Automakers may run out of some paint colors because of a shortage of supplies of a pigment made at a factory near a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant.
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Washington— Honda Motor Co. is issuing its second recall in the last week for the 2011 Odyssey minivan over reports faulty front side windows have shattered.
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Volkswagen entered the minivan market in 2008 with the Routan. If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s related to the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. The Routan comes with two captain’s chairs in the second row and a three-seat bench in the third.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the infant seat in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and convertible in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit. In the third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible.

Here’s how the 2011 Routan scored in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check:

Latch system: The Routan has two sets of lower Latch anchors in the second row. These Latch anchors are somewhat difficult to use with car seats that have rigid Latch connectors as our Roundabout does because the seat cushions get in the way. We reclined the captain’s chair seatback to gain better access to the anchors. There’s one more set of lower Latch anchors in the larger portion of the 60/40-split third row. These anchors are exposed and easy to use. The Routan has three tether anchors, with two in the second row.

Booster seat: The high-back booster seat fit well in the captain’s chair (above). While the head restraints in the second row are removable, there was no need to take them out of the chairs. The seat belt buckles are on stable bases that stand up high enough for a child to grasp it. In the third row, the booster seat (below) also fit well. The large head restraints in the third row don’t get in the way of the booster. The seat belt buckles are floppy, making them difficult for a child to use independently.

Convertible car seat: The forward-facing convertible fit well in the captain’s chair after we leaned the seatback to expose the Latch anchors. The rear-facing convertible also fit well, but connecting the rigid Latch connectors to the anchors was a struggle. There was no struggle when installing the forward-facing convertible in the third row. The exposed Latch anchors make it easy to get the car seat installed quickly. The Latch anchors sit off-center in the third row, allowing for only one other car seat or person to fit back there when in use.

Infant-safety seat: This seat fit well in the second row. The Graco SnugRide has traditional Latch connectors (not rigid), and they worked much better with the buried Latch anchors.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

How many car seats fit in third row? Two

Editor’s note: For three car seats—infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats—to fit in a car, our criteria is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.
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Looking to stand out on the road? MotherProof.com’s Chief Mom Kristin Varela said she did while driving the 2011 Kia Sportage. The crossover’s modern, sporty styling grabbed plenty of attention. The Sportage’s interior looks as good as its exterior, but Kristin found a glaring problem: squeaks and rattles. The Sportage had an abundance of annoying squeaks emanating from the interior, and it was enough to drive Kristin crazy. Was she able to get past it? Read her review to find out.

2011 Kia Sportage Review
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Volvo has issued a recall for seven 2011 Volvo S40s over a production error, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On the affected seven units, a crack may have formed on the top side of the passenger side support member in the engine compartment. The crack could reduce the S40’s crash performance. The structural crack isn’t evident, so it’s imperative to have the vehicle inspected. We’ve provided the affected VINs below.

Volvo dealers will inspect for cracks in the engine compartment for free. If cracks are revealed, the vehicle will be replaced free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin April 15.. For more info, owners may call Volvo at 800-458-1552 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.

Eligible U.S. Vehicles
YV1672MS4B2541597
YV1672MS9B2541675
YV1672MSXB2541684
YV1672MS7B2541691
YV1672MS6B2541701
YV1672MS6B2542198
YV1672MS0B254221
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Mercedez-Benz USA is opening Driving Academy in late 2011 to offer high-standard teen-driver education that will meet the challenges of modern-day traffic system. The current condition of the driver education in the U.S., especially the one offered to teens, leaves much to be desired. Obviously, 30 hours of traffic regulations theory and 6 hours at [...]
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A prolonged disruption of supplies of Japanese auto parts could halt global vehicle output by as much as 35 percent, the chief forecaster at IHS Automotive said Thursday.
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Automakers may run out of some paint colors because of a shortage of supplies of a pigment made at a factory near a damaged nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan.
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The redesigned 2011 Honda Odyssey is about as family-friendly as it gets with its expandable second row that can hold three car seats. Only the minivan’s base model doesn’t have this feature; it has second-row captain’s chairs. The expandable second row’s center seat also moves forward 6 inches, which is great for parents with a child in a rear-facing car seat in that position. No more twisting and turning to help your child find the pacifier or favorite toy.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the infant seat in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and convertible in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit. In the third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible.

Here’s how the 2011 Odyssey did in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check:

Latch system: For our Car Seat Check, we tested the Odyssey Touring Elite, which has five sets of lower Latch anchors, which can also be found in the EX, EX-L and Touring trims. There are three sets of lower Latches in the second row and two sets in the third. Except the second row’s middle seat, all the Latch anchors stick out from the seat bight, which is where the back and bottom seat cushions meet, and are easy to use. The middle seat’s Latch anchors are under hard plastic covers that once removed are easy to get to. The Odyssey has six tether anchors, with three in each row. They sit at the base of the seatbacks and also are easy to use.

Booster seat: Before installing our car seats, we put the second row into its wide mode by sliding the outboard seats outward by 1.5 inches on each side. Our high-back booster seat fit well in the second (above) and third (below) rows. Both rows of seats recline, and the head restraints are removable. The only knock against the Odyssey is that both rows have the floppy seat belt buckles, which can be difficult for little hands to find when trying to buckle up independently.

Convertible seat: In the second row, the forward-facing convertible fit well after we removed the head restraint. The rear-facing convertible just fit in the second row, and we didn’t need to move the front passenger seat forward. The forward-facing convertible also fit well in the third row.

Infant-safety seat: We installed this car seat in the middle seating position of the second row. There was plenty of room for it and a car seat on each side of it.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Three

How many car seats fit in third row? Two. There are three seating positions in the third row, but we couldn’t fit three car seats back there.

Editor’s note: For three car seats—infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats—to fit in a car, our criteria is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.
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Do you think today’s driver’s ed isn’t up to your high standards? Then Mercedes-Benz has the school for you. Or at least the automaker is planning one.

It will open a driving school in the U.S. later this year that will follow current graduated license guidelines while going above and beyond current curriculums, the company announced today.

This isn’t just a promotional ploy; you’ll have to pay up to get your teen in this class, but your children will be piloting Mercedes-Benz vehicles as part of the course.

Unfortunately Mercedes hasn’t announced the location of the school or the price of the course yet. Expect to hear more later this spring. For now, let us know if you’d enroll your teen in the class assuming the fee was equivalent to or slightly higher than other driving schools. 
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