The past three Wednesday editions of our Question of the Day post centered around the most gracefully aged designs from everyone’s favorite decade: the Nineties. We discussed American vehicles, moved onto Euro rides, and most recently discussed Asia.

But what happens when we flip the question around, and think about designs that aged in the worst ways?

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Mike writes:

Ok Sajeev, I got one for you.

I own a 2009 Nissan Xterra 4wd X model.  It has nearly 100k miles on the clock.  In the past week, whenever I start the vehicle, I hear a chattering noise coming from the passenger side dashboard.  The noise persists as long as the passenger air bag light is lit; when that light goes off, the chattering stops.  So I took the truck to my local Nissan dealer, whom I trust, and I was told that the problem is the passenger side blender door of the HVAC system – apparently there are gears in this assembly which are not moving freely or properly. 

The cost to repair is estimated at about $600 because of the necessity to remove the whole dashboard.  The dealer’s service people told me to do nothing until the HVAC system fails to function properly, and it is currently functioning properly except for the above described noise.  My question: how is a bad blender door mechanism linked to an airbag light?  Can airbags chatter on vehicle startup?

Thank you as always for your excellent advice. (Read More…)

George writes:

What can I do about the low-beam headlights on my 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC? Does anybody make replacement parts for this car?

Please help!

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TTAC commentator educatordan writes:

I know this is an exercise in mental masturbation but I find myself thinking about it and perhaps the B&B with their extensive experience could shed some light on the subject. (Read More…)

In my CC hunts, I come across quite a few Lincolns with air suspension issues. Usually, they’re just hunched down on the suspension stops in a Citroen DS or lowrider imitation. But this one has been catching my eye for quite some time, because it gets driven like this. I suspect it’s not intentional, but I do tend to lag in my awareness of the latest automotive cultural fads. Given that this Mark VIII is also lacking a rear window adds to my theory. (Read More…)