Consumer Confidential: Pump prices climb, airfares soar, vehicles are recalled

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Here’s your mo’-money Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Pump prices keep climbing, thanks to rising oil prices. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose six-tenths of a cent to $3.50, according to AAA. Gas prices have increased for 13 days in a row, rising nearly 34 cents in that time. The highest gas prices in the nation are in California, where drivers now pay an average of $3.89 a gallon (heck, I paid $4 in Pasadena last week). Montana had the lowest gas prices at $3.186 a gallon. Oil prices are above $100 a barrel and are at the highest levels in more than two years as the violence in Libya drags on. Peter Beutel, president of energy risk management firm Cameron Hanover, told CNNRadio that the average for a gallon of gas nationwide could rise to as much as $3.80. That means even worse pain for California drivers.

--Discount airlines like Southwest had resisted the major carriers’ recent attempt to boost airfares. But that seems to have changed. Over the weekend, Southwest climbed aboard a sweeping increase of $10 in the price of many domestic round-trip airfares, citing the need to offset high fuel prices. It’s the sixth time airlines have raised fares already this year. Some experts say travelers may now have to pay $260 for a ticket that cost $200 on Jan. 1. Jet fuel prices have risen more than 50% in the past year to more than $3 a gallon. Last week, Delta Air Lines tried to raise many fares by up to $20 per round trip, but other big airlines sided with a $10 increase started by American Airlines.

--And a couple of car recalls to pass along: Honda is recalling more than 35,000 Civic hybrids to fix a problem with the electrical system that could cause the headlights to turn off or the engine to stall. The recall covers 2006-07 model year Civic hybrids. Honda says the voltage converter that relays power from the motor assist system to the vehicle’s electrical components could fail. Meanwhile, Toyota is recalling about 22,000 sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks because of tire-deflation monitoring systems that may fail. Toyota Sequoia, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Tacoma and Tundra vehicles from model years 2008-11 may have tire deflation monitoring systems that fail to warn drivers, raising the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.

-- David Lazarus