The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received new information from Nissan, Ford and Mazda regarding the July 11 recall of 2.7 million Takata inflators that could pose a potential safety risk if not replaced. The recall was prompted by data from on-going proactive testing ordered by NHTSA. NHTSA emphasizes that there have been no ruptures among these inflators, either during the testing, or in vehicles on the road. These inflators were produced from 2005 - 2012 and used a drying agent, or desiccant. The on-going larger Takata recall involves inflators built without using a drying agent. Under this new recall, Nissan has recalled 515,394 2007 - 2011 Versa sedans and 2007 - 2012 Versa hatchbacks equipped with Takata air bags with PSDI-5 desiccated inflators. Ford and Mazda have also filed defect notices, but informed NHTSA they intend to file petitions requesting an exemption from the recall, which is their legal right. The automakers must submit a petition of inconsequential defect and supporting data within 30 days. Once received, the petition would become publicly available on regulations.gov for comment. After considering the merits of the petition, which is standard practice for all petitions, the agency would publish a final decision. Visit www.nhtsa.gov to find the vehicles under recall. Searches can be done through VIN.

Chevelle and Mustang are always tops of the popularity list for classic collector cars. But, there are many others that are in high demand, include Volkswagen. The German car company published an article on its website, www.vw.com, about the popularity of some of its models as collectors, especially the Volkswagen Beetle.

Mitchell International, Inc., a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty (P&C) claims and Collision Repair industries www.mitchell.com, announced Mitchell Estimating Cloud, a completely cloud-based estimating solution designed to simplify the estimating process to quickly create accurate appraisals.

Mark Duncan took the plunge into four-wheeling back in 1987, building his first jeep and heading out on an adventure like he’d never experienced before. It was a pivotal moment for Mark, who until then had just been selling Jeep parts. He finally understood what the fuss was all about. Now as president of J & W Auto Wreckers, Inc. in Antelope, Calif., he’s sharing his passion for Jeeps with his sons, Neil and Spencer, the third generation in this family business.

Who knew providing good customer service could go out of style? Well, it doesn’t, but every year trends emerge that follow consumer buying habits and expectations. Marketing research now tracks what a customer looks at online, for how long, what they actually buy and what they expect from their experience. The old customer service adage was customers were happy if they got a good price, service or availability. Today’s consumers want all three.

Whitey’s Wrecking, Inc. of Spokane, Wash., has operated under one simple motto for three generations: Honesty pays. Owner Dustin Koerper, grandson of company founder Marvin “Whitey” Koerper, remembers how his grandfather had that motto stamped onto the covers of matchbooks that he would hand out to customers.