It seems that Enterprise, one of the nation’s largest car rental agencys, has been getting a ton of bad publicity due to a supposed “glitch” in their system. As the story goes, Enterprise purchases 66,000+ Chevy Impalas without the standard side impact air bags hoping to lower the cost. This is all fine and dandy considering they saved an estimated $11 million+ but what comes next wasn’t so dandy.

After the cars had their run, the company proceeded to sell 745 of the 66,000 purchased Chevy Impalas to consumers without telling them the side impact air bag had been removed. In fact, they actually told consumers that the cars did have the airbag, which is where said “glitch” comes in.

Hoping to remedy this problem Enterprise has said they will purchase the cars back for $750 more than their Blue Book value. What do you say, loyal readers, do we forgive them?

via autoblog

Tags: airbags, enterprise, rental, safety, Sale, side impact

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The technology shown by the Survival Consultants International people may be geared towards the military vehicles but I wouldn’t be surprised it the same technology would soon be applied to commercial and private vehicles. With the world getting to be a dangerous place to live in, it is apparent that advanced modes of safety has become a need with reference to world terrorism.

We are aware of airbags and how they are set off once cars get into accidents or collisions. With this new technology, the airbags were designed to withstands blasts for military personnel which could be typified to the various bombings which has been plaguing the world. No one can tell when such would hit the public but perhaps a safer interior airbag system of the same nature would be suitable.

The key here is the sensor, allowing the system to make use of the light sensors to ignite the airbags to safeguard the vehicle passengers. Leave it to the car manufacturers to pick up a thing or two from this and apply it to the modern day vehicle. It is something that will really be useful.

(Source) Dvice

Tags: Accidents, airbags, Armor, blasts, bombings, car manufacturers, Cars, collisions, dangerous place, glimpse, light sensors, military personnel, military vehicles, modes, new technology, private vehicles, survival, vehicle passengers, world terrorism

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Cars have become safer by the day thanks to technology. And if there is one part of technology which deserves recognition, it is that of the safety that cars now carry. We have seen the birth of airbags and Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) and now the Electronic Stability Control (ESC).

How does ESC work?

The system detects the point when a car is about to go into a slide and applies precisely measured amounts of braking force to each wheel, so as to correct or prevent the slide.
It should be pointed out, however, that ESC is not a replacement for responsible and safe driving and those sentiments are shared by car insurance companies, including Saga. It will not be able to prevent all potential accidents, although research results are more than encouraging.

And with safer cars, car insurance claims diminish as well. This is because the probability of being caught in accidents have become lower thanks to these safety enhancements. And you can be assured that for the years to come, more safety features for vehicles will be coming out as well as car manufacturing companies vie for safer cars to distribute in the market.

(Source) Press

Tags: Accidents, airbags, braking systems, car insurance claims, car insurance companies, electronic stability control, Insurance, manufacturing companies, market source, probability, safe driving, safer cars, safety enhancements, safety features, saga, sentiments

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To most car enthusiasts, only a few would perhaps hear about GM’s Equinox. Well for the record, this is another potential SUV for consideration, another vehicles that GM is pinning its hopes on with regards to the growing market we have today.

The Equinox is rising in popularity and if forecasts holds true, we may see another successful GM variant in the works. In fact, GM is expecting a growth of 60% by 2013, and the Equinox is seen as the SUV that will make it all happen. All of this comes after the much heralded reorganization process that General Motors has been through.

The Equinox will get over 32 miles per gallon on the highway and provide a range of nearly 550 miles. It will also have 5-star safety and six airbags, delivering the best in each of those categories.

(Source) Press

Tags: airbags, car enthusiasts, Equinox, General Motors, GM, miles per gallon, popularity, reorganization, star safety

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For the third year in a row, TRW Automotive Holdings has earned the nod as the Top Echelon Ford World Excellence Award for their continuous supply of airbags since 2008. This award recognizes suppliers who not only achieve the highest levels of cost, quality and delivery, but also acknowledge the diverse cultures, values, and ideas of the thousands of individuals they employ. TRW garnered one of just 36 overall World Excellence Awards presented to Ford Motor Company suppliers for 2008 performance.

“The achievement of Ford’s ONE Goal depends upon all members of the ONE Ford team working together,” said Tony Brown, group vice president of global purchasing for Ford. “We salute the supplier winners of the 2008 World Excellence Awards for providing products and services that reach the highest standards for technology, quality and cost.”

