Vintage Sportster Sissybar Mount Rails on 2040-parts.com

Survey claims winter prompts increase in in-car tensions

NEW research conducted by the RAC puts the traditional winter blues in the shade, as the motoring organisation’s survey has uncovered a new phenomenon: "carguments". According to the RAC’s poll of 1,300 drivers, as many as 54% of motorists say they have arguments in the car – hence the ‘cargument’ - at this time of year when the days are short and the weather is miserable. A total of 15% of drivers and passengers said they argue more in the car than anywhere else, with 19% saying the mere act of driving left them stressed and angry, and 14% feeling cooped up in a car.

Nissan Leaf recall could force replacement of entire car

Nissan is recalling a total of 211 examples of the the Leaf pure-electric car supplied to the U.S., and another 65 Leafs sold in Canada for a problem involving missing spot welds in the motor compartment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that the front structural member assemblies in these cars could be missing welds in several crucial places, to the left and right of the electric motor. As a result, the affected Leafs might not perform well in a crash.

Ford Galaxy MPV spied stateside

Autoweek reader and frequent spy-shot contributor Spencer Abbott sends these photos of what appears to be a Ford Galaxy MPV -- or minivan, as we typically call the vehicles stateside -- testing in metropolitan Detroit. The Galaxy received a facelift in 2010, and that appears to be what we're seeing in these photos. Your guess is as good as ours as to why the vehicle was out and about near Ford's Dearborn, Mich., headquarters.