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KELLER, Texas — As far as anyone can tell, there are no little green beings hiding in this city just north of Fort Worth, Texas. Nor are there mysterious spinning spacecraft. But something strange is afoot.
Just ask Amy Johnson.
She and friend Jodi Johnson have encountered the same problem in the same section of one road in the city. Their vehicles have sputtered and died.
As far as the two can tell, there are two common factors: They both drive Isuzu sport utility vehicles, and they both pass a large white ball perched atop a small building along the road.
The ball has such a dramatic effect on their vehicles that the two women avoid the road even though it is the shortest way home, they say.
Amy Johnson turned to brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, who, under the pseudonyms Click and Clack, host "Car Talk," a popular talk show on National Public Radio that deals with automobiles.
"If I drive on the side of the street that the ball is, the car completely dies. You just coast on through and have to steer your way off the road," she lamented to the Magliozzis. When she drives on the side of the road away from the white sphere, her lights flicker, Johnson said.
The Magliozzis' initial response: "Is there a sign that says 'Area 51'?"
There is a sign, but it says "FAA." The ball is a powerful radar device covered with a white dome. It is part of the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Route Surveillance Radar system, and it tracks airplanes flying to or from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. FAA officials who are knowledgeable about the radar could not be reached for comment.
Isuzu officials said strong radio signals generated by the radar cause engines in some Isuzus to skip a beat. The situation is unusual, but it has occurred before, Isuzu spokesman Chip Letzkus said.
"Sometimes it happens near military bases. Sometimes it happens near airports," he said. "It's a very rare problem."
Waves from the radar interfere with signals sent from a component in the vehicle's engine to a computer that operates the engine, Letzkus said. The signals tell the engine how fast the vehicle is going, and the computer adjusts accordingly. When the signals are disrupted, the engine stalls.
Each vehicle needs a shield that protects the sensor from interference, Letzkus said. Isuzu, which recognized the problem after 1997, will install the shield for free, he said. The company has begun adding the shield as a standard engine part, but it has taken awhile for all Isuzu plants to include the protective part.
"There is nothing sinister going on here," Letzkus said. "It's not difficult to fix."
After learning about Amy Johnson's problem, Click and Clack suggested that she dress in Army fatigues and penetrate the radar's defenses in an attempt to see what the government is up to. They then suggested an experiment: Wrap the front fender in tinfoil to repel the waves.
A thoughtful suggestion, Jodi Johnson said, but not quite what she had in mind.
"Like I'm going to drive every morning with tinfoil on my car," she said. "That's just not a solution we're looking for."
Amy Johnson's seven-minute segment on "Car Talk" generated dozens of e-mail messages offering solutions to the problem and speculation about the white orb.
Some suggested renting spacesuits. Others asked, Why stop at the fender, when you can cover the whole vehicle in tinfoil?
"It's really funny," Amy Johnson said. "No men in black have shown up at the house. There's nothing sinister. Just the Isuzu."