The dashboard is about the last thing you’d expect to break on your car. It’s just a big piece of plastic after all. What could go wrong? Well, hundreds of Dodge Ram owners have experienced this problem. Some Ram dashboards develop cracks and can eventually break into pieces.

How Common is it for the dashboard to crack on Dodge Rams?

CarComplaints.com has recorded over 600 complaints for the 2001 model year alone. According to the website, it’s the most common complaint for that year. The problem persisted for several years. Car Complaints points to the 1999-2003 model years, but DodgeProblems.com notes cracking dashboards in models from 1998 all the way up to 2006.

The New York Times found over 200 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration about the problem. Keep in mind these numbers just represent the people who took the time to file a complaint.

How Bad Is It?

The problem can start with hairline cracks, but in some cases entire chunks of the dashboard come off. One of the NHTSA complaints the New York Times found noted that a piece of dashboard flew off and hit the owner in the face. Holes in the dashboard can also let moisture and debris into the equipment underneath. In one report, this resulted in shorted wires, horn, and lighting failures.

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Having a child safety seat is necessary, and legally required, for keeping infants, toddlers, and children safe while driving. According to Mass.gov, “car crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among children.” A federally approved child safety seat can help protect children in the event of an accident, so it’s important to choose the right one and make sure it’s installed correctly to keep your child safe. Here are some tips that will help you pick the right car seat and install it properly.

Picking a Car Seat

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a government agency in the Department of Transportation responsible for a wide range of automotive safety standards, recommends that a car seat be picked based on the child’s age and size.

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Podcasts are a great way to indulge in your favorite topics and hear enthusiasts talk about the subjects they know best. Whether its news, current events, stories, interviews, history or more, we’ve got a list of favorite automotive podcasts covering all kinds of car-related topics, recommended by a couple of our very own car experts here at 1A Auto, Andrew and Jeremy.

7. Power and Speed Podcast

http://www.powerandspeedpodcast.com/

A few extremely talented and smart drag racers talk about what it takes to make drag racing cars move down the track. Power and Speed gets incredibly technical with data, and brings some heavy-hitting guests on the show to discuss various aspects of engine design, including ways to make more horsepower. From cam lobe design to rear gear choices, these guys discuss the topics that nobody else does.

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Premature rear brake wear is a common problem on 2008-2010 Honda Accords.  There are over 1,000 reports of premature brake wear for the 2008 Accord alone on carcomplaints.com. Keep in mind that only includes people who took the time to note their complaint.

What Causes the Accord Brakes to Wear Out So Fast?

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Car ads are big business. Automotive News noted that car companies are some of the top spenders on advertising, shelling out billions of bucks on ads. Most car ads are slick and well-produced. Some are funny, some are exciting, and a handful are really weird. Not that that’s a bad thing. Sometimes oddvertising is especially memorable. Here are some of the weirdest and wildest car ads that stand out in my mind.

Dogs Making Out (Subaru)

Everyone loves dogs, but especially Subie owners. Subaru knows from market research that roughly 67% of their drivers have dogs. This notable when comparing to the American average of 44%, according to the ASPCA.  So, the company launched an ad campaign called “Dog Tested. Dog Approved” that showed dogs doing people things in Subarus. Weird, but cute. Then there’s this one with two pooches on a hot date. Gross? Funny? You be the judge.

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We passed Memorial Day, the kickoff to summer and road trip season. AAA estimated that over 41 million Americans would hit the road over Memorial Day Weekend. Have you ever stopped to wonder who took the first road trip? Well, we have Bertha Benz to thank. She was the first person to drive a car from one place to some place else – the original road trip.

The Car

You may have noticed that Bertha Benz shares a name with one of the biggest car companies in the world. She was the wife of automotive inventor Karl Benz. Karl was working on the world’s first gasoline powered car (with a little bit of financial help from Bertha’s dowry), later dubbed the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.

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YouTube has an ever-expanding universe of automotive delight. From professional restoration shops to backyard hacks like me, there is a flavor for everyone. I’m subscribed to exactly 122 YouTube channels. Do you know how much automotive content that is to digest on the regular? I’m literally drowning in videos while tears of joy stream down my cheeks and into my popcorn.

Today, I am giving you my top 11 YouTube channels. Coincidentally, “11” is about the same number of miles I’ve put on my 1964 Impala in 21 years… but that’s another story for another day.

As you dance your way down this list, you’re surely going to find some surprises. For example, Motor Trend didn’t make the list. Sure they have 1.7 billion YouTube views, 5 million subscribers, and over 2,000 absolutely amazing videos. They also have Roadkill. But they also quit making YouTube content recently, which made me quite grumpy, and thus my once-favorite YouTube channel simply didn’t qualify for my “Top 11” list. All right, let’s get to the list:

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