American consumers are feeling less confident this month as concerns over a possible recession grew despite most recent data pointing to a healthy U.S. economy. The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index fell to 106.7 from a revised 110.9 in January, after three straight months of improvement. The index measures both Americans' assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months [df84f373].
In addition to the decline in consumer confidence, several automakers have recently issued recalls for vehicle safety issues. Toyota is recalling approximately 381,000 Tacoma midsize pickup trucks in the United States due to a risk of parts falling off the rear axles, which can increase the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain trucks from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Toyota stated that welding debris left on the ends of the axles can cause some nuts to loosen over time and eventually fall off, affecting stability and brake performance. This can lead to the separation of the part from the axle, affecting stability and brake performance. Toyota has not disclosed if there have been any crashes or injuries related to this problem. Dealers will inspect the rear axles, tighten retaining nuts, and repair or replace any damaged components at no cost to owners. Customers will be notified by mail in late April [ba2627fa] [df84f373].
Chrysler and Jeep have also issued a recall for more than a million vehicles due to malfunctioning rearview cameras. The recall, initiated by Chrysler and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), affects 19 different types of vehicles. The malfunctioning rearview cameras are caused by a radio signal malfunction, which prevents the rearview image from displaying on affected cars' media screens. This poses a potential crash risk and violates federal safety regulations. Around 1,033,433 vehicles are affected by the recall. The impacted car models include the 2021-2022 Dodge Durango, 2021-2023 Chrysler Pacifica, 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, 2022 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, and several others. Owners of affected cars will be notified via mail, and dealers will update the radio software free of charge. The recall was reported to the NHTSA on June 13, 2024 [0b7e3fc9].
In addition to these recalls, Tesla is recalling nearly 12,000 Cybertruck electric pickup trucks in the United States. The recall is due to a failure of the windshield wiper that could reduce visibility and increase the risk of a crash, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Tesla is also recalling 11,383 Cybertruck vehicles as a trim in the trunk bed of the pickup truck could have been improperly attached, potentially becoming loose and creating a road hazard. Tesla will replace the wiper motor and apply an adhesion promoter and pressure sensitive tape or replace the missing trim free of charge for affected vehicles [97933040].