1996 Chevrolet C3500 Bucket Truck W/ 6.5 Liter V-8 Turbo Diesel Engine on 2040-cars

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NHTSA ends GM steering investigation without seeking a recall

DETROIT — U.S. safety regulators have closed an investigation into sticky power steering on thousands of older General Motors SUVs and will not seek a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says GM in 2014 issued “special coverage” to fix the problem on the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and other models. The coverage replaced a steering gear with an improved one. The agency said a recall isn't needed because of the coverage and low complaint and warranty repair rates. The agency opened the probe in June of 2020 into steering problems affecting an estimated 781,000 of the SUVs from the 2010 through 2012 model years. Increased friction could make it feel like the steering wheel is stuck. But GM said the SUVs could still be turned, although with more effort than usual. “In view of the special coverage, low rate of failure and low potential hazard to drivers, this preliminary evaluation is closed,” the agency wrote in documents posted Wednesday on its website. Government/Legal Recalls Chevrolet GMC Safety

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs

Corvette + fireworks = so much glory

You might think that those of us making our living by reviewing cars, think critically about the cars we're driving most of the time. It could be that I'm an underachiever, but that's not the case with me. In fact, unless I'm set to the review task, I typically think about the cars in front of and around me more frequently. That's because a) you never know what you're going to see out there, and b) all of them could be out to bump/scratch/tailgate/crash me out. You can never be too careful. Such was the case when I was driving a 2015 Chevy Corvette earlier this week. I'd already had my fun finding the edges of grip on a river road in the car, the night before; on the morning in question I was just trying to get to work. But while scanning the suburban streets for potential dangers to the 'Vette's neat-o Daytona Sunrise orange paint, I spied a XXL-sized fireworks tent in an empty parking lot. Oh right, I remembered, 4th of July weekend. That obvious bit of observation lead to a chain of thought along these lines: "We should do something with this car for the 4th" ... "Too bad I have to give it back tomorrow." ... "Wonder if I could do a quick video?" ... "Wonder if I can set off a bunch of fireworks in slow-mo for a video?" The result, well, I won't call it genius, but I will say that I remember why every kid loves fireworks. And I will call it glorious. Happy 4th, y'all.