2007 Buick Rendezvous Cxl Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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GM announces 6 recalls covering nearly 720k cars

General Motors has announced yet another sprawling recall campaign, with six separate elements covering 717,950 vehicles on US roads. At this point in 2014, it's starting to seem like there are more days with a GM recall than without. Perhaps most troubling about this latest volley, though, is that every vehicle is from the past few years, indicating that GM's quality woes may not be limited to pre-bankruptcy vehicles.
The largest element of this latest campaign covers 414,333 units, and includes the 2011 to 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, 2010 to 2012 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX and the 2011 to 2012 Buick Regal and LaCrosse. Only vehicles with powered, height-adjustable seats are covered. In these particular cars and crossovers, the bolt that secures the height adjuster actuator may loosen of its own accord and in some cases fall out completely. If this happens, the seats will be able to move both up and down. GM claims the vehicles are safe to drive, provided drivers don't vertically adjust their seats. This particular issue has caused one crash and three injuries.
The largest element of this latest campaign covers 414,333 units, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Equinox, GMC Terrain, Cadillac SRX and the Buick Regal and LaCrosse.

2024 Buick Encore GX Cupholder Mega Test: Will the Nalgene bottle fit?

I recently reviewed the 2024 Buick Encore GX in its new Avenir trim, appreciating the updates from its mid-cycle refresh and assessing its comfortable driving style. What I didn't dive into, however, were the cupholders. Specifically, I wanted to know if it could accommodate in a convenient location what is my favorite hydration facilitator, a 32-ounce Nalgene water bottle. This, like other oversized water bottles, often can't find a cupholder that will fit it. Its a particularly American problem (we're more obsessed with cupholders than other markets), so can this American budget-luxury crossover satisfy my own obsession with this big, dumb bottle? Let's find out. Ideally, we could put it in the front cupholders. Few vehicles' cupholders are big enough, though, with the Chrysler Pacifica, Lexus GX and Toyota 4Runner being notable exceptions. We can't add the Encore to that list, unfortunately. The cupholders are far too small. Usually, the second best option, if possible, is to put it in the front door pocket. Voila! It fits. No Nalgene rolling around on the front passenger seat in this Buick. But what about in back? The center armrest in the Encore GX is a fine place to rest one's elbow, but what about a big-ass bottle of water? Alas, the rear cupholders are equally dinky as the ones up front, which is often the case. The last-gen Toyota Tundra was an exception, where the rear cupholders were bigger than those up front which is super weird to me. I'mm looking forward to see what's what with the new Tundra. The rear door pockets are much smaller than those up front. This does not look promising. It's just big enough that I can wedge the bottom of the bottle inside, but not big enough to keep it there when the car is in motion. Sorry backseaters, you'd better settle for your lesser bottles, suckers. I had almost overlooked this little cubby in between the front cupholders and center console armrest. It's an odd shape, but with some luck, the Nalgene will fit. That's the ticket! This is even better than putting it in the door. It's not the most secure fit, but it's not so huge a space that the bottle knocks around and falls over with every input to the steering wheel or pedals. This ended up being where I put the Nalgene every time I drove the Encore GX, and, subsequently, I remained content and adequately hydrated. And the cupholders remained open for alternative beverages. Interested in more than just the cupholders?

GM trademarks 'Sport Touring' for Buick Regal, LaCrosse

Discovering trademarking or patents from automakers always fascinates us since the filings hint at the possible future of motoring. Based on two recent applications, Buick has something possibly brewing for two of its sedans, because the company now has the trademark for Sport Touring on the Regal (pictured above in GS trim) and LaCrosse. According to GM Inside News, both trademarks are dated April 27 and are simply described to the US Patent and Trademark Office as being for "motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles." That doesn't narrow things down at all. However, since the moniker is specifically for both sedans, Sport Touring might be a new trim or special edition for them. Buick had no comment when reached by Autoblog. Of course, there are a whole host of automotive trademarks that are claimed that end up with no actual vehicle in showrooms. Unfortunately, we just have to wait to find out if this is another case like the Buick Enclave Tuscan where the filing offers a preview of the future or a situation like the still long-awaited return of the Supra.