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Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Minivans aren't cool. These parents say shut up and drive.
Kelsey isn't a minivan mom ... yet. But boy, would she love to be. 'I. Want. A. Minivan!' the 34-year-old content creator, who asked not to share her last name, declared in a TikTok last year. 'Y'all can keep your Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilots, Yukons, Tahoes. You keep them, babe. Give me those sliding doors. I want that bucket seats and bench in the back.' That's especially true now that Kelsey — who is currently driving a Hyundai Santa Fe because (a) it's paid off, and (b) her husband isn't sold on minivan life just yet — is due to have her third child in May. 'I want a minivan for the convenience,' she says. 'I could go for a cool mom car,' she adds, rattling off some popular SUV models. 'But there are features of the minivan that just stand out.' Those include ample trunk space, a low-to-the-ground design that makes it easy for toddlers to hop in, and bells and whistles like built-in vacuum cleaners and cameras in the back seat. And don't get her started on the sliding doors — a godsend for any parent whose kid has caused a parking lot ding. 'I could tell my 4-year-old over and over to 'be careful opening the door; we are parked close to a car,' and she will swing that thing open with such purpose and certainly hit that car,' Kelsey says. 'Give me a sliding door!' TV personality Maria Menounos is also a minivan fan. 'I don't know why people hate on minivans,' she said in a TikTok video called 'Momming in My Minivan' last April. 'I've got a sunroof, I've got automatic doors ... I've got a nice, comfy captain's chair.' However, all the creature comforts in the world haven't helped minivans ditch their reputation as the Jan Brady to the SUV's Marcia. 'It is the least cool vehicle ever designed, yet the most useful,' the Atlantic's Ian Bogost observed in an article last fall bemoaning 'the death of the minivan.' Indeed, just over 325,000 minivans were sold in 2024; in 2000, it was 1.3 million. But try telling that to the diehard minivan fans (who, yes, are mostly moms) who have not only embraced their family-friendly ride but sing its praises on social media too. Consider 2023's wave of Michael Bublé-soundtracked TikToks in which pregnant women showed off their minivans with the caption: 'A minivan may not be sexy to drive ... but someone thought I was sexy enough to fill the seats.' Or content creators like Bailey Feeney, the mom of three behind Minivan Mom, who poke fun at their supersize vehicles while also showcasing their comfort and convenience as they ferry multiple children in car seats to Target and the playground. (Also notable: the number of followers gushing about their minivans in the comments. 'Van for life ... I won't ever go back until my kids are big,' reads one reaction to a Feeney post.) Brian Moody, executive editor at auto resource guide Kelley Blue Book, says there's a lot for parents to like: 'sliding doors, the easy access to the third row, the proximity to the ground that allows an easy entry for toddlers, the trunk space — and many minivans have some great features like built-in vacuums, cameras in the back seat, etc.' And while minivans have seen a significant drop in sales and models — in the early 2000s, there were more than 10 models to choose from, compared with just five now — there are positive signs. A shift to hybrid minivans is appealing to some drivers, and the new Volkswagen ID. Buzz (aka the 'electric bus') earned a spot on Autotrader's list of 'Best New Cars of 2025.' According to Moody, the 'retro-inspired' electric vehicle 'proves that the minivan is very much having a moment.' One common refrain among the minivan-loving moms on social media: I didn't see this coming. 'Never in my life did I think that I would get a minivan,' content creator Jane Williamson admits in a recent TikTok announcing her family's purchase of a Toyota Sienna. Ultimately, the convenience factor ('all I want is just easy') and testimonials from other minivan moms ('someone even told me it was their greatest possession,' Williamson laughs) won over the Utah mom. Podcaster Kylie Kelce — who just welcomed her fourth child with husband Jason Kelce — was also forced to eat her words when she 'reluctantly' added minivans to her list of things that are 'in' for 2025. Speaking on her Not Gonna Lie podcast in January, Kelce explained why minivans made sense for her growing family, much as it pained her to admit it. 'I don't need a wellness check, although I have told you before that that is what it would take if I ever said I was getting a minivan,' the then pregnant Kelce shared. 'I'm about to have four car seats — four! — in one car.' She added that her family plans to make a 'three-year commitment' to minivan life. 'We're gonna grind it out, and then we're gonna pretend it never happened, OK?' But Mikaela Nelson, a military spouse, mom of three and content creator in North Carolina, is in it for the long haul. She and her husband got their first minivan about eight years ago after having their second baby; they're now on their second, a Honda Odyssey with a 'this isn't a minivan it's a M.I.L.F. mobile' sticker slapped on the back window. It's also got lots of room, a TV to keep the kids entertained, a built-in vacuum cleaner that easily sweeps up their crumbs and two travel potties in the back. 'I just classify myself as an absolute hot mess and my minivan is the same: an absolute hot mess.' And she wouldn't have it any other way. 'I don't ever want anything else,' Nelson tells Yahoo Life. 'I've even said that once the kids are grown, I honestly could not see myself not having a minivan because there's so much space, you can literally do everything with it and in it. It's just so convenient. So I am not counting down the days till I don't need a minivan anymore.' And don't count out the minivan dads. When Chris Kuna and his wife welcomed two sons a year apart — meaning two rear-facing car seats and two strollers stashed in the back — they realized their SUV wasn't cutting it. At first they upgraded to a bigger SUV, a Nissan Armada, but found it too 'bulky,' which made parking — not to mention squeezing out two infant carriers — a hassle. 'That's when we're like, 'Maybe we should just get a minivan,'' Kuna, a transportation expert in Chicago, tells Yahoo Life. 