2009 Gmc Acadia Slt-2 on 2040-cars

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NHTSA opens safety investigations into Toyota, GM and Honda crossovers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is evidently keeping itself very busy these days, as the federal agency has just announced it is launching or renewing investigations into Toyota, Honda and General Motors crossovers.
2006-2008 model year Toyota RAV4 crossovers are under review for allegations of rear tie-rod rust which can result in failure. NHTSA also said it is probing some 35 complaints about 2005 Honda Pilot models with inappropriate activation of the vehicles' stability control system. The alleged malfunction can cause the vehicles to slow down or stop in bad unsafe situations. At the moment, NHTSA is reviewing a petition regarding the Pilot issue, a move that will determine whether it needs to open a full-blown investigation.
In addition, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia three-row crossovers built in 2007-2009 are getting looked at for "loss of low beam headlamp" function. One complainant said the wiring in his Outlook overheated and melted. NHTSA says it has received 415 complaints about the problem and a GM spokesman confirmed that the automaker already started a "Customer Satisfaction Program" in December to address the issue.

GM follows U.S. trademark for AT4X with application in Mexico

Looks like GM is preparing to return the GMC Sierra 1500 All Terrain X to the marketplace, but with a new name. GM Authority found a trademark application filed in May this year in Mexico for the AT4X moniker. This comes three years after GM filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the same alphanumeric in February 2016. When GMC introduced the all-new 2019 Sierra, it changed the previous All Terrain trim name to AT4, as seen on the Sierra AT4 we called "offroad overkill." The patent filings lend credence to the idea that the previous All Terrain X trim will soon be introduced by a Sierra 1500 AT4X model.  The erstwhile All Terrain X, introduced for the 2016 model year, took the former All Terrain further into the frame of serious-looking off-roader. On top of the Z71 suspension with a two-inch lift, Rancho monotube shocks, and a locking rear differential, the X added a sport bar for offroad lights, side steps, more dirt-friendly 18-inch wheels in 265/65 mud-terrains instead of 20-inchers on 275/65 all-terrains, a performance exhaust, and a lot more black and body-colored trim. At launch, we said it was "no Raptor threat," and even though GMC launched a 2500HD version in 2017 (pictured), it likely never worried the Ram Power Wagon. We wouldn't expect the equation to change with a possible AT4X, which is a shame, since hardcore OEM offroaders are becoming bro dozers for the mature, moneyed set.

GM Design shows another early Hummer EV sketch

Like a new mother who's still so excited about her one-year-old baby that she can't stop showing ultrasound photos, General Motors is so excited about its biggest new baby, the battery-electric GMC Hummer, that it can't stop showing off development design sketches. The off-road monster with the 200-kWh Ultium battery pack debuted online on October 21 last year. The next day, the GM Design Instagram page posted some of the Hummer's early "theme sketches" leading to the production version. These had a conceptual flair to them, but were rather restrained. A month later, GM uncovered a series of development renderings showing off a much wilder truck bursting with more angles than a geometry text book. The archives have opened up again with a new "ideation sketch," this one between the first believable sketches and the second truck that Master Chief and Doomguy share on their days off.  All three sets of drawings show similar three-box proportions, it's the details that got a ton of love. On this newest sketch, the fenders flare a touch more than on the production truck, but the wheel wells are cut with the kind of clearance found on a Baja 1000 Trophy Truck. Out back, save for the tow hooks, the rear end is totally different than production. The sketch puts illuminated Hummer script across a narrow tailgate flanked by small square, taillights housing six individual elements. Beneath that, a bumper-less rear end puts nothing more than a sloped bash pate between the truck and the rocks it's just scrambled over. To our eyes, this is the best blend of production-ready comfort from the first sketches and zoot suit angles from the second that we've seen so far.  First deliveries of the GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 are expected before the year is out. When we get a chance to absorb the truck in its native habitats, we'll know whether there's cause for disappointment at what could have been. If so, with all this hunger among the monied for something different, we feel like restomodders have been given the perfect head starts on custom rebodied Hummers that would make things right. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.