plus 3, GM says it will recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac compact cars ... - New York Daily News

GM says it will recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac compact cars ... - New York Daily News
AutoZone to Present at Upcoming Bank of America - Merrill Lynch 2010 ... - MSN Money
3 family members killed in Darien home invasion - Southtown Star
Toyota to give U.S. division more 'autonomy' - Yahoo Finance

GM says it will recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac compact cars ... - New York Daily News

Posted: 02 Mar 2010 12:57 PM PST

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tuesday, March 2nd 2010, 9:16 AM

DETROIT - General Motors Co. said Monday it will recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac compact cars sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to fix power steering motors that can fail.

The recall affects 2005 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada, and 2005 and 2006 Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico.

The automaker said the vehicles are still safe to drive and never lose their steering, but it may be harder to steer them when traveling under 15 mph (24 kph).

GM spokesman Alan Adler said it will take time for the automaker to get 1.3 million new power steering motors from the supplier, JTEKT Corp., and GM will notify car owners when the parts are available.

Adler said the failures are rare and the cars can still be driven until motors can be replaced by dealers. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails, but they could be surprised when the steering becomes more difficult.

GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the recall on Monday. NHTSA began an investigation into 905,000 of the models on Jan. 27 after getting 1,100 complaints that the cars lost their power steering assist. The complaints included 14 crashes and one injury.

The automaker will fix older models first because it usually takes 20,000 to 30,000 miles (32,000 to 48,000 kilometers) of driving for the condition to develop, Adler said. GM also will have to repair thousands of vehicles on dealer lots before they can be sold, he said.

"Recalling these vehicles is the right thing to do for our customers' peace of mind," Jamie Hresko, GM's vice president of quality, said in a statement.

Adler said if the power steering assist fails, it usually comes back for a time after the car is shut off and restarted.

The recall comes at a time of heightened interest in auto safety after sudden acceleration problems experienced in some Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles.

Toyota has had to recall 8.5 million vehicles worldwide to fix problems with sticky gas pedals, floor mats that can snag the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration, and brake software problems with the Prius gas-electric hybrid.

Toyota executives have been summoned to testify before congressional committees investigating the company's actions and whether the NHTSA did enough to make sure the Toyotas are safe.

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AutoZone to Present at Upcoming Bank of America - Merrill Lynch 2010 ... - MSN Money

Posted: 02 Mar 2010 01:04 PM PST

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) today announced it will present at the upcoming Bank of America -- Merrill Lynch 2010 Consumer Conference in New York on March 10, 2010.

About AutoZone:

As of November 21, 2009, AutoZone sells auto and light truck parts, chemicals and accessories through 4,265 AutoZone stores in 48 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and 193 stores in Mexico.

AutoZone is the leading retailer and a leading distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States. Each store carries an extensive product line for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Many stores also have a commercial sales program that provides commercial credit and prompt delivery of parts and other products to local, regional and national repair garages, dealers, and service stations. AutoZone also sells the ALLDATA brand diagnostic and repair software. On the web, AutoZone sells diagnostic and repair information, and auto and light truck parts through www.autozone.com. AutoZone does not derive revenue from automotive repair or installation.

 CONTACT: AutoZone, Inc. Media: Ray Pohlman 901 495-7962 ray.pohlman@autozone.com Financial: Brian Campbell 901 495-7005 brian.campbell@autozone.com

GlobeNewswire, Inc.2010

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3 family members killed in Darien home invasion - Southtown Star

Posted: 02 Mar 2010 01:04 PM PST

A man and woman and their son were shot to death inside their home in Darien early today in what the police say appears to have been a home invasion targeting someone inside.

The dead were identified by police as Jeffrey R. Kramer, 50, who owns a towing and auto repair company in Cicero; his wife, Lori Kramer, 48; and their son, Michael J. Kramer, 20.

Their identities were confirmed by other family members who were home and who weren't injured, including a daughter, Angela, 25, who hid in an upstairs closet, Darien Police Chief Robert Pavelchik said.

The daughter called police just before 3 a.m., saying she'd heard shots fired in the house in the 8900 block of Kilkenny Drive in Darien's Tara Hill subdivision, just north of Interstate 55 and east of Lemont Road.

Police found the three fatally shot in the house, where they all lived, according to Deputy Police Chief John Cooper. No weapon was immediately found and no one is in custody.

"Yes, there is somebody out there," Cooper said, adding that police did not consider it a public safety issue and schools or homes in the area were not evacuated.

"We are trying to figure out who we are looking for," Cooper said. "It wasn't a random thing. It was a targeted thing." The deputy chief said he did not know immediately if anything was taken from the home.

