05 Pontiac Gto Differential on 2040-parts.com

Ford recalls minivans, SUV

Ford is recalling nearly half a million vehicles to fix defects that can cause fires or loss of power. About 205,800 copies of the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivan from the 2004 and 2005 model years are being recalled, because torque-converter output shafts in the transaxle might fail and cause power loss. Ford is also recalling 244,530 Escape SUVs from the 2001 and 2002 model years, which might have brake-fluid leaks that can cause corrosion and fire.

Treasures from West Germany lurk at Sonoma Raceway

In my role of Chief Justice of the 24 Hours of LeMons Supreme Court, I travel to Sonoma Raceway, aka Sears Point, at least twice per year. Most of the time I'm there, I'm stuck disciplining miscreant racers with incomprehensible penalties, but every so often I slip away in my Race Organizer Review car to shoot some action photos of the competitors. A good area for shooting LeMons cars is from the access road that runs parallel to the track between turn 10 and turn 11, and getting there takes me past an area of shops and garages… and I always spot some interesting cars parked there.

Crunch watch Nov 09: the auto industry in crisis

Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the seismic change in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Monday 30 November 2009• Saab's future is likely to become clearer tomorrow when the GM board meets in Detroit. It will have to decide whether to seek a new buyer or put Saab into liquidation (Financial Times)• Don't rule out an eastern bid for Saab: Beijing Automotive is still interested in buying the Swedish car maker despite its joint bid with Koenigsegg hitting the rocks, reports Automotive News.