ConsumerAffairs.com Automotive

The recent rise in gasoline prices has stalled, with the national average price sliding back to $2.645 a gallon, according to AAA. That's down just over three cents a gallon from last Friday. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.827, a penny less than a week ago. Missouri has the lowest average price gas in the nation today with a price of $2.456 a gallon. It's followed by South Carolina, at $2.486 and Oklahoma at $2.496 a gallon. Alaska and Hawaii have the most expensive gas, at $3... Read Full Story

Consumers nationwide are paying about the same for gas as they did last Friday. The national average price of self-serve regular is $2.642 a gallon, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Report, almost the same as last Friday. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.822, compared to $2.827 last week. In the last seven days world oil prices have retreated from prices approaching $80 a barrel. Prices have declined in the wake of traders' concerns about the speed of economic recovery. As a result... Read Full Story

Nineteen cars and eight SUVs have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award for 2010. And -- for the first time -- good performance in a roof strength test to measure protection in a rollover is required to win. The IIHS Top Safety Pick recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes based on good ratings in institute tests. Winners also must have electronic stability control, which research... Read Full Story

There wasn't much movement in the average price of gasoline over the last seven days. The AAA Fuel Gauge report shows the national average price of self-serve regular gas is $2.613 a gallon Friday, down just over a penny from a week ago. The national average price of diesel fuel is $2.697 a gallon, up just over a penny. "Determining a long-term direction in the price of oil and refined products proves difficult when considering mixed economic data and sudden swings in the price of crude... Read Full Story

There hasn't been much change in the price of gasoline in the last seven days, with AAA reporting that the national average of self-service regular today is $2.625 a gallon. That's down from $2.647 last Friday. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.685 a gallon, up less than a penny in the last week. Hawaii, Alaska and California are the only three states where the statewide average gasoline price exceeds $3 a gallon. The average price is $3.253 in Hawaii, $3.236 in Alaska and $3.049 in... Read Full Story

The government's "Cash for Clunkers" program has been a hit with everybody but car dealers -- and now the dealers' trade group says the program is broke and should be shut down. General Motors, thrilled with the boost in sales, said it would provide cash advances to dealers to cover the outstanding rebates. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) yesterday (Thursday) formally asked the government to suspend the clunkers program because a survey by the group found that the $3... Read Full Story

Is Cash for Clunkers starting to resemble the much-delayed switch to digital TV? The Transportation Department has extended the filing deadline once again, this time until 8 p.m. EDT tonight (Tuesday), giving dealers more time to submit their paperwork and get their taxpayer-funded rebates. It's the second deadline extension since last week and is blamed on the Transportation Department's computer problems. The department has had trouble keeping up with dealer submissions because the... Read Full Story

For much of 2009 the price of gasoline has been rising, removing the one bright spot for consumers in an otherwise gloomy economy. But since mid-June, that bright spot has returned. Gasoline prices, which peaked at a national average price of $2.70 a gallon, have steadily been falling. Today, the average price is $2.565 for a gallon of self-serve regular, according to AAA’s daily Fuel Gauge Report. That compares to $2.627 a gallon a month ago, before prices had peaked. A year ago motorists... Read Full Story

The White House this morning quickly denied published reports that the wildly popular “Cash For Clunkers” program had broken down, within days of starting up. White House economic advisor Christina Romer, interviewed on the business cable network CNBC, said she could confirm that the program remains viable and operating. She said the White House would support Congressional efforts to pump an additional $2 billion into the program. Car dealers were thrown into a panic late Thursday when it... Read Full Story

Shell Oil has agreed to pay $19.5 million to settle charges that it violated California environmental laws at its company-operated gas stations across the state. California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the judgment will ensure compliance with the state's hazardous waste and underground fuel storage laws. It resulted from a 2006 investigation into Shell and its gasoline stations after the San Diego and Riverside County District Attorneys settled cases with the company following... Read Full Story