(Source) Press

Tags: airbags, brown group, continuous supply, echelon ford, excellence award, excellence awards, ford motor, ford motor company, ford world, group vice president, nod, tony brown, top echelon, trw auto, trw automotive holdings, world excellence

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Collisions and accidents are events which cannot be foreseen. And for some vehicles, this is lacking, particularly if they have already been set off or worse, absent. Today, car safety includes ensuring that your car is equipped with these airbags. And for the cars that don’t have one, you don’t have to spend to get a new one installed. If you are resourceful enough, you may be lucky to get an airbag that is safe to reuse.

“The use of these evaluated components is a cost-effective option for a consumer,” said Michael E. Wilson, Executive Vice President of ARA, “but, more importantly, extensive research and years of experience have proven them as a safe alternative as well.”

True enough, the cost of getting a new airbag may not be that cost-friendly. However, there are cars which may no longer be functional which contain these airbags, still whole and usable. Affordable or not, the fact remains that motorists have to be prepared for any untoward road accidents. So if you are wary of their cost, check out the once that can still be reused. It can make a difference in your daily trips.

(Source) Press

Tags: airbag, airbags, car safety, collisions, functionality, motorists, road accidents

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In an effort to safeguard drivers, a new reversible seatbelt system has been released in the market, providing another safety feature for drivers and passengers when it comes to possible collision and threats while motoring today. It is a new high performance reversible pre-pretensioner system for seatbelts that resets itself automatically after triggering.

During a multiple collision impact, the high performance system will pull back the occupants during the usually softer first impact to allow more optimum protection from the airbags and seatbelts in secondary impacts.

We are told to buckle up for safety. But today despite this practice, car collisions and mishaps seem to require better safer features. And living up to its name as a premier in auto safety, Autoliv has something that should certainly be worth getting for car safety features needed today.

(Source) Press

Tags: airbags, auto safety, autoliv, car collisions, car safety, first impact, high performance system, mishaps, occupants, optimum protection, safety feature, seatbelt, seatbelts

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A special offer has been announced by Maju Motors regarding a special 555 promotion for the Renault Koleos. For this month, anyone who purchases the Renault Koleos will be covered with a five-year warranty, five years or 100,000km of free service and a five per cent hire-purchase interest from a local bank. The car was launched in November last year.

The SUV has a face of Renault and the heart of Nissan. This first generation SUV for Renault is a joint engineering by Nissan and manufactured by Samsung Motors. The Koleos is a unique and versatile SUV as its design is based on the extensive research of Nissan but with distinct European trimmings.

Built in Korea, the crossover has the cleaver ‘All Mode i’ all-wheel drive hardware also seen on the Nissan Murano. The all-wheel drive system sends power to the rear wheels when more grip is needed, but otherwise drives the front wheels for more economical operation. It has the Nissan X-Trail’s 2.5-litre petrol engine, which delivers 126kW (170hp) and torque of 226Nm.

Like all Renault cars, the Koleos boasts safety credentials – a maximum five stars from Euro NCAP Crash Testing. It has a standard six airbags located throughout the driver and passenger compartments to provide optimum safety and the two airbags in the front are adaptive to the passengers’ build.

(Source) Brunei Online

Tags: airbags, cleaver, economical operation, euro ncap, extensive research, five stars, joint engineering, nissan murano, nissan x trail, optimum safety, rear wheels, renault cars, renault koleos, samsung motors, trimmings, wheel drive system

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Here is some good news for people planning to get a Lexus. Toyota has put another milestone by including their collision sensing technology, adding more safety features for North American potential buyers.

The first new piece of automotive goodness is a system that uses a millimeter-wavelength radar assembly to detect the possibility of both front and side collisions. When a possible impact is identified, the system will alert the driver using an audible alarm. If the situation does not change and the system deems the impact to be imminent, the brakes will automatically be applied, slack from the seat-belts removed and the airbags will deploy.

The second is used to detect and prepare for a rear end impact. Once again, when a possible impact is identified, the system will provide an alarm to the driver in hopes that he or she will be able to avoid the accident. If nothing is done, the system will automatically return the seatbacks to the upright position and move the headrests forward to prevent whiplash. The seatbelts will also tighten and the airbags will be deployed.

Both of these new innovations are expected to be hitting the dealerships in Japan relatively soon, so you can expect to see the same technology available in the states on Toyota’s luxury brand, Lexus.

(Source) InventorSpot

Tags: airbags, audible alarm, brakes, collisions, headrests, Lexus, lexus toyota, radar, safety features, seatbacks, seatbelts, sensing technology

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The Hyundai Genesis, this year’s 2009 North America Car of the year, has placed another feather in its cap as it was chosen as the Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Hyundai’s all-new flagship earned a “good” overall evaluation in side impact, frontal offset and rear crash tests, the highest ranking awarded by the Institute.

