Here are a couple more car stories where you just have to shake your head and wonder…..

JEEP OWNERS CALL FOR RECALL

Using online websites, Internet forums, fan sites and You Tube an ever-growing group of Jeep owners around the country have been calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to – recall their vehicles!

Now, I don’t know how many of you have ever had to go through a recall – I have and take my word – it is not fun. In fact, it is a royal pain in the backside! I can say without hesitation, I do not ever want to go through that frustration again.

So I have to ask, how bad does it have to be for an owner of a vehicle to beg the government to recall their vehicle and go through all of that?

The problem concerns fuel overflow issues on gas tanks affecting most Jeep models, but centered mostly on 2007 and 2008 Jeep Wranglers. Chrysler has recalled some Dodge Durango’s for the same problem but they deny any problems with Jeeps.

The complaints are that even after the gas pump clicks off, gas spurts out of the fuel cap soaking the vehicle, the vehicle owner and the pavement. It is so bad and happens so often that many Jeep owners are not filling their tanks completely full to avoid being drenched in fuel.

Chrysler says the problem is that owners are using fuel with high ethanol levels. Their testing shows that a plastic “O” ring on the inlet valve that is supposed to stop the fuel from gushing out, swells when soaked in ethanol thereby causing the problem.

Ok, so in the scheme of things this may not be the biggest, scariest or most threatening of problems. Certainly not when compared to many of the other recalls that have recently been made. But, it is annoying and one of those things that should just not be happening.

The vehicle owner has no choice in the level of ethanol their fuel contains, so how can they do anything to alleviate this. And besides, should Jeep have not foreseen this problem?

Chrysler has already recalled the Durango for the same problem. Why not a recall for these Jeeps?

The best Jeep could muster is too issue some service bulletins, which means they will only fix the problem if the owner brings it to the dealers attention – and pays for it. The NHTSA says no recall because Jeep owners generated the interest in the issue over the Internet and it would. What?

I have to ask again. How many years has Jeep been manufacturing vehicles? All those years and they still can’t get some thing as simple as the fuel process right?

You just have to shake your head.

IS IT JETSON TIME?

This is a good head shaker.

Remember that cartoon The Jetsons? The way they flew around in their own mini – spaceships. As a kid, I was sure we would all be doing that by now.

Well, we may have taken the first step in that direction – finally – kind of.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has granted a legal exemption to the Terrafugia Company that will allow their Transition model to be driven on the road.

Why is this a big deal? Well, the Terrafugia Transition is actually a two-seat prop plane that turns into a vehicle able to be driven on the highway at proper highway speed, when not flying through the air.

It’s a flying car!

I call it that anyway. The company calls it a “roadable vehicle”. Trust a bureaucratic corporation to put a downer on it. Flying car – roadable vehicle – come on – It’s a flying car for goodness sake. Go with it!

The flying car includes automotive safety features like crumple zones and even airbags.

The Transition has successfully completed several test flights and is expected to enter production in 2012. Where do I sign up?

No word on whether you get a dog named Astro with each purchase.

What’s next, buildings mounted on the top of poles?