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Honda settles class-action lawsuit over oil-burning V6s

Although we hadn't heard of this issue before, Automotive News reports that Honda has agreed to settle a massive class-action lawsuit brought against it for engine trouble potentially affecting nearly 1.6 million vehicles. The lawsuit includes Accord (2008-12), Odyssey (2008-13), Pilot (2009-13) and Crosstour (2010-13) models equipped with the 3.5-liter V6 with Variable Cylinder Management, which might experience engine misfire, excessive oil burning and premature spark plug fouling issues.
As part of the settlement, Honda will extend the powertrain warranty on these models for eight years (from time of purchase or lease) with no mileage limitation, and it will also reimburse customers who had to pay out-of-pocket expenses for related repairs such as spark plugs, pistons or, in some cases, apparently, an entirely new engine. (Of course, the repairs had to be related to certain trouble codes.) Lawyers will get no more than $800,000 from Honda and the guy who originally started the case, Vince Eagen, will get $1,000 for his "time and effort."
The final ruling on the matter will take place on March 21, 2014, and if you want to see if you're affected and what options you have in the settlement, check out this .pdf document with all the details.

2015 Honda Civic Type R First Drive [w/video]

"VTEC just kicked in, yo." What's now a tired meme was once the greatest part of Honda ownership: the abrupt switch in power and tone as the engine's variable valve timing switched to the high-rev profile. The original VTEC gave way to i-VTEC, a continuously-variable system that works better on paper, but lacked the two-mode thrill. Fast forward to the 2015 Civic Type R, which combines modern VTEC with turbocharging for the first time on this nameplate. It's a pair as perfect as peanut butter and jelly. Or Han and Chewie. With ratings of 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet, it's the most powerful Civic ever sold. Boost just kicked in, yo. The Civic Type R has always been an object of unfulfilled desire for enthusiasts in the US and Canada. While Europe and Japan have had multiple generations of the hottest Civic, we made do with the less powerful versions carrying the Si badge. Unfortunately, the 2015 model is another one we can't have. That said, this Euro-spec car's heart will form the basis of a new Civic Type R that's coming to America, possibly as early as 2016 as a 2017 model. The US will even get a cool five-door hatchback shell similar to the one you see here. If the next North American model – previewed by the coupe concept from this year's New York Auto Show – is any indication, our tenth-generation Civic is headed in a welcome styling direction. And before the Type R arrives, sweet turbo/VTEC goodness is promised in the form of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that will power less sporty Civic models, including an Si that will slot below the Type R. There is an anchor's worth of stopping power available. Proving how focused the new Type R is towards gearheads, the sole transmission option is a six-speed manual, which makes it easy to exploit the engine's 7,000 rpm redline and 6,500 rpm power peak. This engine-speed ceiling is a thousand revs lower than the last naturally aspirated Type R. Indeed, the era of turbocharging seems like the end of Honda's history of screaming high-rev motors. But forced induction trades revs for torque. The new car has more than twice the oomph of the previous, 198-hp Type R. Our question then, is if that power and torque come with any character. The 2015 Honda Civic Type R is a very capable car, both on the street and at the track. We expected a stiff ride, but it's not bone-jarring. Double-jointed front struts and a clever knuckle design isolate steering from the up-and-down movement of the suspension.

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.