Thule Recalls Bicycle Racks That Can Cause Amputation

Thule, a popular producer of bicycle racks, has recalled a number of its most popular models for a defect that can cause “severe personal injury, including lacerations and/or amputations,” according to a company press release. That warning sounded serious enough for us to post a full list of recalled products. They are:

Hitching Post Pro (934, 934XT, 935, 935XT, 936, 936XT, 937, 937XT, 951, 951XT), Expressway (995, 995XT, 996, 996XT) and Trailblazer (998, 998XT) models sold between January 2003 and June 2007.

The recall involves the company sending owners a repair kit to prevent pinching on the rack’s adjustable parts. We don’t know about you, but when we read the word “amputation,” we’re ready to chuck said product in the garbage, just in case.

For more information, see the full recall announcement here.

It's Baaaack: $3 Gas Has Returned

Today, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has hit $3.00 on the dot, according to AAA. The main reason our summer of relative gas peace has been disrupted is problems at the refinery level. A major refinery in Kansas has been shut down after a flood, and gas prices in the Midwest have shot up in one day. USA Today says “as much as 20 cents in one day,” but one of our editors saw regular gas prices jump from $3.03 Monday to $3.45 this morning.

Analysts say the national price will go above $3 later this week.

Refinery Woes Shoot Gas Prices Up (USA Today)

Gas Aids Debunked

The Federal Trade Commission published a report in September 2006 stating that consumers should be wary of products that are alleged to improve fuel economy. None of the 93 products tested by the EPA actually improved gas mileage. The FTC lists both mechanical devices and liquid additives. Testing took place at the Ann Arbor, Mich., labs of the EPA over 30 years. Ten of the devices did show small improvements in fuel economy, but not what was advertised. Four of those 10 increased emissions.

For a full list of disproved devices and additives, view the full PDF from the FTC here.

Drivers, Beware So-Called Gas Aid Gadgets (The Detroit News)

Cities Testing Wireless Tech for Parking Meters

How would you like a parking meter that tells you when you’re running out of time? Well, of course, most do that if you’re standing there, but how about one that will call you to let you know? How about a parking meter that creates little WiFi hotspots?

Well, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Niagara Falls, N.Y., city officials are testing the PhotoViolationMeter, from the Photo Violation Technologies Corporation, natch. The plan behind these new, smarter meters is to let consumers have a way to not only find out they’re running out of time, but to also make a wireless payment, so they can avoid that hefty parking ticket ($50 here in Chicago). Of course, that’s not why cities have parking meters: Officials are secretly (or not-so-secretly) hoping you’ll forget to feed the meter and feed their coffers instead (see: Denver Boot).

The flip side of the nifty wireless meters is that cities can get handheld devices from the fine folks at Photo Violation Tech that will take digital photos of your meter transgressions, making fine collection easier for city officials. If you did forget to feed the meter, you can pay your fine wirelessly right at the meter.

Source: PhotoViolation.com

License Plate Hunter Aids Police

Police departments across the country are using an electronic camera system called the Mobile Plate Hunter to help locate stolen vehicles, cars used in crimes and the cars of drivers with suspended or revoked licenses. The system uses two infrared cameras to scan license plates and, at a clip of 15 to 25 per second, determine if the plates match any in a police database. 

One department claims it’s finding 40 flagged plates a day using the $22,000 system, versus “just a few” per day before. There are objections from civil rights groups about the tracking capability of the systems, but 220 police departments are already using it nationwide. Hopefully Hollywood and Beverly Hills police will camp a couple of these to look out for any probation-marked celebrities.   

Police Scan Cars Using High-Tech Cameras (Newsday)

Don't Put a Seat Cover on That New Honda Accord

Cars.com’s new question and answer site/wiki, Ask.cars.com, has brought in hundreds of questions since it launched last week, and a few have been enlightening even for us. As we researched one such question about side airbags and their compatibility with seat covers, we learned that the two should not be mixed.

Not only did we answer a reader’s question about his 2007 Honda Accord with seat-mounted side-impact airbags, but we’re now sounding a warning to any owner of a car with side airbags to not use traditional seat covers because they can obstruct deployment.

Do seat covers obstruct side airbags? (Ask.cars.com)

Gas Prices Begin Retreat

It was easy to predict for some, but many had to wait and see the price of gasoline fall before believing it might not hit $4 this summer. Today, gas prices fell to $3.197 from a record high of $3.227 on May 24. Analysts are saying this is the beginning of a decline, but there could be another spike around the July 4 holiday.

It’s not all gasoline and roses though — gas prices are still more than 30 cents higher than they were at the same time last year. A number of problems with U.S. refineries led to the recent spike, and if they come back online — and there are no other unforeseen issues — gas prices could continue to decline.

Gas Prices: 'We're on the Verge of Real Relief' (USAToday) 

New Toyota Tundra Running Into Engine Failures

In some of the first 2007 Toyota Tundra pickups that rolled off the assembly line, optional V-8 engines are failing due to faulty camshafts. The company says the problem should only impact a limited number of the redesigned full-size pickups, but hasn’t yet figured out what that number is. The company sold 37,000 of the new Tundras with the powerful 5.7-liter V-8 in its first three months on the market.

The company is replacing the entire engine of any truck affected by the problem, which stems from a part built by an outside supplier. So far, 20 trucks have reported the engine failures, and Toyota is actively tracking down the vehicles at risk. When we get more information about the investigation, we’ll post it here.

Toyota Fixing Engine Failures in New Tundra truck (USAToday)

Related
2007 Toyota Tundra Expert Review (Cars.com)
Cars.comparison: Full-Size Trucks (Cars.com)
Toyota Tundra Gets Top Frontal Crash Test Rating (KickingTires)
Revisiting the 2007 Toyota Tundra (KickingTires)
Toyota Offering $1,500 Rebate on All-New Tundra (KickingTires)
More Toyota Tundra News (KickingTires)

Nissan Says Phones Can Erase Your Key

If you own a 2007 Nissan Altima or Infiniti G35, we have a suggestion: Keep your key fob in one pocket and your cell phone in the other.

According to the Associated Press, Nissan is getting complaints that cell phones are erasing its “intelligent keys” – you know, the ones you don't actually have to put in the ignition – because some phones can alter the fobs' electronic code if the two touch while a call is being made or received.

"When this happens, the I-Key will not start the vehicle and cannot be reprogrammed," Nissan’s statement said.

Ouch. Wrong number, indeed.

Nissan says it’s working on the problem and will give customers new keys sometime this fall. For now, the company recommends keeping your cell phone and your fob “at least 1 inch apart at all times.” Just like when you were dating in junior high.

Brent Adams, vice president and general manager at Action Nissan in Nashville, told AP that the problem involves only a "certain type of phone and this particular service," which he declined to specify. He described the number of complaints as "minute."

Nissan: Cell Phones Can Alter the I-Key (L.A. Times)

A Record We Don't Want: Gas Prices at an All-Time High

Today, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $3.19 nationally — $3.196, precisely, so basically $3.20. This is the highest price of gasoline in the U.S. ever, if you don’t adjust for inflation. That adjusted number was set in 1981 at $3.223. But hey, we’ve got seven days until Memorial Day and it shouldn’t be too hard to top that figure. Let’s just hope this is the early spike some analysts were expecting for the summer and that by the July 4th holiday things will have settled down. We can hope, can’t we?

There have also been a few stories of people traveling less this year on Memorial Day, but some states like Michigan and Illinois are expecting record travel. Are any of you scaling back your travel plans because of the pain at the pump? 

Gasoline Prices at the Pump Set Record at $3.196 a Gallon (USAToday.com)