The incident was an apparent home invasion, according to Cooper, who said no one -- including the person who called police -- witnessed the attack, although they were inside the house.

It appeared that whoever killed the Kramers left tracks in the snow leading to a car, then drove off, a source said.

Two of the Kramer children, Angela and Anthony, 29, live at the house, and a third woman, a 17-year-old who has not been identified, were home at the time of the shooting, according to a release from police. The three were at the police station talking to detectives but are not considered suspects, Cooper said.

A side window was found broken but it is unclear if it was broken from the outside or the inside, Cooper said.

Jeffrey Kramer owned Kramer's Auto Repair & Towing in Cicero, which he took over from his father, who'd started the business, employees said.

They said Kramer was born and reared in Berwyn and was a diehard White Sox fan. They described him as "a good guy" who, for instance, let them use spare parts from the shop's yard to repair their own cars.

"The guy gave me a chance," one employee said.

Fabian Sanchez owns Fabian's Auto Repair next door. He bought the business from Kramer's father.

Of Jeffrey Kramer, Sanchez said: "I've known him almost 16 years. He was a nice man. We talked every day. He would say, 'Amigo, buenas tardes.'"

Sanchez paused, then said, "You never know when it's going to be your last day."

A small group of neighbors looked on this morning as detectives went through the two-story home.

"It's terrible," said Aldo Costabile, 73, who lives a few doors from the murder scene. "We have an alarm, and my wife always insists I set it in case someone breaks in. I was never worried — until now.

"This has always been a good area."

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Toyota to give U.S. division more 'autonomy' - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 02 Mar 2010 12:29 PM PST

Toyota executives told lawmakers Tuesday that its U.S. and Canadian divisions will have more authority to decide when to issue a recall as the automaker faces mounting pressure from Washington over its recent safety problems.

Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles worldwide for problems related to sudden acceleration, which have been blamed for several accidents resulting in injuries and death. The automaker has repeatedly apologized for the lapses in quality control and Toyota technicians are working extended hours to repair the recalled vehicles.

Under new plans to improve quality control, Toyota's North American operations "will have more autonomy and decision-making power with regard to recall and other safety issues," Yoshimi Inaba, president and chief operating officer of Toyota North America, said in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.

Inaba also announced that Toyota has enlisted Rodney Slater, a former U.S. Transportation Secretary, to head a "blue ribbon" panel to review the automaker's global operations.

Toyota came under fire last week during two separate House hearings for the automaker's management structure, which some lawmakers said gives Japanese executives too much power over U.S. operations.

"For the future, our U.S. staff will have a clear decision-making role," Shinichi Sasaki, executive vice president at Toyota Motor in charge of quality assurance and customer service, told the committee. "Ultimately, our goal is for the United States to have an even greater voice in decisions on recalls and other safety and satisfaction issues."

In addition to the Toyota executives, the committee heard testimony from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., the committee's chairman, said he intends to work on "comprehensive legislation" aimed at overhauling how the government regulates the auto industry.

"The American people deserve a top-to-bottom review, not just on past errors, but on the road ahead," Rockefeller said.

"Now it's clear that somewhere along the way, public safety took a back seat to corporate profits," Rockefeller added. "It also is apparent that NHTSA did not fulfill its responsibilities in the past."

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said Toyota's management cultivated a "culture about secrets" in which the automaker was concerned with "making sure that no one knows anything bad."

"Maybe in this case that culture is more to blame than anyone has heretofore acknowledged," she suggested.

Akio Toyoda, the company's president, acknowledged last week that Toyota's rapid growth over the last few years has contributed to the recent safety problems.

Since 2000, there have been 43 complaints of fatal incidents that allegedly involve sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

While those complaints have not yet been confirmed, the reported incidents involve 52 fatalities and 38 injuries, NHTSA said.

The sudden acceleration issue has been in the spotlight since it was disclosed last month that an accident involving a Toyota vehicle killed four people in San Diego last August.

That accident sparked the recall of millions of Toyota vehicles for problems with floor mats that could cause accelerator pedals to become trapped. Toyota has subsequently recalled millions more cars for "sticky" accelerator pedals.

However, some lawmakers and outside researchers have suggested that sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles could also be caused by electrical defects.

LaHood said NHTSA is conducting a review of the electronic throttle control system in Toyota vehicles. He also said the Transportation Department may recommend that all cars sold in the United States come equipped with a brake override system.

Toyota has also come under fire for a 2009 memo in which staffers boasted of the company saving $100 million by negotiating with U.S. regulators for a limited recall for certain cars.

In response to a question about that report, David Strickland, NHTSA's administrator, denied that the agency has shown Toyota any preferential treatment.

"The claims that Toyota made about negotiating or influences are false," he said. "That document has no foundation."

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