When it happened, Heather Savage had two of her five children with her in their 2016 Nissan Pathfinder. Four-year-old Eli was strapped into a car seat in the second row, and Raquel, 15, whom they’d just picked up from ballet class, was in the front passenger seat. [More]
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High-Tech Features Distract Drivers for Dangerously Long Periods, AAA Study Finds
By 10.6.17
High-tech infotainment systems—the ones that allow drivers access to navigation, audio, and phone features—are distracting drivers for dangerously long periods of time, a new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found. [More]
Is Your Steak Really Done When Your Hand Says It Is?
By 7.26.17 — Updated: 7.27.17
When it comes to detecting when your steak is done, there are those among us who eschew meat thermometers in favor of using what’s known as the touch-test method. But does this form of culinary palm reading actually work? [More]
Why Are People Paying So Much For Used Toyota Tacomas?
By 7.25.17
When shopping for a used car, there are a number of factors that can contribute to the price you’ll pay: type and brand of vehicle, model year, wear-and-tear, and mileage. Typically the more years and more miles a car had meant you’d pay a lower price. But that’s apparently not the case for one truck: The Toyota Tacoma. [More]
Here’s How To Grill With Charcoal
By 7.21.17
If you’re the kind of person who loves the taste of a char-grilled steak but are intimidated by anything that involves more than flicking a switch, don’t despair: There are experts who can tell you exactly how to grill with charcoal at home. [More]
Don’t Bother Using These ‘Alternative’ Insect Repellants
By 7.14.17
You’re cruising down the drug store aisle when a pack of citronella candles catches your eye. “Hmm, these could be great to help ward off mosquitoes at my backyard cookout tomorrow,” you may think. But do these kinds of alternative insect repellants actually work? [More]
More Tesla Service Centers To Open As Model 3 Launch Nears
By 7.11.17
Tesla announced Tuesday that it will significantly expand the number of service centers and technicians as it prepares for the rollout of the Model 3 sedan, its most affordable electric car yet. [More]
Tesla Autopilot Crash Victim Drove Mostly Hands Free, NTSB Says
By 6.20.17
The driver who died in a Tesla Model S using the car’s semi-autonomous Autopilot system last year spent long periods of time with his hands off the wheel, according to new National Transportation Safety Board reports. [More]
How To Beat Jet Lag
By 6.7.17
Nothing can wreck a vacation like arriving at your destination and being too exhausted to enjoy it. But that’s just what may happen if you experience jet lag—a disruption of your body’s natural 24-hour cycle, or circadian rhythm, which occurs when you travel across multiple time zones. [More]
How To Load A Dishwasher
By 6.6.17
Think your dishwasher has it bad? To test this workhorse appliance, Consumer Reports slathers plates, cups, and silverware with an imposing mix of peanut butter, egg yolk, and other gooey stuff, then lets it all sit out overnight before running the wash cycle. Dishwashers that make our list of top dishwasher picks deliver sparkling results every time. [More]
4 Tips For Maintaining & Repairing Your Gas Grill
By 5.26.17
Whether you’ve been using it all year or haven’t touched it in months, you should give your grill the once-over before the holiday weekend. Use these maintenance tips to help keep your grill in top shape or to spot problems that aren’t worth fixing. [More]
How To Check Your Tires Before Heading Out On A Summer Road Trip
By 5.26.17
A tire check should be part of your pretrip routine because a basic inspection can improve your safety and even help boost your fuel economy. To remind motorists about performing this important review, the tire industry has designated May 28 to June 3 as National Tire Safety Week. [More]
UPDATED: Consumer Reports Restores Some Points To Tesla Ratings After Return Of Automatic Braking
By 4.26.17 — Updated: 5.23.17
UPDATE: Now that Tesla has remotely activated the automatic emergency braking feature on newer Model S and X vehicles, Consumer Reports has restored some of the points it had taken away after the disappearance of AEB. However, the two Tesla models are not getting all the points back since this AEB currently only works at speeds of up to 28 mph, a significantly lower limit than what Tesla had previously offered. For instance, the AEB in earlier iterations of the Model S functioned at speeds of up to 90 mph. [More]
Hyundai Will Review TV Ad Featuring Profoundly Irresponsible Driver
By 4.25.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Hyundai has decided to give some additional thought to a new ad for the Sonata where the driver gleefully tests the car’s semi-autonomous safety features by behaving like a reckless buffoon. [More]
3 Carbon Monoxide Alarms Named ‘Don’t Buy: Safety Risk’ By Consumer Reports
By 3.15.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
In Consumer Reports’ most recent tests of carbon monoxide alarms, three similar-looking off-brand alarms failed critical performance tests and have been rated Don’t Buy: Safety Risk. [More]
Announcing A New Open-Source Privacy Standard For The Internet Of Things
By 3.6.17
At Consumerist, consumer privacy and data security have been growing areas of coverage over the past few years. We regularly write about policies, corporate and government alike, that either threaten or help safeguard your privacy. We cover data breaches big and small, and investigate tips from you, our readers. We offer advice about good practices that can help protect you and your data, and try to give you a heads-up when a company changes something that might affect you. And when your kid’s doll is recording what you say and sending the information to a defense contractor — Consumerist is there.
But we’re excited to announce a new initiative that will allow us to do much, much more. [More]
Chance Of Cardiac Event Jumps By 23% Two Days After Major Snowstorm
By 1.30.17
Whether it’s overexertion from shoveling snow, the stress of being stuck inside, or any number of other possible causes, a new study shows that the chance of a cardiovascular-related hospital admission significantly increases two days after a major snowstorm. [More]
Samsung Investigation Reveals New Details About Note7 Battery Failures
By 1.22.17 — Updated: 2.16.17
Samsung says two different battery flaws were to blame for the fires that plagued its flagship Galaxy Note7 smartphone throughout the fall, leading to two separate recalls and, ultimately, the permanent withdrawal of the model from the market. The details are being released after an internal investigation, following weeks of speculation by reporters and analysts about what the company’s report would conclude. [More]
