Properly secured seatbelts can prevent someone from being thrown around a vehicle in the event of a crash, potentially saving their lives. That may not be the case for nearly a million General Motors pickup trucks, which contain seatbelts that may not actually hold the driver in a crash. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
British Airways, Lufthansa & Air France Fined For Treatment Of Disabled Passengers
By 4.15.16
Four months after the U.S. Department of Transportation fined United Airlines $2 million for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities, the agency is continuing to police the skies when it comes to disabled passengers. This time, levying fines against Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France. [More]
San Francisco Requiring Uber, Lyft Drivers To Get Business Licenses
By 4.15.16
Though you might think of Uber and Lyft drivers as employees of those ridesharing services, the companies maintain that drivers are independent contractors who simply use the Uber or Lyft platforms to connect with passengers. That now means that several thousand of these independent operators in San Francisco must each obtain a business license.
[More]
Toyota Recalls 58K Camry, Avalon Sedans Over Airbag Deployment Issue
By 4.15.16
Most newer cars are equipped with a system that can detect whether or not a person is sitting in the front seat. If they are, the system will ensure that the airbags deploy in the event of a crash. But for 58,510 Toyota vehicles now being recalled that feature isn’t working correctly. [More]
84 Million Airbags Could Be Added To Recall If Takata Can’t Prove Inflators Are Safe
By 4.15.16
More than 28 million Takata airbags have already been recalled after they were found to deploy with such force that pieces of shrapnel shoot at drivers and passengers. Regulators now say that figure could increase by 84 million airbags if the Japanese auto parts maker can’t prove other inflators are safe. [More]
Honda Recalls 11K Sedans Because They Contain The Wrong Airbag
By 4.11.16
Over the past several years, Honda has recalled nearly eight million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags that can shoot shrapnel at drivers and passengers upon deployment. While replacing those safety devices, the carmaker discovered that some vehicles were fitted with the incorrect front passenger airbags. [More]
Tesla Recalls 2,700 Model X SUVs Because Seats Shouldn’t Fly Forward
By 4.11.16
Tesla may be basking in the afterglow of receiving 325,000 preorders for its upcoming Model 3 in just one week, but the electric car company hasn’t forgotten about its other two models, including its recently released SUV now being recalled over seat issues. [More]
Best Buy’s Geek Squad Ditches Retro-Chic Beetles For Environmentally-Friendly Priuses
By 4.11.16
Volkswagen Beetles? That’s so last decade, at least where Best Buy’s Geek Squad is concerned: the tech support service is trading in the retro, kitschy appeal of the VW Beetle for the environmentally-friendly Toyota Prius. [More]
Reser’s Recalls Salads For Possible Listeria, Also Sold Under Walmart And Safeway Brands
By 4.11.16
Reser’s Fine Foods may not be a food brand name that you immediately recognize, but their products are popular across the country, and are also sold under store brand names. From a 3-ounce container of Reser’s brand potato salad to an 8-pound tub of Sysco-brand macaroni salad meant for restaurants and cafeterias, cold salads containing onions from Reser’s have been recalled. [More]
Judge Rejects Proposed Settlement In Lyft Class Action
By 4.8.16
To settle a class action filed by their drivers in California, ride-hailing service Lyft and the drivers’ attorney agreed to a settlement back in January. One flaw with the settlement was that it had been negotiated based on the company’s roster of drivers in June 2015, right before Lyft expanded significantly, including in California. The judge now won’t approve that figure, declaring it to be too low. [More]
Hyundai Recalls 173K Sedans Because Power Steering Shouldn’t Just Stop Working
By 4.8.16
Power steering helps drivers maneuver their vehicles by taking away some of the steering effort. When the system unexpectedly fails it can take drivers by surprise and increase the risk of a crash. For that reason Hyundai is recalling thousands of sedans. [More]
Uber To Pay $25M To Settle Allegations It Misled Passengers On Drivers’ Safety, Fees
By 4.8.16
Less than two months after Uber agreed to pay $28.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of misleading consumers about its “industry leading” safety procedures, the ride-hailing company is ready to put another case behind it. The company will pay $25 million to settle a civil lawsuit with the district attorneys in Los Angeles and San Francisco over nearly identical allegations. [More]
Tesla Says It Has Received More Than 325,000 Preorders For The Model 3 In First Week
By 4.7.16
What a difference a few days makes: after exceeding the record for preorders of a vehicle by bringing in 276,000 reservations in just three days, requests for Tesla’s $35,000 Model 3 electric car don’t appear to be slowing down. The carmaker says it’s now sold more than 325,000 vehicles in the week since it began taking orders for the less expensive model. That works out to be about $14 billion worth of electric cars that won’t actually be ready until sometime next year. [The Associated Press] [More]
Recall Roundup, Flammability Edition: Ivanka Trump-Brand Scarves, Givenchy Silk Shirts
By 4.7.16
Things are heating up over at the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently, with a slew of products that are being recalled for being literally hot fashions, due to the unfortunate possibility that they may burst into flames. [More]
Honda Financial Services Really Sorry They Double-Billed Customers
By 4.6.16
If you can’t get through to Honda Financial Services, the automaker’s U.S. financing arm, don’t be surprised: they’re currently dealing with a double-debiting fiasco affecting customers who submit payments online. Some customers report that their accounts have overdrafted due to the unexpected double payments. [More]
VW Dealers Sue Carmaker For Fraud Over Emissions-Cheating Diesels
By 4.6.16
A week after the Federal Trade Commission sued Volkswagen for deceptively advertising “clean diesel” cars equipped with “defeat device” software to cheat on emissions tests, the carmaker finds itself on the receiving end of another big lawsuit — this time from its own dealers, who accuse VW of intentionally defrauding them.
Tenth Takata-Related Death Reported In Texas
By 4.6.16
The death last month of a Texas driver has been ruled to be the tenth in the U.S. — eleventh worldwide — related to the massive recall of Takata airbags that can shoot shrapnel at drivers and passengers upon deployment. [More]
H-E-B Packs Of Apple Slices Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 4.6.16
Consumers’ preference for pre-prepared but fresh and healthy snacks is a great trend for public health, but there’s one side effect that people may not have expected: fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables can carry dangerous pathogens right along with those fresh and healthy snacks. Listeria bacteria was found in apples that may be in prepared fruit platters and snack packs from supermarket H-E-B, and they’ve all been recalled. [More]
