicle to a dealer and ask them to wipe it clean of data when you sell it as the factory reset may not sufficiently remove all data present. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/18/tech/car-data-safety/index.html
Calls concerned: