In the past year, automakers have recalled millions upon millions of vehicle for airbag issues. Bucking that trend is Rolls-Royce, which announced this week that it would recall one car. That’s right a single – very expensive – vehicle because of a problem with the safety device. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Lyft, Uber To Offer Homeless Veterans Free Rides To And From Jobs, Interviews
By 11.10.15
Ride-hailing companies have always shared a bit of a spirited rivalry: a hacker redirected Uber’s petition site to Lyft and Lyft accused Uber employees of requesting and then canceling 5,600 rides. But today the companies announced they would put their differences aside and team up to offer free rides for veterans in need of transportation to and from jobs and interviews. [More]
Senators Question Takata’s Ability To Complete Recall Replacement Amid Fines, Lost Customers
By 11.10.15
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]
Volkswagen Offers $1,000 in Cash, Credits To Owners Of Deceptive Diesels
By 11.9.15
Volkswagen, in an apparent attempt to alleviate the strained relationship with hundreds of thousands of consumers still waiting to hear just how the carmaker plans to fix their “clean diesel” vehicles rigged to cheat emissions tests, is offering those owners $1,000 in cash and credits. [More]
Uber’s Carpool Service: Helping Strangers Find Love In The Back Of A Car
By 11.9.15
Move over online dating sites, there’s a new player looking to make love connections between near strangers, albeit inadvertently. While the Uber app has been hooking up passengers with drivers for a while, the company is now apparently facilitating romance via its carpooling-like UberPool service. [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]
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]
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]
Fired Taco Bell Executive Apologizes For Drunkenly Attacking Uber Driver
By 11.5.15
Days after a video hit the Internet showing an Uber passenger attacking a driver in California (and getting a face full of mace in the process), the California man accused of the assault has issued an apology. In the meantime, he was fired from his executive position at Taco Bell and the Uber driver is suing him. [More]
What Should I Do When I Can’t Get My Recalled Car Fixed?
By 11.4.15
It’s one thing to know that your car has been recalled, which is happening right now to a record number of Americans, but it’s even worse when you know that your car has been recalled and can’t get the manufacturer to service it at a dealership. When you’re told that there are no parts or no technicians to fix your car, what do you do? [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]
Family Gets Out Of Jeep, Watches It Catch Fire After Recall Repair
By 11.3.15
When you dutifully bring your car to a dealership for a recall repair, you generally assume that the repair is going to fix the problem, and that your vehicle is not going to catch fire anyway. Back in May, we learned that NHTSA was looking into a Chrysler recall where fires were still reported in recalled vehicles that had been repaired. [More]
Owners Help Police Track Stolen Tesla Through Mobile App
By 11.3.15
When a thief steals a car it can take owners days, week or even years to retrieve their property. Apparently that’s not the case when your vehicle happens to be a Tesla Model S: a Canadian couple was able to help authorities track their stolen car in real-time with the help of the Tesla mobile app. [More]
Volkswagen Internal Investigation Finds Carbon Dioxide Emissions Issue With 800,000 Vehicles
By 11.3.15
With nearly 11 million vehicles worldwide already emitting nearly 40 times the allowable rate of nitrogen oxide, Volkswagen says an internal investigation found about 800,000 additional vehicles may have issues with carbon dioxide emissions, too. [More]
