It’s been many months since General Motors finally got around to recalling more than 2 million vehicles for a problem with the ignition switch that has been tied to dozens of deaths. Many recalled cars have yet to be fixed because there weren’t enough parts to make the repairs, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says sufficient replacement switches are now available so there is no reason to wait any longer. [More]
Government Policy
Town Might Change Fines To Reflect Typo On Dog Poo Signs
By 12.1.14
A typographical error might have unfortunate real-world consequences for the dog-walkers of North Hempstead, Long Island, NY. The town posted signs warning that people who don’t pick up their dogs’ leavings are subject to a $250 fine. The problem is that the real fine is $25. Sure, they could change the signs, but it might be easier to just change the real fine to match what the signs say instead. [More]
Let’s All Be Grateful Not To Be Standing In A Mile-Long Airport Security Line Right Now
By 12.1.14
The turkey might be off the table, the stuffing has been all stuffed into bellies and the pumpkin pie plate is likely bare.Thanksgiving is over, but there’s still time to give thanks, and be grateful that we’re not standing in an airport security line that’s a literal mile long. [More]
Mazda Recalls Nearly 100,000 Cars Because Adequate Tire Pressure Is Important
By 11.25.14
Car manufacturers must meet a number of safety regulations when selling vehicles. One such mandate that the vehicle’s a low-tire pressure warning system works. That apparently isn’t the case for nearly 100,000 of the newest Mazda vehicles. [More]
Verizon Pinky-Swears It Won’t Sue FCC Over Net Neutrality (If It Doesn’t Reclassify Broadband)
By 11.25.14
A few weeks after Verizon made it clear that it would sue to block the FCC’s attempt to enact strong net neutrality rules, and only days after FCC Chair Tom Wheeler shrugged that a lawsuit seems inevitable no matter what he does, the telecom titan is now saying it may not go the legal route if the Commission decides against reclassification. [More]
Regulators Close Investigations Into 600,000 Ford, GM Vehicles Without Initiating Recalls
By 11.25.14
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration generally opens inquiries into car manufacturers after receiving numerous consumer complaints about an issue. Those investigations often lead to some type of safety recall. However, that wasn’t the case for two recently closed probes of more than 600,000 Ford and General Motors vehicles. [More]
Sony To Issue Refunds Over Misleading PS Vita Ads
By 11.25.14
When Sony launched its handheld PlayStation Vita device nearly three years ago, ads promised that the Vita would include “game changing” technology, like the ability to play games stored remotely on PlayStation 3 consoles, or that you could save a game on your PS 3 and use your Vita to pick up where you left off, or that you could use the 3G version of the Vita to access a library of multiplayer games anywhere with a data connection. The Vita never quite lived up to this early hype, which is why — as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission — Sony will issue partial refunds to early adopters of the device. [More]
Woman’s Conviction Overturned 10 Years After Fatal Wreck, GM Says Ignition Switch Could Be To Blame
By 11.25.14
Millions of General Motors vehicles have been found to contain a deadly ignition switch defect. Among those cars is the 2004 Saturn Ion. And while that may seem insignificant to the vast majority of consumers, it resulted in a judge clearing a Texas woman for a car accident that killed her fiancé. [More]
Honda Failed To Report More Than 1,700 Death And Injury Claims, Could Face Record $35M Fine
By 11.25.14
Honda’s issues with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aren’t looking any better after the manufacture announced that it failed to report more than 1,729 claims of injury or death to the regulators. And that violation could lead to the biggest fine in the history of NHTSA, totaling more than $35 million. [More]
TSA Would Like To Remind Everyone Flying For The Holidays That You Can’t Bring Guns In Your Carry-On
By 11.24.14
After a record year finding guns in travelers’ carry-on bags at the nation’s airports, the Transportation Security Administration wants to take a second to remind everyone flying for the holidays that weapons need to be in your checked baggage and declared to authorities. [More]
FCC Expects To Be Sued Over Net Neutrality No Matter What It Does
By 11.24.14
In 2010, the FCC enacted net neutrality rules aimed to prevent Internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or speeding up access to websites based on how much they pay — and the agency was sued by Verizon for overstepping its authority. Now that the FCC is reconsidering those rules to either make them weaker or possibly reclassify ISPs so that the agency can enforce neutrality. But no matter how it moves forward, the agency expects to be sued. [More]
Ranchers Legacy Meat Co. Recalls 1,200 Pounds Of Ground Beef Over E.Coli Contamination
By 11.24.14
Sure, it’s Thanksgiving week and we’re all preparing to devour our fair share of turkey. But some consumers prefer a main dish that’s a little more beefy. If you’re part of that camp, you might want to check the label after a Minnesota firm recalled ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli. [More]
FCC Proposes Some Consumer Protections As They Inch Closer To Killing Off Copper Landlines
By 11.21.14
Phones are wireless, consumers are cutting back, and copper is expensive: all are reasons why the big phone companies want permission from the FCC to walk away from old-fashioned landline networks and to keep moving toward an internet-based future. The FCC tentatively agrees, and voted 3-2 today to take another baby step in the process that will end up making the nation’s century-old copper landline network obsolete. [More]
New DoD Protections Aim To Keep Shady Businesses From Taking Advantage of Military Members
By 11.21.14
Members of the military — particularly younger members from lower-income backgrounds — are too often the target of shady, predatory businesses looking to take advantage of their youth and inexperience with finances. The Military Lending Act offers some protections, but these operators find ways to get around the law. On Friday, the U.S. Dept. of Defense took steps to eliminate some of those exploitations by creating reforms to the current military discretionary allotment system. [More]
Court Bars FCC From Disclosing How Much Comcast, DirecTV Pay Broadcasters
By 11.21.14
Last week’s last-minute legal battle between just about every major TV broadcaster and the FCC came to a quietly disappointing conclusion this morning, with a federal appeals court refusing to allow the government to share confidential details about the mergers of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, and DirecTV and AT&T. [More]
Boston TSA Agents Find Dozens Of Credit Cards Under Different Names Stuffed Inside Teddy Bear
By 11.21.14
Stuffed animals serve a simple purpose: To be cute and cuddly. As such, they’re imbued with a sort of innocence, so far as inanimate object can be, which is perhaps why someone thought no one would notice if a sweet little teddy bear was stuffed chock full of what could be stolen credit cards. [More]
Lexus Recalls Nearly 423,000 Sedans Because Fuel Leaks Can Lead To Fires
By 11.21.14
The only time most consumers want to see a car catch on fire is during a high-action movie. So it’s probably for the best that Toyota issued a recall of nearly 423,000 Lexus vehicles for a fuel leak issue that increases the risk of fire. [More]
CFPB Proposes Rules To Protect Consumers From Shoddy Foreclosure Practices
By 11.21.14
Since the recession began in the late 2000s, many homeowners have struggled to keep their homes, often fighting off aggressive and shady foreclosure attempts. Over the years, consumers groups have fought to extend protections for these consumers. On Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took steps to ensure that homeowners and struggling borrowers are treated fairly by mortgage servicers. [More]
