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Takata air bag recall list

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed yesterday that 33.8 million vehicles with Takata airbags are going to be recalled. It's the largest recall in automotive history. The already record-breaking rate of automotive recalls this year shows no signs of slowing down, especially since millions of cars with defective airbags made by global supplier Takata are under ongoing scrutiny. The federal government is warning owners that inflator mechanisms in the air bags can rupture, causing metal fragments to fly out when the bags are deployed. The faulty air bags have already been blamed for multiple deaths. How do you know if your vehicle is safe? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released an updated list of vehicles under recall. Sometimes however, the government's website will crash and the list may not be complete. Check your VIN at the NHTSA website to make sure. The list of cars affected by the recall has not been released, but seem to span multiple models over the years for many of the automakers.

We dialed a random Swede, talked about not driving Volvos

The Swedish Number is now a thing. It's a cool thing. You dial, a random Swede picks up, and you chat. Or, in my case, you dial and a random Brit living in Sweden for the past six year picks up and you chat. Since I was calling on behalf of Autoblog, when I got Martin from the small coastal town of Sundsvall, on the phone, we talked about cars, Volvos (natch), and cold-weather testing. Oh, and about plugging in his regular Toyota Prius. ABG: I was able to come to Sweden and test Volvos a month or so ago. Do you drive a Volvo? Martin: [laughs] No. I think Volvo is a fantastic car. It truly is an amazing car, but no. My girlfriend has a company car, so we drive a hybrid Toyota Prius. ABG: And how does that work in the cold winters? It obviously cuts down on the environmental problems. Martin: No problem at all. Because we have these cold winters, like you do get in the States as well, where we park our cars, we've got electricity posts where we can plug in the cars. Motor car engines have a heater, so you can have the heater going for some time before you get into the car. So it warms up the engine and there's a socket inside the car to warm up the inside of the car as well. It's very efficient. You just need to remember to set the timer when you climb out of the car and connect the cable. It obviously cuts down on the environmental problems as well because your car is already warm before you start them. ABG: I know that makes them overall more efficient, I just didn't know it could work with any car. It used to be you would keep the diesel engine blocks warm, but this works for pretty much any car in Sweden? Martin: Yes. Our temperatures here can vary. We do tend to get roundabout -18 to -25C [0 to -15F], where I live, sometimes. Normally, in the winter, we always plug the car in to make it more environmentally friendly, for starters, and then it's a nice warm car when you get in. The coldest I remember it getting here was -36 [-33F]. In the north of Sweden they've had, on record, -56 [-69F]. ABG: That's too cold. Martin: That is cold, yeah. Most countries, now, use the north of Sweden to test their cars because of the ice. Volvo S90 Prototype View 15 Photos ABG: That's actually why I came over there, to test out the new XC90s and S90s. Martin: Is that your job, then? ABG: I don't test the cars for the companies, but I test them for Autoblog. They'll invite us to test the vehicles so we can see for ourselves what the vehicles do in cold weather.

Recharge Wrap-up: Automakers talk connected cars, Toyota's CNG hauler

Tesla, Toyota and General Motors addressed the House Subcommittee on Information Technology about the security and benefits of "The Internet of Cars." Tesla put forth four suggested security principles for the security of connected cars. Those include standard cryptography ("signing") used by automakers, measures to prohibit direct connection over the internet, isolation of a car's networked systems from its mechanical systems and standard encrypted communications protocols. Tesla VP of Business Development Diarmuid O'Connell also urged against "overly restrictive regulation." O'Connell says, "Regulation at a time of rapid innovation runs the risk of limiting the realization of the full extent of safety advances." See the hearing in the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Details over the rollout of new DC fast chargers by NRG eVgo and BMW leave some i3 owners disappointed. The partners will add 500 fast-charging sites to the eVgo network in 25 cities by the end of 2015. The "Fast Combo" chargers will be available to use for free for BMW i3 customers for 24 months. The free charging only applies to new buyers, though, leaving behind some 15,000 current i3 owners. Still, many EV drivers – not just BMW owners – will benefit from the ability to charge quickly in more places. Read more at Green Car Reports. Toyota has announced its first CNG car hauler. The automaker's in-house transport company, Toyota Transport, will operate the truck out of Long Beach, California. The truck, which Toyota says emits 85 percent less particulate matter and 10 percent less CO2, will drive about 7,000 to 8,000 miles per month. "We started exploring the CNG option more than three years ago, and it has been worth the wait," say Toyota Transport Compliance Senior Analyst Kirk Welch. "Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and will help Toyota advance our environmental efforts to reduce fleet emissions." Read more in the press release below. Making Your New Toyota Run Cleaner Before You Even Start It Toyota's Latest Car Hauler Runs on Compressed Natural Gas November 23, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif. (Nov. 23, 2015) – Toyota Transport, the automaker's in-house vehicle transportation trucking company, now has its first car hauler that runs on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The Long Beach, CA based truck/trailer does what any other car hauler can do, except it does it while emitting 85 percent less overall particulate matter and 10 percent less carbon dioxide.