'And whenever we traveled on trips with our kids, we would rent a minivan and we saw that it was just so much easier — [thanks to] the sliding doors and just how low it is to the ground — to pull the car seats out.' Though he was initially opposed to getting a minivan — 'Just like everybody else, you're always, like, in the stage [of thinking], 'Oh, never a minivan, SUVs are just the way to go,'' he says — Kuna was eventually impressed by its practicality. And as a car guy, the Chrysler Pacifica he drives now has plenty to keep him happy: It's a plug-in hybrid, easy to drive, boasts a rear entertainment system, self-parks and has adaptive cruise control. Plus, he points out, an SUV with those same features would cost about double what he paid. He didn't appreciate it, then, when a friend mocked his new ride as they left a social gathering. 'You guys did not buy a minivan,' the woman, who Kuna notes had just purchased a new luxury SUV, repeated in disbelief. 'She was making fun of us in front of everybody who just got out of that restaurant,' he recalls. They are now no longer friends. 'I don't care what people think,' Kuna says. 'From a practical standpoint, if you have two kids, it's just absolutely amazing.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Over 2 million Honda vehicles under investigation for engine restart failure: What to know
The Brief More than 2 million Honda vehicles are being probed after reports of the engine failing to restart on its own after a complete stop at a traffic light or intersection. More than 1,000 complaints about the issue have been reported overall. Some of them allege that a jump-start was required for the vehicle to continue. The probe includes certain Honda Pilots, Odysseys, Passports, Ridgelines, Acura TLX vehicles, and Acura MDX vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it opened a preliminary investigation of certain Honda vehicles after reports of the engine failing to restart on its own after a complete stop at a traffic light or intersection. The NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said it has received more than 1,000 complaints overall about the issue, some of which allege that a jump-start was required for the vehicle to continue. RELATED: Should Americans rush to buy a car before the tariffs? Here's what Trump says Here's what to know: What we know The probe centers on several vehicles, including 2016-2025 Honda Pilot, 2018-2025 Honda Odyssey, 2019-2025 Honda Passport, 2020-2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2015-2025 Acura TLX, and 2016-2025 Acura MDX, according to an announcement on the NHTSA website. The investigation was opened on March 26. It focuses on Honda's Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system, which automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a complete stop to improve fuel efficiency, then restarts when the driver is ready to go in motion again. What they're saying "The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the Auto Start/Stop function engaged," the announcement states. "Some of the complainants allege that a jump start was required for the vehicle to continue on the journey." By the numbers An estimated 2,209,466 Honda vehicles are under scrutiny, the announcement says. RELATED: Advance Auto Parts to open 30 new stores in 2025; 100 through 2027 Dig deeper ODI has received at least 1,384 reports of the issue, including four reported incidents that led to a crash or vehicle fire, and two reports of injuries. In January 2023, Honda released service bulletins to address the failure to restart issue in several impacted vehicles. But in the most recent NHTSA announcement, the ODI said it "continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed." What's next The NHTSA's announcement said an engineering analysis was being opened "to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda's service campaign efficacy." The agency says it aims to complete such an analysis in 18 months and is done to determine if a recall is warranted. ODI also expanded the scope of the evaluation to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda's previous service bulletins, as well as newer model year vehicles, "which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign." The Source Information used in this story came from a document posted on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration website about the preliminary evaluation, which began on March 26, 2025. It was reported from Cincinnati.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Honda recalls almost 300,000 vehicles over engine concerns. Here are the cars included
American Honda is recalling 295,000 vehicles over a programming error that could impact engines. The recall, announced Wednesday, impacts 2023-2025 Honda Pilots, 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type S and the 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type S. In total, 294,612 vehicles have been impacted. 'American Honda will voluntarily recall about 295,000 Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. to update the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) software,' the company said in a statement. The issue stems from the 'incorrect programming' of the fuel injection electronic control unit. This can cause engines to lose drive power, hesitate or stall, 'increasing the risk of a crash or injury,' the statement reads. The issue may also cause the check engine light to pop on. There have been no reported crashes or injuries due to the error, the company said. The company identified the error by 'monitoring telematics information.' Now, they say the software must be updated. Registered owners will receive a notice of the recall via mail in March, and can take their cars to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer for a free software update. 'American Honda is announcing this recall to encourage owners of affected vehicles to take them to an authorized dealer for repair as soon as they receive notification,' the company said in a statement. Owners can determine if their vehicle qualifies for the update by visiting the Honda recall website, the Acura recall website, or by calling (888)-234-2138. This comes after Ford recalled 270,000 vehicles last week over reported battery failures that have impacted several functions, including the steering and hazard lights. The models impacted include the 2021-2023 Bronco Sport SUVs and 2022-2023 Maverick trucks. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery if needed, free of charge.
