With Japanese auto parts maker Takata facing a $70 million fine from federal regulators, and car manufacturers ditching the company’s airbags, lawmakers urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ensure the company is able to complete the repairs to millions of vehicles in the event it files for bankruptcy. [More]
Government Policy
Senators Question Takata’s Ability To Complete Recall Replacement Amid Fines, Lost Customers
By 11.10.15
FCC Declines To Force Internet Companies To Listen When You Ask Them Not To Track You
By 11.9.15
It’s no secret that the internet, well, follows you around. Browse one product on Monday and you’re seeing ads for it everywhere all week long. Modern browsers have an option that lets users ask businesses nicely not to follow them. One consumer group tried to ask the FCC to make businesses listen but it appears that is not to be. [More]
Blue Buffalo Recalls Some Cat Treats Over Presence Of Not-Yummy Propylene Glycol
By 11.9.15
You always want to feed your cat something healthy, which is why you pay attention to the labels on the cat food and snacks you buy. But every once in a while some special unintended ingredient makes its way into those packages, which can lead to some very sick kitties. [More]
Nissan Joins List Of Automakers Dumping Takata’s Ammonium Nitrate Airbags
By 11.9.15
Takata lost yet another customer over the weekend, as Nissan announced it would no longer use ammonium nitrate filled airbags produced by the Japanese parts maker. [More]
Federal Inquiry Probes TCF Bank’s Overdraft Practices
By 11.6.15
Overdraft fees cost consumers an average of $32 billion each year. The hefty fees and their often less-than-transparent policies, which vary greatly between banks and financial products, have long garnered the ire of consumer advocates and federal regulators. Case in point: a Minnesota-based bank is now under investigation for possibly unfair and deceptive practices related to its overdraft program. [More]
Toyota Will Stop Using Takata’s Ammonium Nitrate Airbags
By 11.6.15
The hits just keep coming for Japanese auto parts maker Takata. After being fined $70 million by regulators over the company’s failure to report airbag defects and losing its largest customer in Honda, Takata now has to say goodbye to some of Toyota’s business. [More]
Cox Receives $595K Slap On Wrist For Failing To Prevent Data Breach
By 11.5.15
In Aug. 2014, a hacker used a clever bit of social engineering to talk his way into accessing the personal information for an unknown number of Cox cable, Internet, and phone customers. For its failure to shield its system from this sort of outside invasion, the pay-TV company has agreed to pay $595,000 to the FCC. [More]
American Airlines Offering Some Travelers Free Flights To China After Glitch
By 11.5.15
For five hours in mid-March world travelers were able to book American Airlines flights from select U.S. cities to China for bargain prices because of a glitch. While the carrier honored tickets that had been paid for in full, it canceled hundreds of trips that were placed on a 24-hour price hold. Now, as part of an agreement with the Department of Transportation, those passengers are eligible for a free – or significantly discounted – trip to China. [More]
Mercedes Recalls More Than 126,000 Vehicles Because Airbags Should Deploy In A Crash
By 11.5.15
Typically airbags deploy in the event of a crash and stay in their place when the vehicle is operating normally. But that’s apparently not the way it works for some Mercedes-Benz vehicles now being recalled. [More]
Authorities Shut Down 5 Shady Debt Collectors, Secure $6.5M In Relief
By 11.4.15
The Federal Trade Commission teamed up with two states to put an end to five unscrupulous debt collection operations that illegally deceived millions of Americans. The actions, made under the “Operation Collection Protection” initiative between federal, state and local law enforcement authorities, represent $6.5 million in relief for millions of consumers. [More]
Volkswagen Recalls Nearly 92,000 Vehicles For Engine, Braking Issues
By 11.4.15
Already facing emission control issues in more than 11 million diesel-engine vehicles worldwide, Volkswagen announced Wednesday a new recall for tens of thousands of gasoline-powered cars equipped with engines that could weaken braking power and cause a crash. [More]
Dealers Stop Sale Of New, Pre-Owned VW, Audi & Porsche Vehicles Covered In Latest Emissions Violations
By 11.4.15
Just a day after Volkswagen executives said the car company would not stop the sale of vehicles included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s newest notice of violation for emission standards, the manufacturer backtracked, and now says it will tell dealers not to sell certain VW, Audi and Porsche models. [More]
Honda Discontinues Use Of Takata Airbags In New Models
By 11.4.15
After bearing the burnt of the Takata airbag defect, including the recall of millions of vehicles and having its models be responsible for all eight deaths linked to the safety devices, Honda says it will no longer use the company’s front-seat airbags. [More]
Senators Introduce Bill To Close New Robocall Debt-Collection Loophole
By 11.4.15
Last week, the president signed an emergency budget bill that kept the government from shutting down, but which also quietly exempted federal agencies from an important consumer protection against automated debt-collection robocalls. A new piece of legislation hopes to turn back the clock on that mistake by closing that recently opened loophole. [More]
Takata Must Pay $70M Fine For Failing To Report Deadly Exploding Airbag Defect, Repairs To Be Made By 2019
By 11.3.15
UPDATE: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday ordered Japanese parts maker Takata to pay $70 million – and an additional $130 million if it fails to abide by the agreement – marking the agency’s largest civil penalty in history. The regulator also announced it would use its authority to accelerate recall repairs to millions of vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting airbags for the first time. [More]
Sensor-Based Emergency Braking Systems Added To List For Five-Star Ratings Starting In 2018
By 11.3.15
If you plan to start shopping for a new car in 2018, you’ll have a longer list of recommended safety features to look for. Federal regulators are set to include automatic emergency braking as a recommended safety technology when distributing 5-star safety ratings starting in three years. [More]
VW Denies Latest Emissions Violations, Won’t Halt Sales On Affected Vehicles
By 11.3.15
Just hours after federal and state regulators accused Volkswagen of using so-called “defeat devices” on newer model cars in order to ensure they passed emissions tests, the carmaker said the allegations aren’t true and that it will continue to allow sales of the recently identified automobiles. [More]
Company Faces $718K Fine For Blocking WiFi Hotspots At Baltimore Convention Center
By 11.2.15
Another company is learning about the fine points of Section 333 of the Communications Act, which prohibits willful interference with any licensed or authorized radio communications. This time, it’s the folks who provided the Baltimore Convention Center’s in-house WiFi service who were caught by the FCC trying to block individual WiFi hotspot users from going online. Meanwhile, Hilton is also being slapped with a proposed fine for its failure to comply with an investigation into its alleged hotspot blocking. [More]
