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121k Dodge Darts being investigated over braking problem

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the Dodge Dart due to reports of braking problems. Some 121,000 cars are possibly affected, all from the 2013 model year. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA received 18 complaints about the brake pedal becoming hard to depress on these cars, increasing stopping distance. Drivers reported hearing a "pop noise or an air hissing noise when applying the brake pedal, followed by a hard pedal feel and reduced brake effectiveness," NHTSA told the News. In a particularly terrifying incident, one driver says the Dart's braking system shut down while driving at 50 miles per hour. "I feared for my life. It is one of the scariest things I have ever dealt with," the complaint said, according to The Detroit News. A Fiat-Chrysler spokesperson said the automaker is "fully cooperating" with this investigation.

More than half of Mazdas sold in 2018 are CX-5s, and other interesting sales facts

Last year was a seriously good year for carmakers. Overall, more vehicles were sold than in 2017, and the total number wasn't far off of the all-time record in 2016. Digging deeper into the numbers, you'll find some pretty usual stuff including the Ford F-Series still being the bestselling pickup truck in America, and a continued trend toward crossovers. But there are also some oddball factoids tucked in these sales reports, some that defy the trends, and some that are extremes of the public's buying preferences. We've compiled several interesting tidbits from last year's sales right here for your enjoyment. More than half of Mazda's sales were of CX-5s Yes, over half of all Mazda sales were of this one model. The company sold 300,325 cars in America last year, and 150,622 of them were CX-5 crossovers, or 50.1 percent. Just for emphasis, that means the other 49.8 percent of Mazda's sales were split among five other models, the Miata, 3, 6, CX-3 and CX-9. Breaking that down further, the second-best seller was the Mazda3 at 64,638, which isn't even half of the CX-5's sales. People are crazy for Mazda's middle crossover. Volkswagen actually sold more cars than crossovers It's clear that the crossover is the future king of car sales. For most mainstream brands, it already is. Chevy, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and Nissan all sold more crossovers and SUVs than they did conventional sedans and hatchbacks. There are holdouts, though, and one of them is Volkswagen. At the end of 2018, the company sold 189,343 cars and 164,721 crossovers in the U.S. So that's one win for the classic car set, and it's justification for VW to maintain its car line for the foreseeable future. It's a bit of a hollow victory, though. Look closer and you'll see that car sales were down 28 percent from 2017, when VW sold 262,029 cars. Crossovers, on the other hand, jumped 112 percent from 2017 when 77,647 crossovers moved through U.S. dealers. So expect the tables to turn very soon. Mustang is still the muscle-car sales king, but Challenger is the only one to improve Once again, the Ford Mustang topped the muscle-car sales charts, beating out the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro. Ford moved 75,842 of the ponies in 2018, while Dodge sold 66,716 Challengers for second place, and Chevy sold 50,963 Camaros to bring up the rear.

2013 Dodge Dart GT offers subtle menace in compact form

Dodge has already shared all of the relevant information about its all-new 2013 Dart GT, but it wasn't until now that we've seen the car, live and in person. The slightly meaner front fascia and bigger wheels look great on the Dodge, and the red-on-black perforated seats are sporting in an aftermarket sort of way.
To recap: The Dart GT also gets a bit more power, using a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine to make 184 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. A starting price of $20,995 will get you LED taillights, dual exhaust, an 8.4-inch touchscreen and a 7.0-inch TFT display.
Feel free to re-acquaint yourselves with the full Dodge Dart GT information in the press release below, or have a leisurely browse through our gallery of live images.