It's Friday, and a pretty slow news day in the automotive world at that, so let's check in with Joe Brown over at Jalopnik, and his post about insane Russian accidents, many involving guardrails in new and exciting ways.

So, yeah -- that's about all I've got for this post. Check out Brown's post for the rest of the pics, which are pretty self-explanatory in that they're all weird. Seriously, how do you get even get a subcompact so perfectly positioned on a guard rail like that? It's like some prank from a wacky '80s comedy. 

About 8.4 million Ford vehicles that can possibly catch fire remain on the road because of lack of owner information even after the largest U.S. safety recall ever, regulators said Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged owners of the 14 million vehicles recalled between 1999 and 2009 for leaky cruise-control switches to take their unrepaired vehicles in to dealers. The switches on those vehicles may leak into the antilock brake system, Ford has said.

“If not repaired, the vehicles can catch fire, even if they are turned off, parked and unattended,” NHTSA's statement said.

 

The same issue that caused a U.S. recall of about 740,000 Toyota vehicles has led to an additional 470,000 vehicles being called back by Toyota's major rival, Honda.

Advics Co., based in Japan, supplies certain parts to both manufacturers, and the overlap means that, as with the Toyota recall, drivers who replace factory-installed Honda Genuine brake fluid with another brand may cause a rubber seal in the master cylinder to dry out or curl, leading to a possible leak. The problem with the other brake fluids, according to both Honda and Toyota, is that they might not contain the correct polymers to keep the parts working properly. 

Dodge is updating its Journey crossover with an improved interior, a new engine and a fortified suspension.

The Journey gets a one-piece instrument panel with larger cluster of gauges. In the middle is a full-color vehicle information screen backlit in Dodge's red lights.

There's more storage space, new seats and new colors and trims. The ride is also enhanced with reengineered suspension geometry.

Let's not forget what really improves the drive--the engine.

 

The key to getting electric vehicles into the mainstream -- one of them, anyway -- is infrastructure. Extending range is necessary, of course, but the ability to recharge at, say, the office would go a long way towards making EVs a viable everyday option.

The office is one example -- how about the mall? Charge while you shop is the idea behind the recently announced partnership between Car Charging Group Inc. and the Mall of America. Car Charging Group will install EV chargers at the mall in Bloomington, Minn., which covers 4.2 million square feet and has 13,000 parking spaces. The mall receives more than 40 million visitors each year. 

A 1952 Porsche 356 cabriolet owned by Robert Wilson of Oklahoma City, Okla., has been named the winner of a contest to find the oldest Porsche sold in America.

Porsche Cars North America ran the contest, which asked owners to submit documentation showing when their cars were first sold, as part of its celebration of 60 years of selling cars in the United States.

Wilson's car, which he found in a salvage yard, was imported in November 1952 by Max Hoffman, who started bringing Porsches to the United States in 1950. Wilson's 356 cabriolet is powered by a 1.5-liter engine rated at 60 hp and has been fully restored.

 

Possible leaky brake master cylinders have led to a Toyota recall of 740,000 model year 2004 through 2006 Avalons, Highlanders (hybrid models not included) and four Lexus models: RX330, GS300, IS250 and IS350.

Worldwide, an additional 799,000 vehicles are being recalled: 599,000 in Japan and 200,000 in Europe. 

Volvo plans to offer a Volkswagen Golf competitor as part of a plan to expand the automaker's product line.

Speaking in London last week, new Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby said the next generation of the entry-level Volvo “will be a derivation of the C30, a Golf competitor,” according to the Web site www.autocar.co.uk.

He also said Volvo's brand positioning would shift toward “functionality and Scandinavian elegance” and away from sportiness, according to the Web site.