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Honda Drops Takata Airbag Inflators

Amid record fines and ongoing allegations against airbag supplier Takata Corp., Honda said Tuesday that it plans to end all global contracts with the supplier for front airbag inflators in any Honda or Acura vehicles in development, though current vehicles may still use them through the end of their generation.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin said that applies to Takata airbag inflators, not the airbags in their entirety — or necessarily any other auto parts that Takata makes, like seat belts, steering wheels or even other parts of the airbag itself. Takata will continue to produce some of those parts for Honda, Martin said.

Still, the inflators are the focal point of a massive airbag recall that affects more than 19 million U.S. cars from the 2000 to 2015 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday that it wants to halt all inflators that use ammonium nitrate, the chemical linked to airbag ruptures after long exposure to high heat and humidity.

Honda says it has already worked with alternate suppliers during the past year to secure replacement inflators for its recalled cars, which account for a large chunk of Takata recalls. Honda says it will be able to replace all recalled Takata airbag inflators exclusively with airbag inflators from other suppliers "in the foreseeable future."

Honda says it has enough replacement inflators to meet the current pace of owners responding to the recall, but it will continue to offer free loaner cars if there's a delay. The automaker says 41 percent of affected owners have had their cars fixed. That's much more than the 22.5 percent average across all affected models as of early October, according to NHTSA.

Honda says it became aware during the past few months of evidence that Takata may have "misrepresented and manipulated test data for certain airbag inflators." Calling the evidence "deeply troubling," the automaker says it turned the findings over to NHTSA but didn't make them public.

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Audi, VW Halt Sales on Six More Diesel Models

Hours after Porsche halted sales for the Cayenne Diesel, Volkswagen and Audi have followed suit with six more diesel models. One of them wasn't named in the EPA's recent allegations of new cheating by the Volkswagen Group, which includes all three German brands.

Related: More on the VW Diesel Recall

Volkswagen and Audi say they told dealers Tuesday night to halt sales on six models:

2014-2016 Audi A6 3.0 TDI
2014-2016 Audi A7 3.0 TDI
2014-2016 Audi A8 L 3.0 TDI
2014-2016 Audi Q5 3.0 TDI
2013-2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI
2013-2016 Volkswagen Touareg TDI

All six cars have the Volkswagen Group's 3.0-liter diesel V-6. The sales stoppage applies to new 2015-2016 models and any certified pre-owned cars from the entire span.

The Q7 wasn't implicated by regulators this week, nor were many of the model years for the whole group, including any of the 2014 or 2015 Audis. The EPA told Cars.com late Monday that it's still investigating "earlier model years" of the implicated cars.

Audi is "not entirely sure why some of the models weren't mentioned" by the EPA, Audi spokesman Brad Stertz said. "We just took all of the cars that were in the Gen-II engine and put them on hold."

For luxury shoppers, the stoppage shouldn't affect much vehicle availability for the A6, A7, A8 and Q5. The diesel V-6 accounts for scant A8 new-car inventory on Cars.com and only about 10 percent of the new A6, A7 and Q5 listings. For the Touareg and Q7, however, the stoppage could impact a lot more: TDI models account for 21 percent of the Q7 SUVs and nearly 60 percent of Touareg SUVs.

The Q7 skips the 2016 model year ahead of a 2017 redesign. That car will also have a diesel 3.0-liter V-6, but it isn't due until late next year -- a point at which Audi hopes to have the situation sorted out, Stertz said.

Disagreements With Regulators

The EPA alleges that Volkswagen's new 3.0-liter diesel engine has a "defeat device" that evades emissions testing, much like the four-cylinder diesels involved in the ongoing emissions crisis at Volkswagen Group.

The automaker is still "trying to figure out how the regulators came to that conclusion," Stertz told us.

At issue is an "auxiliary emissions control device," or AECD, in the 3.0-liter diesel V-6 that's "basically a temperature control strategy for the diesel system," Stertz said.

Stertz also said it's his understanding that the Volkswagen Group is "still trying to arrange" a meeting with regulators to "fully explain how this auxiliary emissions control device, the AECD, functions in the 3.0-liter."