Maintaining Hyundai’s emphasis on delivering leading safety technology, Genesis boasts world-class active and passive safety features to help both prevent accidents and maximize the wellbeing of its occupants in the event of a collision.

The Genesis continues the Hyundai tradition of standardizing key life-saving safety technology, and includes standard features like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), eight airbags and electronic active head restraints.

(Source) Press

Tags: Accidents, airbags, car of the year, crash tests, electronic stability control, Genesis, Hyundai, insurance institute for highway safety, north america, passive safety features, rear crash, side impact

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Most cars these days, used and brand new, come with the usual airbags. But along that line comes the possibility of some cars that may be overlooking this feature, either on purpose or perhaps because potential car owners choose to pass on them to save on car purchase cost.

But if this report is any indication, car buyers may want to reconsider passing on airbags. Their lives may depend on it.

A new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finds that nearly one in five fatal accidents involve cars that have missing air bags. This problem endangers the lives of used car buyers, current owners and innocent passengers.

Industry experts estimate that as many as 1 out of 25 previously deployed air bags are not properly replaced. Carfax urges drivers that have had their car’s air bags replaced to make sure all air bags are functioning properly. In addition, anyone shopping for a used car should have an ASE-certified mechanic or body shop inspect the air bag system prior to purchase.

So if you know better, check out the airbag features of your next car. Your life may depend on it.

(Source) PR Canada

Tags: air bag, air bag system, air bags, airbags, Canada, car buyers, car owners, Cars, fatal accidents, national highway traffic safety administration nhtsa

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Hyundai Motors has announced the launching of its all-new 2009 Sonata Transform, an upgraded version of the internationally acclaimed luxury sedan.

The all-new Sonata Transform boasts of a wide variety of features that include:

• All new alloy wheels
• Smart key which incorporates remote door opening
• Keyless ignition and engine immobilizer
• New head and tail lights
• Six airbags for enhanced safety for both driver and occupants
• Separate climate control for driver and passenger
• Steering remote control for the audio
• MP3 player with USB and Auxiliary port
• Complete leather pack which includes seats, steering wheel and gear knob.

The newly launched Sonata Transform offers one of the best packages in terms of safety features as it comes loaded with several Active and Passive safety systems like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), six airbags (dual front, side and curtain airbag), seat belt pre-tensioner with load limiter.

An attractive buy in the market for people who love to ride in luxury.

(Source) PR Domain

Tags: airbags, anti lock braking system, hyundai motors, keyless ignition, lock braking system, safety features, Sonata, steering wheel

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For budding teenagers aching to get their hands on new cars, a lot of them are bound to be pleased once the 2010 Kia Soul makes its debut in stores this Spring.

Scheduled for March, Kia will showcase 50,000 units aimed at the U.S. market, finally unveiling a brand that can compete with the likes of the Honda Element and the Nissan Cube.

These new lines are aimed at the college-aged drivers. It comes with a sleek design and the Soul’s interiors are certain to fascinate buyers looking for a reasonable vehicle to invest in.

And it is all coming this Spring!

According to published reports, the base model Soul will retail for just $13,995, a price that includes destination charges. That base model will be well equipped, and will feature a 122 horsepower 1.6L four-cylinder engine, ABS, electronic stability control, six airbags, air conditioning, an audio system featuring CD, MP3 (USB and AUX inputs) and Sirius Satellite radio, as well as power windows and locks.

(Source) SayCampusLife

Tags: air conditioning, airbags, cylinder engine, electronic stability control, honda element, KIA, new cars, Nissan, nissan cube, power windows, showcase, sleek design

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In what has to be an outrageous for a car, Skoda has reportedly unveiled one of its most expensive and fastest production cars, the Superb V6 four-wheel drive. The price? Would you believe $48,000?

The price is indeed hefty and considering that today is the age of saving and turn towards electric and hybrid cars aiming to address the fuel and pollution problems, this car has to be kidding!

the latest Superb is the ‘most expensive Skoda ever built,’ according to the car maker. The Elegance version including all extras cost 45,229 euros including seven airbags and an array of assistance systems, leather upholstery and sunroof.

It is indeed superb but also impractical. I don’t think even the millionaires would waste their money on such a vehicle especially when you can buy better branded ones in the market today.

Source

Tags: airbags, car maker, elegance, fastest production cars, four wheel drive, hybrid cars, leather upholstery, skoda, wheel

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