Service

Our Tesla Model Y had to return to a Tesla service center for paint repair and inspection of a few issues, but we didn’t find a car with severely misaligned body panels or detached second-row seat cushions.

We sent our 2021 Ford F-150 hybrid for unscheduled service because of a low-voltage warning that locked out features and a chattering retractable gear selector.

Automotive solenoids allow a smaller amount of current from the ignition switch to route a much larger amount of current from the battery to the starter motor.

Our Palisade appeared to be on the up-and-up after the initial fix in November 2020, but a year living with the SUV — and particularly the return of hot weather — unearthed whiffs of the original scent.

The active air dam deploys at vehicle speeds above 40 mph, depending on the selectable drive mode. It lowers from behind the fixed front splitter to increase aerodynamic efficiency up to 4%.

Disc brakes are more modern and effective than drum brakes, which date back almost to the beginning of cars themselves.

While it’s tempting to squeeze in as much gas as possible when you fill your tank, filling it past the pump’s first automatic shut-off can damage your car to the tune of hundreds of dollars.

Run-flat tires can be driven on — at least for a short distance — even if they lose all their air pressure.

A flywheel is a heavy disc attached to the end of a rotating shaft that helps smooth out the engine’s power pulses and store energy through rotational momentum.

Actuators work behind the scenes in vehicles to convert energy into a physical action or force, and they perform a variety of performance and convenience functions.