Used-Car Sales Still Possible

The sales stoppage affects new and certified pre-owned cars, but there's technically nothing to stop dealers from decertifying a used TDI model and selling it as an ordinary used car. Volkswagen is recommending that dealers avoid that, spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said.

Still, dealerships are "independent businesses, [so] we cannot tell them not to," Ginivan added. "The EPA is saying they're legal and safe to drive, and they can be re-sold, so we are putting the stop-sale where we can."

Stertz said it's the same situation for Audi, which also cannot bar a dealer from decertifying a diesel car to sell it.

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New Mazda CX-9 to Bow at 2015 L.A. Auto Show

It's been a while since Mazda redesigned its three-row SUV, and the CX-9 is showing its age, landing in the bottom of the pack in the last Cars.com $40,000 Three-Row SUV Challenge. Today Mazda announced it will unveil a new CX-9 at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The teaser image shows an exterior that is dramatically different while still remaining recognizable as the CX-9. Replacing the previous-gen's more-rounded appearance is a sleek, bulletlike shape with sharp edges and a sinister gaze. It's clear that designers were keen on trading in the previous version's friendly demeanor for an angrier, aggressive attitude.

Details are slim but Mazda says the new CX-9 uses the automaker's latest SkyActiv technology, and fuel economy gains are something the CX-9 desperately needs. The current model's 17/24/19 mpg city/highway/combined EPA rating puts it at the bottom of the class in terms of fuel efficiency.

The new CX-9 will debut in L.A. Nov. 18. Stay tuned for more.

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Recall Alert: 2015-2016 Volkswagen Sedans, Hatchbacks, Convertibles and Wagons

Vehicles Affected: Approximately 92,000 model-year 2015-16 Volkswagen Jetta sedans, Beetle hatchbacks, Beetle convertibles, Passat sedans, Golf and Golf GTI hatchbacks, and Golf SportWagen wagons

The Problem: The camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

The Fix: Dealers will make the necessary repairs for free once the automaker has determined a remedy.

What Owners Should Do: Volkswagen will send owners an interim notification by Dec. 22 and a second notification when the remedy plan has been finalized, likely in March 2016. Owners can call the automaker at 800-822-8987, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov for more info.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

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Recall Alert: 2008-2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, 2010 GLK-Class

Vehicles Affected: Approximately 126,000 model-year 2008-09 Mercedes-Benz C300 and C300 4Matic sedans, C63 AMG sedans, C350 coupes, and model-year 2010 GLK350 and GLK350 4Matic SUVs

The Problem: The airbag control unit may corrode and cause it to malfunction, which could cause the airbags to unexpectedly deploy, increasing the risk of an injury and the possibility of a crash. Alternatively, a malfunction may cause the airbags to not deploy in a crash, also increasing the risk of an injury.

The Fix: Dealers will inspect the airbag control unit and replace it as necessary for free.

What Owners Should Do: Mercedes-Benz did not immediately provide an owner-notification schedule. Owners can call the automaker at 800-367-6372, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov for more info.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

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Volvo Debuts Real-Time Traffic Service on 2016 XC90

A recent study predicted that as the world's population continues to grow and the number of cars on the road follows suit, urban mobility is an issue of increasingly vital concern. Part of the solution to managing the accompanying highway congestion will be the widespread use of crowd-sourcing traffic services via connected cars. For one data technology firm and an automaker, that solution starts now.

Swedish automaker Volvo has teamed with Europe-based INRIX for its first live traffic service, debuting this month on the 2016 XC90 luxury SUV and expanding to other models later. Through Volvo's Sensus Connect multimedia and navigation system, INRIX will provide motorists with real-time, predictive traffic conditions and travel times for driving routes, as well as alerts for accidents and other incidents on every type of major roadway.

"INRIX combines traffic information from its crowd-sourced network of connected vehicles and insight from thousands of public and private sources to provide Volvo cars with a real-time traffic service that covers more than 5 million miles in 42 countries," INRIX said in a statement.

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2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek Review

Quirky, slow and difficult to classify, the 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek adds a splash of dirt-road utility to an otherwise unremarkable compact hatchback experience.

Find out more info in my review.

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