Autos
– Seeking to boost sagging U.S. sales, Ford is extending by two years warranties on engines and transmissions for 2007 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. Warranties for Ford and Mercury cars and light trucks will increase to five years or 60,000 miles, from three years or 36,000 miles. The warranty on Lincoln vehicles will change to six years or 70,000 miles, from four years or 50,000 miles now.
Recalls
– Toyota is recalling about 420,000 vehicles globally, including 24,490 Echo and Yaris cars and 8,476 Prius hybrids sold in the U.S., over a faulty engine part. The faulty part could lead to an oil leak in the engine and cause it to stop.
– Shimano has recalled about 8,500 quick-release devices for bicycles because the skewers can fail or break when in the locked position. The recall includes all quick releases with silver skewers but do not have round stickers on the back. The releases sold with Shimano front hubs and front wheels on road racing and MTB bikes after Nov. 1, 2005, have these model numbers: HB-5501, HB-5600, HB-6600, HB-7800, HB-HF-08, HB-M756, HB-M760, HB-M765, HB-M960, HB-M965, WH-7801, WH-7801C, WH-7801C50, WH-7801SL, WH-R600, WH-M965, DH-2N71, DH-3N71 and DH-3D71. Take the quick release to a bicycle store for a free inspection and repair. Call 800-353-4719 or visit www.bike.shimano.com or www.cpsc.gov.
Motorcycling
– The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reinstated a Racine Harley-Davidson dealership’s complaint that the motorcycle manufacturer improperly shrunk its sales territory. The court has ruled that Harley’s franchise agreement includes as a provision a territory assignment that cannot be reassigned to another dealer.
FYI
– Illinois says a new estimate shows 88 percent of front-seat occupants in vehicles are wearing their seat belts in the state. That’s an all-time high and up 2 points from last year and 12 points from 2003, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Officials also say the number of people killed on state roads has held steady at 607 deaths as of June 30 down from 608 deaths a year earlier. They cite a 2003 state law allowing motorists to be pulled over and ticketed solely for not wearing their seat belts.
– A $5 million renovation to a former car dealership in Springfield here has landed it on the National Register for Historic Places. Built in the 1920s, the building that had housed the Jennings Ford dealership was falling into disrepair when the Illinois National Bank bought it last year. The white terra cotta moldings on the facade were cleaned, four original light fixtures restored and some badly damaged windows replaced with those true to the original building designed by Springfield architect Harry Reiger in 1919.
– Ninety-four percent of Michigan drivers and front-seat passengers used seat belts, according to a 2006 survey based on direct observations. It is the fifth straight increase in seat belt use, according to the Wayne State University Transportation Research Group. Last year, the Michigan seat-belt use rate was 92.9 percent. In 2000 Michigan made it a primary offense not to wear a seat belt. The seat-belt use rate had been 70 percent before that.
– As it moves its U.S. headquarters to Tennessee from California, Nissan plans to locate its product liability staff to Farmington Hills, Mich. The 50 or so lawyers on the staff work with the engineers at the Nissan Technical Center in Farmington Hills, where the automaker develops vehicles for North America.
– Consumers in Michigan will have incentives to buy ethanol blends of gasoline under legislation that has been signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. One bill lowers the state tax on each gallon of ethanol-blended fuel to 12 cents, from the 19 cents on regular gas. Buying fuel blended with at least 70 percent ethanol could save the average driver about $35 in taxes each year. The other lowers the tax on biodiesel to 12 from 15 cents, and offers grants to gas station owners who want to sell E85 and biodiesel.
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Quick Trips are compiled from the notebooks of Jim Mateja and Rick Popely, and from Tribune news services.
