Driving along on a gorgeous day with the sunroof open is fantastic, which is ostensibly why the Hyundai Veloster Coupe and its panoramic sunroofs could be attractive to custoemrs. But having that closed sunroof shatter? Well that’s far from fantastic, which is why the car company is recalling 13,500 model year 2012 Velosters. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Hyundai Recalls 13,500 Veloster Coupes Because Sitting Beneath A Shattered Sunroof Isn’t Fun
By 12.19.12 — Updated: 12.20.12
Toyota Will Pay A Record Fine Of $17.35M Over Delay In Reporting Safety Defects
By 12.18.12
Toyota says it will be paying out a record $17.35 million — the maximum fine allowably by law — after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the company had delayed reporting a safety defect to the government. It’s the highest single civil penalty that’s ever been paid to the NHTS Afor violations that are a result of a recall. [More]
Ford & EPA Try To Figure Out Why C-Max, Fusion Aren’t Getting Advertised MPG
By 12.14.12
Following last week’s announcement that Consumer Reports’ real-world fuel-economy testing of Ford’s C-Max and Fusion hybrid vehicles showed these cars are not getting the 47 mpg touted by the car maker, both Ford and the Environmental Protection Agency have said they are looking into the matter. [More]
Forget The Whistle: NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission Changes Rules For Cab-Hailing Apps
By 12.13.12
You can use an app to order a pizza, another to refill your prescriptions and there’s probably one out there that will just tell you you’re pretty, so why not an app to hail a cab? In New York City, the issue of taxi-hailing apps has been a hot issue, as the apps go against rules that forbid cabs from making pre-arranged pick-ups. That’s all about to change, as the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to approve a temporary new set of rules that will allow such apps. [More]
More Than 800,000 Honda & Acura Vehicles Recalled Over Ignition Concerns
By 12.12.12
The garage at your local Honda/Acura dealer might be a bit busier in the coming months, as the car maker has issued a recall for certain model years of Honda Odyssey and Pilot vehicles, along with hundreds of thousands of Acura MDX vehicles, over concerns the ignition interlock could fail, causing the cars to possibly roll around when they’re not supposed to. [More]
Regulators Want To Lock Steering Wheels Of Convicted Drunk Drivers If They’re Intoxicated
By 12.11.12
How do you keep a convicted drunk driver from climbing behind the wheel while intoxicated? Just lock’em out, say federal regulators. Federal safety regulators are pushing for a policy that would allow for special ignition interlock devices to be installed in the vehicles of convicted drunk drivers. The devices would lock up if the driver tries to go anywhere while intoxicated. [More]
Tests Show Ford Fusion, C-Max Hybrid Are Not Getting Close To 47 MPG
By 12.6.12
Watch ads for the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan or its C-Max Hybrid wagon and you’ll hear that the vehicles get 47 miles per gallon (highway and city combined), which sounds awfully nice considering the cost of gasoline. But real-road tests of these cars don’t seem to back those numbers up. [More]
Makers Of Recalled Nap Nanny Sued By CPSC Following Deaths Of 5 Infants
By 12.5.12
In 2010, the death of an infant in a Nap Nanny baby recliner led to the recall of 30,000 of the devices. But since then, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has learned of additional fatalities and more than 70 potentially harmful incidents involving the Nap Nanny. [More]
Trader Joe’s Recalls Butter Chicken With Basmati Rice Meals
By 12.5.12
Have you bought a frozen meal from Trader Joe’s recently? Check your freezer, because a batch of their butter chicken meals, which are imported from Canada, have been recalled for possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria of nastiness.
[More]
Move Over Santa: Consumer Reports Issues List Of Naughty & Nice Companies
By 11.21.12
They’re making a list and checking it twice, and you’re about to find out who’s naughty and nice. Get it? Because Consumer Reports is coming to town? Or rather, it’s issued its annual list of the companies it considers to be bad little boys and girls and those who are to be held up as examples to the rest of’em. Let’s get to it [cue gleeful rubbing together of hands]! [More]
Ford Dealership Will Accept “Anything Breathing” As Trade-In This Black Friday
By 11.20.12
For people who have been looking to buy a new Ford but don’t want to trade in their current vehicle and have some livestock they wouldn’t mind parting with, a dealership in Laramie, WY, may be the place to visit this Black Friday. [More]
Toyota Recalling 2.77 Million Vehicles Worldwide For Steering Snafu, Water Pumps
By 11.14.12
Toyota announced it’s voluntary recalling a total of almost 3 million vehicles worldwide for steering and water pump issues that have popped up recently, which will make this the second multi-million vehicle recall for the company in just over a month. There haven’t been any accidents or injuries reported thus far from the problems, which can be fixed relatively quickly but will likely cost Toyota hundreds of millions of dollars to repair. [More]
Buy Lengthy Legal Document, Get Free Space Heater
By 11.13.12
Robbie is very pleased with his new DeLonghi Mica Panel heater. Attached to the cord, though, is a tag the size of a small flag covered with warnings. This festive decoration exists to cover the company in case a customer does something stupid with their heater. That makes sense. Robbie wonders, though: at what point do we accept the limits of human stupidity and stop warning against every thing that could possibly go wrong? [More]
Nestlé Recalling Nesquik Drink Mix Because Chocolate Milk Shouldn’t Contain Salmonella
By 11.9.12
Chocolatey Nesquik, that beloved after school treat, wouldn’t be such a delight if it contained say, salmonella. Nestlé has issued a voluntary recall of some of its batches of the chocolate drink mix because there’s the possibility of salmonella contamination in one of the ingredients used to make the powder. [More]
Jeep Recalls 745,000 Vehicles In U.S. After 50 People Injured By Air Bags
By 11.9.12
Because air bags are not supposed to go POOF! all up in your face while you’re driving, the folks at Chrysler have announced a recall of 745,000 model year 2002-03 Jeep Liberty and 2002-04 Grand Cherokee vehicles. [More]
Ford Continues To Sink Toward Bottom Of Consumer Reports’ Reliability Ratings
By 10.29.12
In 2010, Ford was among the top 10 auto brands in Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Reliability Survey, with more than 90% of its models rated average or better by CR readers. But in the two years since, the shine has gone off the Ford brand, and in the newly released survey, it now comes in next to last place. [More]
Apple Announces iMac Hard Drive Replacement Program, Runs Out Of Hard Drive
By 10.25.12
Apple has recalled Carla’s iMac. Specifically, the hard drive, which was made by Seagate, and has has a record of failing more than a hard drive should. Customers were told to bring their computers in so that Apple could swap the hard drive for a nice new one. Carla made her appointment as instructed, but when she got to the store, learned that the replacement hard drives were out of stock and they’d have to hold on to her computer for a week while waiting for them to restock. [More]
The World May Never Know Which Company Filed This Lawsuit To Block Consumer Safety Complaint
By 10.23.12 — Updated: 12.13.12
If a manufacturer has an unresolved issue with a complaint lodged with the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s saferproducts.gov database, it has the right to take the CPSC to court and prove its case. But should that same company be able to litigate the matter anonymously, keeping its name and all relevant court findings under seal? [More]
