Toyota is capitalizing on a prime opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to customer satisfaction by extending the rust warranty on 813,000 Toyota Tacomas.

The automaker has recently received reports of excessive corrosion on the frames of “a small number” of 1995 through 2000 model year Tacomas. The corrosion is causing the metal to perforate, and Toyota is saying the affected vehicles may not have adequate rust protection. This issue has become apparent in states, such as Illinois, where the trucks are exposed to road salt and other severe environmental conditions.

Do you fuel up with premium because you believe it’s better for your engine or fuel injectors? You’re not alone.

Unfortunately, this also means you’re probably among the throngs of motorists who throw away 10 to 20 cents per gallon on fuel that doesn’t benefit the car at all. A ton of articles have been published on the regular vs. premium gas topic, but expensive marketing campaigns still sway consumers into thinking 91, 92, and 93-octane fuel is better.

In the May issue of Behind The Wheel, our e-newsletter, we detail the pros and cons of premium and regular and lay out the two times you actually need to use premium fuel. Don’t miss it! This is a must read: Why use premium gas when regular will do?

Although the Ford Explorer and Firestone tire debacle may seem like ancient history, a California court ruling just this week will give some reparations to Illinois motorists who owned a 1991-2001 Ford Explorer with Firestone ATX, ATX II or Wilderness tires.

Judge David De Alba of the Superior Court of California, Sacramento County, approved the class-action settlement April 15, ending seven years of litigation.

Eligible consumers will receive discount certificates for $500 toward the purchase or lease of a new Ford Explorer or $300 toward any other new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury. If you qualify, you must act quickly and submit a claim form by April 29. The forms are available at ExplorerClaims.com or by calling 866.833.7918.

The settlement applies to:

• All residents of Illinois on Sept. 27, 2004 who purchased, owned
  or leased at any time between 1990 and Sept. 27, 2004 Ford Explorers,
  model years 1991 through 2001 that are or were equipped with Firestone
  ATX, ATX II or Wilderness tires.

• People and entities who bought, owned or leased new or used 1991-2001
  model year Ford Explorers in California between 1990 and Aug. 9, 2000
  and who either (a) currently own or lease the vehicle(s) or (b) sold or
  whose lease for such vehicle(s) expired or otherwise terminated after
  Aug. 9, 2000 and who resided in California on March 16, 2006.
  
• All persons who owned or leased 1991-2001 model year Explorers in Texas
  or Connecticut on Aug. 9, 2000 and who were residents of Texas or
  Connecticut as of Dec. 5, 2007.

Source: Superior Court of California

You can now sign up to receive email notices for child seat and tire safety updates and recalls thanks to an effort by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.

The hope is that email alerts will prompt more consumers to respond to recall campaigns. Typically, less than one-third of affected consumers respond to tire recalls and less than one-half respond to child seat recalls.

To register for the new service, go to www.safercar.gov and click on the “E-mail” or “RSS” option.

If you sign up for the email service, you should still register your safety seats and tires with the manufacturers, says James F. Ports Jr., deputy administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This can help manufacturers notify you of recalls more quickly and allows them to provide additional details and
instructions.

To register with the manufacturers from www.safercar.gov, click on the “Register your child restraint online” link.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Unfortunately, these distractions—however innocent their intentions—lead to accidents. According to a recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near crashes result from inattentive or distracted drivers within 3 seconds of the incident. The American Automobile Association (AAA) suggests that distracted driving accounts for 4,000 to 8,000 accidents per day.

While scanning newspaper headlines, applying make up and testing out all the features on your GPS all contribute to those stats, chatting it up on cell phones seems to attract the most attention. The act has become the bane of traffic safety advocates and the target of legislators and lawyers alike. Recently, a 19-year-old English woman was sentenced to four years in prison for hitting and killing a 64-year-old grandmother while sending text messages on her phone. In the 15 minutes leading up to the accident, she had apparently used her phone on nine separate occasions.

Talking on the phone without hands-free equipment while driving is already illegal in Chicago, along with states like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. California will join that list this year, and it’s been illegal in the U.K. since February.

We share this with you because we urge you to keep your eyes focused on the road ahead the next time you climb behind the wheel. Resist the urge to multi-task while driving and only use your cell phone if you have a hands-free setup. All it takes is a split second for you to be the reason traffic is backed up for miles on the Tri-State.