The first blog we ever wrote about was the problem with Harley. Well, some things never change.

Harley Davidson has announced a recall of 2012 and 2013 VRSCDX motorcycles. It seems that the license plate bracket can fall off. That can end up hitting the rear tire. That can spin it around. That can make it damage the rear brake line. That can leave the rider with a dangerous brake failure. You can just see it happening.

Worse yet, even though they know it's a problem, harley won't even start to tell consumers about it for at least another week. If you own a Harley, be careful out there. Here's the recall.

Vehicle Make / Model:		Model Year(s):
H-D VRSCDX		2012-2013
Manufacturer: HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY		Report Receipt Date: OCT 18, 2012
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 12V503000		NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Component: EQUIPMENT
Potential Number of Units Affected: 2,798   

2012 Harley Davidson VRSCDX Recalled

Summary:
Harley-Davidson Motor Company (Harley-Davidson) is recalling all model year 2012 and certain model year 2013 VRSCDX motorcycles manufactured from June 14, 2011, through August 1, 2012. The license plate bracket assembly's mounting screws may loosen and the assembly may separate from the rear fender. This condition may lead to contact with the rear tire which could cause the license plate bracket to rotate, possibly damaging the rear brake line.   

Consequence:
If the license plate bracket contact with the rear brake line remains undetected, it may affect rear brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash, which could lead to injury or death of the rider.

Airbag Problems Force Recall of Ford Fiesta

Ford Motor Co. says it will recall 154,000 of its Fiesta subcompacts due to a problem with the vehicle’s airbag system, according to The Detroit Bureau.com.

2011 and other Ford Fiesta vehicles recalled for airbags

Apparently the side impact airbags will not deploy in a crash if the front passenger seat is empty even though it should.

The Fiesta recall covers the Mexican-made model line built between Nov. 3, 2009 and Sept. 21, 2012 - which shows you how long the defect has existed and how long it took for Ford to realize it.

Honda is recalling almost 270,000 CRV passenger cars that may burn up even while parked in your garage. This Honda recall is very serious. Turns out there is a power window switch that can fail or melt and if it does then it could ignite and start a fire. The danger is so severe that Honda is saying don't drive your Honda CR-V until the defect is fixed.

Vehicle Make / Model:		Model Year(s):
HONDA CR-V		2002-2006
Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)		Report Receipt Date: OCT 05, 2012
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 12V486000		NHTSA Action Number: EA11004

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Potential Number of Units Affected: 268,655

2006 Honda CR-V Recalled for self igniting fire danger

Summary:
Honda is recalling certain model year 2002-2006 CR-V passenger vehicles, manufactured from February 19, 2002, through July 28, 2006. The driver-side power window switch may fail or melt.   

Consequence:
If the switch fails, it could overheat, smoke, and cause a fire. A switch failure, and a fire, could occur even if the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the recall repair has been performed.

It matters because it tells consumers what is happening in the market place. Knowing that can help you get your best deal in your local dealer's showroom.

Dealers who didn't sell much will have more inventory than they want and the dealing should favor consumers. Dealers whose brands outsold all the others are likely to be less concerned about making sales right now because they know they have a "hot" product with lots of buyers out there, so the deals may not be so good for you when you shop at Toyota for instance - they had the highest percentage increase in business, way over anyone else last month.

First of all, more light vehicles (cars and light trucks) were sold in September 2012 than at any time since the Spring of 2008 - a dramatic turn around from then to now and widely considered to be clear evidence that the economy is actually much better than at any point in the last four years.

One surprise is Ford, whose market share is down to 14.4%, which is the lowest for the company since August 2009. That may signal better deals at your Ford dealer because they have to pull the business out of the doldrums.

Ford was outsold by Toyota, which showed a 41.5% increase over last year's numbers.

Honda sales are up 31% over last year's numbers, so don't expect any great retail deals there.

Hyundai sales increased too, up 15.3%.

BMW? Up by a mere 3.5% for the month and on the road for a 7% annual increase over last year's numbers, While Mercedes is headed for a 15% annual increase in sales. VW says it sales are up 34.4% while Audi said sales rose 26.5% for the month.

Nissan dropped 1.1%, so buyers may find some anxious salespeople at their local Nissan store.

Meanwhile, GM says it had low September sales but hasn't released its numbers yet and Chrysler says it had a 11.7% increase, which was the best for them than at any time in the last five years.

If you are in the market for a new car or truck, shop carefully. Price comparison is more important now than every. And don't sign anything that you aren't very sure of.



The 5 Finger Close can cost you thousands

And watch out for the 5 Finger Close that can cost you thousands of dollars out of your pocket. That's a tricky technique of sales fraud used by some car dealers to get you to sign sales papers without you realizing that the numbers on the papers have been increased above without you knowing it.

For instance, the dealership Finance Manager holds the stack of sales papers still with one hand planted in the middle of the top document while pointing to the signature line with the other hand and asking you to just "sign here and here and here," etc., using their hand to cover up an area of the sales document where the numbers appear (that they don't want you to see).

It can appear to you that the Finance Manager is being helpful in holding the page still but in reality the technique is used to deceive the customer into believing that the numbers, such as the price, etc, are the same as what was talked about earlier when, in reality, they are not. It is sometimes also called a five finger spread or five finger push.

You can learn more car dealer slang terms by reading our Car Deaelrship Dictionary of Terms - just click here.

Be careful out there - and if you get ripped off or end up with a lemon, just remember. Fixing that for consumers is what we do.