Author Archive for Jason Lancaster

Funny Chevy Camaro Unintended Acceleration Video

When you watch the video below, you’re likely to laugh:

The question is, why? It could very well be that this is a documented example of a Camaro with unintended acceleration. Perhaps there’s a difficult to detect flaw in the accelerator pedal assembly or engine computer that occasionally causes the Camaro to lurch out of control – even when the brake pedal is being pushed. It could be that thousands of Camaro owners are in serious, serious trouble right now because of a safety flaw in the Camaro’s design.

I think that it’s time to call ABC news and demand an investigation. I think it’s a good idea for Consumer Reports to stop recommending the Camaro. Sure sure – there’s absolutely no proof that this is anything more than a case of careless driving – but let’s assume the worst anyways.

Maybe the Secretary of Transportation could threaten GM executives and promise to “hold their feet to the fire” until they investigate this problem? Congress should get involved too – it’s not like we can let this go.

GM Launching New Sierra/Silverado in 2013

GM’s last major redesign of the Sierra and Silverado was in 2007. At that time, GM’s new truck design was quickly overshadowed by new designs from Toyota, Chrysler, and then Ford in the following year. Perhaps in an effort to “get the jump” on competition, GM will begin re-tooling plants in late 2012 to build an all-new 2013 model of the Sierra and Silverado, according to Automotive News.

This 2013 timing comes as a bit of a surprise – during the throws of GM’s 2009 bankruptcy, it was learned that GM had stalled almost all new product development plans to conserve operating capital. It was thought that this would slow GM’s next major redesign of their full-size trucks until 2014, but evidently GM has managed to overcome a slow start and will be building new trucks one year earlier than anyone expected.

Speaking of expectations, here are some features that GM will be including in their newest trucks:

F-150 Raptor Owners Report Frame Problems – Design Flaw?

Ford Raptor enthusiast’s forum RaptorForumz.com has an interesting thread that show photos of F-150 Raptors with bent frames, which owners allege are a design defect.

UPDATE: One of the F150 owners told me that the frame was bent on an infamous “kicker” on the road between Barstow and Vegas. You can see video of this kicker below.

The frame on this Raptor F-150 is bent - was it owner abuse or bad design?

Evidently, this Raptor owner did some high-speed driving on off-road trails…similar to what you see in this Ford marketing video:

According to the forum post, numerous drivers who have driven aggressively off-road have ended up with bent frames. These drivers are upset because they feel their trucks should be able to handle the trails they drove without damage – after all, Ford shows this type of driving in all the Raptor promotional videos.

Even worse, many Ford dealers are refusing to repair these bent frames because they’re alleging vehicle abuse. Ford dealers – and Ford Motor Company, by proxy – argue that no one should ever jump their truck, drive at high speeds off road, etc., because this is unnecessary and will definitely lead to damage.

SO, it all boils down to this: Raptor owners want to drive their trucks hard, but Ford doesn’t want to pay for damage caused by vehicle abuse. Who’s right?

More photos of Raptor F-150 frame damage and both arguments below.

The Tundra’s “Sales Failure” Story Is A Myth

I’ve noticed a fair amount of commentary lately about the Tundra’s status as a “sales failure,” (CNN ran an article a few days ago that I won’t link to here because it’s so stupid) and it’s shocking to me that so many otherwise smart people in the auto news industry can make such a silly argument. The Tundra’s sales definitely aren’t exemplary, but they certainly aren’t a “failure” when you consider the history of events between the Tundra’s debut in 2007 and today.

Lazy analysis of truck sales figures leads some people to conclude that the Tundra has been a failure, but that analysis overlooks a few facts.

The worst part is, this silly story about the Tundra’s “sales failure” isn’t going away anytime soon. The Tundra plant was only running at 30% capacity in April and May, it’s only been running at 50% capacity for June, and it’s not expected to get back to 100% until August/September. That means that 2011 probably isn’t going to be a good year in terms of total Tundra sales.

Still, looking exclusively at sales figures to make a determination about the success of the Tundra is like reading a box score instead of watching the game: you get a sense of what happened, but you still miss a lot.

2012 Tundra – Chrome Package Will Be Offered

According to sources that attended this week’s dealer meeting, the 2012 Toyota Tundra will be offered with a special chrome package, similar to a chrome package that Ford offers on the XLT F150 (image below).

The 2012 Tundra will be offered with a chrome package similar to one Ford offers on the XLT F-150. Click for a larger view.

The 2012 Tundra Chrome Package will include:

• Chrome grille
• Chrome nerf bars/side steps
• Chrome door handles
• Special chrome wheels that, according to our sources, are somewhat ugly

As far as other changes/features, we’ve been told that the 2012 Tundra will