national highway traffic safety administration

The two certainties in life -- death and taxes -- are more intertwined than you'd expect. A study has found that deadly auto accidents increase on Tax Day. Drivers recklessly racing to the post office might be a reason, or it could be that stressing over taxes distracts motorists.

GM CEO Dan Akerson is charged up about the politically manufactured controversy surrounding the Chevy Volt. "We did not engineer the car to become a political punching bag," he said. Tough words -- but rescuing the Volt's reputation will be a tough fight.

This week's recalls include more possibly listeria-tainted cantaloupe, VW cars with leaky engines, IKEA children's tents that could break and injure their young occupants, and drop-side cribs from J.C. Penney whose drop-side rails can detach suddenly. Here's the rundown:

Some people take fun to the extreme, engaging in pastimes that put their health -- and even their lives -- at risk. Insurance companies refer to such activities as "hazardous vocations," and charge higher premiums to those who engage in them. One way or another, these hobbies will cost you.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into complaints that the metal fuel tank straps of 2.73 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks can rust and break, possibly dropping the tank and creating a fire hazard. The investigation involves 1997 to 2001 model year...

Ford is expanding a recall of its popular F-Series truck line because of faulty airbags that can deploy unexpectedly and possibly lead to injuries, federal regulators said Thursday. The expanded action now includes some 1.2 million trucks from the 2004 through 2006 model years.

Three top automakers are recalling vehicles for items ranging from steering problems to stalling engines to faulty tire-pressure monitoring systems. The largest involves 35,000 Honda Civic hybrid models to fix electrical components that could cause headlights to shut off or the engine to stall.

Toyota is recalling another 22,000 trucks and sport-utility vehicles, this time so that it can repair faulty tire pressure monitoring systems. Vehicles affected by the recall include the Toyota FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tacoma and Tundra from the 2008 through 2011 model years.

Chrysler is recalling nearly half a million popular minivan and crossover models because the engines may unexpectedly turn off while driving, increasing the risk for a crash.

Ford Motor is recalling nearly 32,000 recent-vintage pickup trucks and crossover vehicles in two separate actions to fix fuel leaks and electrical shorts that may lead to fires, according to a notice posted Wednesday on the National Highway Traffic Safety site.