European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday september 26, 1994 automotive the stars and stripes Page 9 general motors corp. Is recalling 149,0001994buick Century an Cutlass Ciera models to Correct an electrical defect that could cause fires in the cars doorframe. Pm also said last week that it i recalling 25,000 1994 Geo prizes to replace seat Belt Anchor straps. The Century and Cutlass models May have Power lock relay switches in doors that could allow water to leak inform outside the car. That could cause a Short circuit creating a fire Hazard in the door Frame where the front doors meet the Windshield. Such a Short also could cause the Power locks to Stop working. Pm said that it knew of no accidents or injuries related to the defect but that it had received seven reports of fires. The Anchor straps on front Seatbelt in the prizes were improperly heat treated and Don t meet government standards for strength. Pm said it had no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem.  Ford motor co. Is recalling its new contour and Mercury mystique sedans As it launches a multimillion Dollar and Campaign to introduce them. Ford said thursday that 200 contours and mystique delivered to buyers Are being called Back to add a part to prevent buildup of Static electricity that could cause a fire while Gas is being pumped. The problem was discovered when a Small Flash fire broke out As gasoline was being pumped into a car at an Assembly Plant spokesman David Capla said. Engineers found that durin fueling a charge of Static electricity might be created on a shield attached to the cars fuel filler pipes. Discharge of Static electricity hear the filler pipe could ignite gasoline  " Caplan said the strap parts also would be installed on about 8,000vehicles at dealerships or in transit from the Assembly Plant. No one was Hurt in the Plant fire and Ford has had a. Swayed by testimonials from paediatricians that travelling in a reclined position is Best for a Bat a reducing Respirator problems the National Highway traffic safety administration agreed to change regulation requiring that infant seats re main stationary and mostly upright re Clining Only about 31 degrees. We thought we could improve the safety of infants with breathing difficulty without negative safety consequences said Barry Felrice the Agency s associate administrator for Rule making. The seat which rides on a curved track functions on the principle of Iner Tia which moves it from a reclining to an upright position in the event of a crash. In a head on collision the Energy of sudden Stop propels the seat Forward and upward on its track. Although the seat remains stationary in Side and rear Colli Sions its manufacturer says it is just a Safe in such accidents As any other baby seat. After Impact the seat returns to it original reclined position. The seat which was first shipped to stores last month can be used for infants from birth to 40 pounds and has a retail Price of $119 to $130. That is consider ably More than comparable seats which average $40 to $60. But Tom Schenck vice president of marketing for Century said customers Are paying for the new technology Aswell As for a deluxe infant head Cushion and special fabric. This absolutely will provide greater Comfort for the infant said Dawn Perez a manager for Century. Stephanie Tombrello executive director of safety Belt Safe u.s.a., a nonprofit organization in Altadena calif., that focuses on child passenger safety said the smart move gives parents More  she said that by keeping infants More comfortable parents May be less inclined to remove them from the seats while trav Eling exposing them to danger. Another manufacturer Cosco inc. Of Columbus ind., manufacturers a Side facing car bed the Ultra dream ride which allows infants to ride Flat. But i does not move to an upright position in a crash. It also requires More space in tieback seat arid can be used for infants Only up to 20  Jim Foss vice president of merchandising for Cosco said that the com Pany s product was safer for those with breathing problems and that Century seat reclined Only a bit More than the traditional car seat. Annemarie shelness who directed the defunct nonprofit physicians for Auto motive safety in Sherman conn., for 18 years lauded Century s efforts but said that the smart move was too expensive and that parents would be better off put Ting their infants into the Cosco car bed if they were concerned about breathing problems. Further she said the smart move is too Large and heavy to double Asan infant Carrier. Chrysler s 1995 Eagle Talon above like the Mitsubishi eclipse is restyled Inore powerful than before and has a new Interior. Talon is. Eclipse matter of taste by Tom Incantalupo new Day hmm let s see now we checked the acceleration and the braking on Chrys Ler s Eagle Talon and the Mitsubishi eclipse both Are Strong. Handling on a winding Road excellent. Interior nicely done. What d we forget a yes the 5 Mph bumpers. There s our son s car in the driveway let s ram it. It did t happen that Way of course the rear bumper to rear bumper encounter was an Accident. But we can Tell you now firsthand with head Hung Low that the lighter and stronger 5-Mph bumper on the 95 eclipse does its Job. There was t a scratch on it or the target car either. The bumpers Are just one of Many improvements that make the eclipse and its sister the Eagle Talon better for 1995. Chrysler and Mitsubishi which share the models produced in Illinois by Diamond Star motors have nicely executed the cars first total makeover since their introduction for the 1990 Model year. The Plymouth version the laser is discontinued. On Sale since earlier this summer the Talon and eclipse Are restyled More powerful and have new interiors. Their bodies Are More rigid their wheelbase longer and their tracks wider. They still offer Low seating positions still Are front wheel or All wheel drive and still Are available in a wide variety. They still have rear seats too cramped for any adult. Viewed from the front or Side the Talon and eclipse Are nearly identical. Their interiors Are identical and so Are their mechanical components. So Choos ing Between them boils Down to taste and perhaps a preference for one dealer or another. Chrysler corp. Says that the base Talon has More Standard equipment including a rear spoiler and rear wiper Washer Al though Mitsubishi includes fog lamps that Are optional on the Talon. Both cars Are available with a Chrysler built 2,0-liter, 16-Valvc, four Cylinder engine with 140 horsepower which is new for 1995, or the Mitsubishi motor in our two test cars a turbocharged 2.0-liter,16-valve four Cylinder that produces 205 or 210 horsepower with manual or Auto Matic transmission respectively up from 195 last year. Car Buff magazines Peg Zero-to-60 acceleration with this engine at under seven seconds. We enjoyed our eclipse Gox base Price $23,349, with freight More than our Talon Tsi $17,696 for two reasons the Mitsubishi had a stick shift which rethink is Best with a Turbocharger to help overcome the lag or delayed response common to these engines. And our eclipse had All wheel drive which of course did a better Job than our Talon s front drive. Neither car meets tougher 1997 Federal Side Impact standards. Just one other complaint from us the Horn buttons Are Small and difficult to find