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NHTSA investigating 343,000 Honda Odyssey minivans

The recall bug could strike Honda again as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened another investigation concerning the Odyssey minivan. Honda has already recalled 59,000 Odysseys from the 2012 and 2013 model years due to a shift interlock issue, and another 320,000 of the minivans from 2003-04 are being investigated for faulty airbags. Now, TheDetroitBureau.com is reporting that NHTSA is taking a look at the 2007-08 Odyssey for a problem associated with the brakes.
This investigation reportedly includes 343,000 Odysseys that could be suffering from an unexpected application of the brakes. According to the article, at least 22 people have reported such an issue, and in five cases, dealers found a trouble code associated with the steering angle sensor - part of the anti-lock brake and stability control systems. There is still no indication as to whether or not this will become a recall, but Honda has already recalled more than 1.8 million units this year.

2019 Subaru Forester vs compact SUV rivals: How they compare on paper

We've seen what the 2019 Subaru Forester looks like (pretty much the same). We've found out how much it's going to cost (just a bit more). And also how much bigger and more powerful it'll be (appreciably on both counts). Now it's time to see how all of that compares to its top compact SUV rivals. While you can see the same engine and dimension specs for every compact SUV here, for this comparison featuring the latest 2019 Forester info, we've decided to define "top rivals" as those that the 2018 model was most frequently cross-shopped with. That means the 2018 Honda CR-V, 2018 Toyota RAV4, 2018 Mazda CX-5 and 2018 Nissan Rogue. At the time of this writing, none of their respective manufacturers had released data for 2019 models. We also included info for the 2018 Forester as well. So, without further blather, cue the Spreadsheet-o-Matic 3000. How big are they? The 2019 Forester may look nearly identical to the compact crossover it replaces, but it's nevertheless bigger and heavier. In particular, its wheelbase has increased from being the smallest in the segment to one that's pretty much average. It's a good bet that this gain is the reason rear seat legroom has also increased. Width is also up, but the Forester actually remains the narrowest compact SUV. As for other noteworthy dimensions, the new Forester now has the most maximum cargo capacity of any compact SUV with 76.1 cubic feet. Now, it should be noted, that's without the panoramic sunroof that comes on all but the base model. With it, max capacity shrinks to 70.9 cu-ft. Two points about that. First, Subaru is the only company that calls out this difference, and all the others almost certainly are not measuring with a sunroof. Second, this gives you an idea about how much of "maximum cargo capacity" includes space up high where you're probably not storing much cargo. As such, we included the Forester's biggest number and think it fairly indicates Subaru should carry the "biggest in segment" crown. How do their engines and fuel economy compare? Here's the most important takeaway here: The new Forester is tied for the best fuel economy in the segment, but that's with standard all-wheel drive. Everything else listed above is with front-wheel drive. The 2019 model also gets a welcome injection of power, resulting in the fourth-most base horsepower in the segment (or fifth, if you consider the CR-V technically holds spots 1 and 3).

Automakers donating money, vehicles and supplies to Oklahoma tornado relief effort

Judging by the destruction the Oklahoma City area experienced earlier this week, residents are going to need a lot of help in coming months. Fortunately, a number of automakers - including General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota - have stepped up to donate money, supplies and vehicles to aid in the recovery and rebuilding processes.
Here's a quick rundown of which automakers have pitched in and what each contributed so far:
Ford Motor Company has donating $250,000 and a Transit Connect to the American Red Cross, and it will match all other donations made to the Red Cross (up to $250,000) using a special URL tied to the latter's website (link here). Additionally, its local Oklahoma dealers have thrown in an extra $150,000 for the United Way and the automaker will be offering an extra $500 toward the purchase of a new Ford vehicle.