The second week of my extended test drive in the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart proved to be full of family fun and rough weather. Slick roads made me grateful for the Sportback’s all-wheel-drive system, and I was glad I’d requested that the hatchback’s standard summer tires be swapped out for winter tires (something that didn’t save me in week three; how’s that for foreshadowing?).

After picking up my girls from school on a particularly nasty evening, we decided it was the perfect time for PJs, pizza and a movie at home. We headed over to the grocery store, picked up a pizza and supplies, and rushed to load our stuff into the car; groceries and children both fit remarkably well in this family-friendly four-door hatchback. I was in such a hurry to get out of the rain that I slammed down the cargo door on the pizza.

In documents released to the federal government and disclosed by the media over the weekend, a Toyota executive touted savings of $100 million for avoiding a full-scale recall of 2007 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES 350 sedans — as well as other models — for unintended acceleration. Many news outlets are picking up on this document as a sign that Toyota not only knew about the problem earlier than it publicly admitted, but that cost savings drove its decision making. 

The reality is, it’s not uncommon for corporate documents to attach a monetary value to each and every action, and even the safety divisions of corporations have financial goals set by the company. The statement also clearly uses the phrase “no defect found” in referring to the dealings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, suggesting that it was less a cover-up than a disagreement over the nature of the problem.

Unfortunately for Toyota, regardless of what it meant in that internal document, consumers are likely to review this document — and the reams still to come in congressional hearings — for any signs that the company put profits ahead of safety. As the automaker has discovered over the past few months, perception is a reality all its own with American consumers. It’s likely the semantics of Toyota’s internal presentation about a safety issue will be a hot topic at the congressional hearings starting Tuesday. 

I was driving home from a weekend in the Rocky Mountains recently when a yellow Corvette caught my attention. Actually, it was the fact that this Vette, which was weaving in and out of traffic, raced ahead of me and then cut me off. Then I saw the car’s vanity plate, TOFST4U.  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and mumble a few obscenities, mostly about the manhood of the “gentleman” driving it.

I don’t have anything against Corvettes, though I’m generally not a fan of yellow-colored ones.  I also don’t have anything against vanity plates.  At age 16, my first car was a GMC S10 Jimmy with QUEPASA vanity plates (I was a Spanish language geek attending language immersion school during the summer months).  However, it was the combination of the Vette with poor road manners and a sassy plate that bugged me the most.

Are vanity license plates a Hot or Not? Tell us about any interesting vanity plates you’ve seen on the road in the comment section below.

Honda is recalling 379,000 Honda and Acura cars because the driver’s airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recalled models are:

• 2003 Acura CL
• 2002-03 Acura TL
• 2001-02 Honda Accord
• 2001-03 Honda Civic
• 2002 Honda CR-V
• 2002 Honda Odyssey
• 2003 Honda Pilot

If an affected airbag deploys, the increased internal pressure could cause the inflator to rupture. This could cause metal fragments to pass through the airbag cushion material, which could injure or kill vehicle occupants.

Dealers will replace the airbag inflator for free. This recall is expected to begin on Feb. 25. For more information, owners can call Honda at 800-999-1009 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.

Honda has expanded an earlier recall for a faulty airbag inflator that could deploy with too much pressure. This is a serious defect that the company says has resulted in one fatality since the recall was announced in 2008; it was expanded again in July 2009. That fatality led the company to investigate more models and some 2001-02 Honda Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V and 2002 Acura TL sedans were added to the recall. That brings the total number of vehicles being recalled to 826,424.

Honda says there have been 12 accidents, including the one fatality, due to the defect.

Honda will send out notifications to owners this month; owners can bring their vehicles to dealers for repairs as soon as they receive the letter. Dealers will replace the airbag inflator for free. Owners may contact Honda at 800-999-1009 or the NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236. Honda also has a recall website owners.honda.com/recalls.

Have you ever wished for a minivan that didn’t look like a minivan? Well, at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, Honda is on the cutting edge of cutting out blah styling from the Odyssey.

Our Chief Mama is on the showroom floor to give you a video tour of what makes the Odyssey Concept, uh…, conceptual.

Although the Ford Transit Connect isn’t a family car, Ford keeps redefining it in ways that we can’t help but recognize. This small commercial van is cool, and it’s increasing its eco-friendly credentials with a battery-electric version for the 2011 model year.

The battery-electric Transit Connect can drive up to 80 miles on a single charge and recharge in six to eight hours on 240 volts. It can also be recharged using a standard 120-volt plug, but it takes longer. The van’s top speed is 75 mph. For those of us who don’t spend our days delivering goods door to door (nope, just the kids), an electric version of the Ford Focus is coming, too.

It’s hard to ignore Toyota’s elephant in the room at the Chicago Auto Show, and Toyota executives chose not to and addressed their recent recalls at the beginning of their 2011 Avalon press conference.

“Nothing is more important that the safety and reliability of our vehicles,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of Toyota. Carter told journalists that Toyota had debated not coming to the auto show because of the recalls.

Carter discussed the recall of 2010 Prius and Lexus HS 250h hybrids over their brake systems. He said notification letters will be sent out this week to owners affected by the recall.