2004 Yamaha Rx1 Warrior Drive Axle Sprockets on 2040-parts.com

Petrolhead spiders cause Mazda recall

Mazda has had to recall 42,000 vehicles in the US after it emerged that a species of spider had been weaving webs in fuel vent hoses, increasing the risk of fuel leaks and fires. The yellow sac spider’s curious domestic activities cause a build-up of pressure in the evaporative fuel vent that – in theory at least – could result in a cracked fuel tank and therefore an increased risk of fire. This isn’t the first time that the Mazda 6 has received the unwanted advances of a gas-guzzling arachnid, either – three years ago Mazda had to recall over 50,000 cars for precisely the same reason.

Automakers should disable technologies that distract drivers, U.S. says

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday released its long-awaited guidelines on distracted driving, calling on automakers to disable applications that allow drivers to manually access social media, surf the Web or send text messages while on the road. The recommendations also seek to prevent any in-car technologies that require drivers to use both hands or take their eyes off the road for more than two seconds.

Honda issues recall due to braking problem

Honda is recalling more than 180,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to a potential vehicle stability assist problem that could cause the system to apply a small amount of brake without any input from the driver. According to Honda, an electrical capacitor on the VSA control unit could have been damaged during the manufacturing process, causing the braking problem.