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GM recalling over 243,000 crossovers over possible seat belt defect

2010 Buick Enclave - Click above for high-res image gallery
The summer of 2010's recall hit parade continues unabated today, with General Motors having just announced that it is asking 243,403 owners of its 2009-2010 Lambda crossovers to bring their three-row haulers in for inspection. The culprit? Second-row seat belts in select Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook CUVs have "failed to perform properly in a crash."
According to GM, a second-row seat-side trim piece is to blame, as it can impede the upward rotation of the buckle after the seat is folded flat. As a result, if the buckle makes contact with the seat frame, cosmetic damage can occur, potentially requiring additional force to operate the buckle properly. So far, no great shakes, but in the process of applying that additional force, the occupant may push the buckle cover down to the strap, potentially revealing and depressing the red release button. As a result of this, the belt may not latch, or in certain cases, it may actually appear to be latched when, in fact, it isn't.

Nissan Leaf sets another monthly sales record, Chevy Volt remains steady

Here we go again. Another month in the books and another month of record sales by the Nissan Leaf in the US. For October, the world's best-selling pure EV sold 2,589 units, which is 29.3 percent more than October 2013. That makes it 20 times in a row that Nissan can say that last month sales were better than the same month a year before. All told, Nissan has sold 24,411 Leafs in the US this year, a new record, reflecting an overall Leaf sales rate that is up 35 percent, year-to-date. Nissan isn't stopping, either. A new TV ad, one that, "encourages consumers to kick gas" by saving money on fuel will start airing today in major markets, according to Toby Perry, director of Nissan's EV marketing. You can watch it below. As for the Chevy Volt, things remained steady last month in the face of a new model that's coming in the second half of 2015. Chevy sold 1,439 Volts last month, which is about the same as September (1,394) but down 28.8 percent from the October 2013 despite GM having its best overall US October sales this year since 2007. So far, 2014 Volt year-to-date sales are down 14.9 percent through the end of October compared to 2013. And that wraps up the flash report on monthly sales for these two long-standing plug-in vehicles in the US market. As always, we'll have our in-depth write-up of US green car sales available soon. For now, we await your comments, below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2017 Chevrolet Trax brings its fresher face to Chicago

The 2017 Chevrolet Trax's facelift does wonders for the compact crossover's looks. There's nothing overly offensive about the model's current design, but it's rather drab, especially at the front. As you can see from these live photos from the Chicago Auto Show, the revised Trax simply looks more modern than the current model. It now wears narrower wraparound headlights that integrate nicely with the upper level of the grille. The lower portion of the front end gets a more angular shape, and there are big crevices for the foglights. The rear also has small revisions, including new taillights and tiny changes to the bumper. With this refresh, Chevy has brought its little CUV's looks closer in style to the brand's stalwart sedans, the Cruze, Malibu and Impala. Inside, the Trax now features analog instruments for the speedometer and tachometer, but there's still a big screen on the right side to display vehicle information. The CUV also gets Chevy's seven-inch MyLink infotainment system that buyers can option with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and 4G LTE support. Active safety tech like side blind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision alert, and lane departure warning are available on the 2017 model, too. While the 2017 Trax looks a lot better, it's the same vehicle mechanically. It won't arrive at dealers until this fall, but you can check one out now in our gallery above. Related Video: Chevrolet Introduces 2017 Trax Fresh design, premium interior complement safety, connectivity enhancements CHICAGO – Building on its early success and the rapid growth of the segment, Chevrolet today introduced the 2017 Trax – a more expressive take on one of America's best-selling small SUVs. Contemporary design elements, including an all-new front-end appearance, and a new premium interior compose the visual updates, while new available active safety features and a new infotainment system – with available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility – expand its range of customer-focused technologies. "In the fastest-growing segment, Chevrolet Trax's momentum is sure to continue with great design enhancements, premium details, and the latest technologies," said Steve Majoros, director of marketing, Chevrolet Cars and Crossovers.