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NHTSA closes investigations into Ford Taurus, Hyundai Santa Fe

Ford and Hyundai are out from under the scrutinizing eyes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after the government agency said it was closing investigations against both automakers over vehicle safety concerns.
Ford was being investigated for reported damaged speed control cables on Ford Taurus (shown above) and Mercury Sable models, both built between 2000 and 2003. Vehicles with the company's Duratec engines allegedly failed to allow owners to brake as expected. Owners lodged 100 complaints and were involved in five accidents, according to NHTSA records. The American automaker responded to the reports, and on June 21 of this year, said that it would inspect and repair all affected vehicles, regardless of the mileage.
Hyundai was under investigation for a reported loose fastener on the steering shaft of its 2011 Santa Fe (shown in the gallery below). After NHTSA launched its inquiry, the Korean automaker responded with its own investigation that yielded four affected vehicles. Following the inspection of 680 vehicles at its assembly plant, Hyundai said the issue was due to employee error and that no further defects have been found.

Auto critic calls out Corvette, Mustang and Cherokee faithful

Most automotive purists fear change, but not without reason. Change, after all, did kill big-block V8s, along with most station wagons and manual transmissions. But change has also brought with it far more performance, safety and fuel economy - not to mention ridding the world of shag carpet interiors, bias-ply tires and those horrible motorized seatbelts of the early '90s.
By this time next year, the Chevy Corvette, Jeep Cherokee and next-generation Ford Mustang will all be on sale and will all, in some way, have angered or offended purists. To those critics, Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press is preemptively telling them to stop complaining - at least until they've all been driven. From the Corvette's square taillights and the Cherokee's radical nose to whatever pony car purists will harp on the 2015 Mustang for, Phelan's column points out the positives of automotive evolution and the negatives of staying the course for too long. That's fair enough, but do you think Phelan is on point, or all wet? Head on over to the Detroit Free Press to read his words, then have your say in Comments.

Leno talks racing with NASCAR racer Joey Logano

Jay Leno has to be under significant pressure knowing the appetite his fans have for a new Jay Leno's Garage video every week. This time, Jay takes a break from his usual format (something he's been doing with some frequency as of late) and goes back to his roots as a talk show host. There's no classic in the garage his episode with an interesting story to tell and a sumptuous exhaust note. Instead, the focus is purely on interviewing 23-year-old NASCAR racer Joey Logano about what it's like to be a racecar driver in his Ford Fusion.
Logano started racing at the tender age of six and has risen up the circle-track ranks to the big show of the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The two of them talk about what it's like to compete in the sport today compared to yesteryear, and Logano shares some racing anecdotes. Of course, they also get into what it's like to be on the racetrack controlling a car with about 850 horsepower, a four-speed manual transmission and brakes without any power boost. Scroll down to watch the video.