Nissan recalls thousands in cold states to fix glitch

January 8, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

WASHINGTON — Nissan Motor Co. is recalling more than 240,000 trucks in Ohio and 19 other cold-weather states to fix a problem that could prevent front air bags from deploying in a crash. The government said in a posting on its Web site Wednesday that the recall affects the Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra from the 2005-09 model years. In states where road salt is used, a mixture of snow, water and salt could enter a crash zone sensor area and rust, interrupting the signal. The Japanese automaker said that could prevent the front air bags from deploying in a crash.

GM ends its plans to build Pontiac G8 truck

DETROIT — General Motors Corp. has canceled plans to build the Pontiac G8 sport truck that was scheduled to go on sale this year. The decision to scrap the two-door vehicle with a 6-foot bed that’s reminiscent of the Chevrolet El Camino was reported Tuesday by trade publication Automotive News. Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson confirmed the decision Wednesday, saying it’s part of GM’s “ongoing review” related to its long-term viability plan. Hopson says the sport truck didn’t fit with the company’s vision for Pontiac.

Future of White Pages: Ohio officials mull request

CINCINNATI — Ohio regulators are set to consider a phone company’s request to stop distributing its White Pages phone book. Cincinnati Bell says most customers rarely use the printed residential directory any longer but prefer to look up numbers on the Web. The company has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for a waiver so the White Pages wouldn’t have to be delivered automatically to each customer. A person could still receive a printed copy by asking for one.

Associated Press