General Motors gets to join Fiat Chrysler and Tesla in an unenviable lineup this week: Using cheap gadgets and text messages, researchers have proven they can hack that most traditional of cars, the Chevy Corvette. And worse still is that this line of attack will work on basically any car with a computer in it, which is to say… all of them. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Lawsuit Alleges Uber Is Spamming Consumers With Illegal Texts
By 8.11.15
The concept of ride-sharing service Uber is built around consumers’ use of mobile phones: the company sends text messages confirming the creation of an account, users hail a cab through the company’s app, and the company routinely informs customers their ride is on the way via text. While this may be convenient for Uber customers, a new lawsuit claims Uber is violating federal law by sending unsolicited texts to people who want nothing to do with the service. [More]
Uber Admits It Failed To Follow Procedure In Hire Of Driver Accused Of Rape
By 8.10.15
Last week, it came out that an Uber driver in Dallas had used a bogus, expired city permit when he applied for a job with the ridesharing service. Now, Uber is finally explaining how it failed to catch this red flag during the vetting process. [More]
Tesla Reportedly Loses More Than $4,000 On Each Car It Sells
By 8.10.15
The base price for a new Tesla Model S with all-wheel-drive will run you about $70,000. While that price tag isn’t for the faint of heart, its doesn’t quite represent how much the electric vehicle maker is putting into its products, as a new report shows the company is losing more than $4,000 on each car it sells. [More]
Not Convinced The Robot Uprising Is Inevitable? Watch This Charger Prototype For Tesla Cars Find Its Target
By 8.6.15
You know, we’re a little surprised by you, Elon Musk. As a guy who’s said we’re right to be worried about artificial intelligence enslaving the human race, Terminator style, you’d think you wouldn’t go ahead and invent a robot charger that can find its own way to a nearby Tesla and plug in. What’s the next target, our brains?!? [More]
Latest Auto Hack Target: Tesla’s Model S
By 8.6.15
For the third time in three weeks security researchers have taken control of a vehicle through flaws in its computer systems. The latest target? None other than Tesla’s Model S. [More]
Blue Bell’s Alabama Plant Gets State Approval To Distribute Ice Cream
By 8.5.15
Blue Bell ice cream has been off the shelves for some months now due to an outbreak of listeriosis that hospitalized ten people and killed three. Now there’s hope for desperate Blue Bell fans: the company’s production facility in Alabama, which didn’t cause any known illnesses, has been making test batches of ice cream and will now be allowed to distribute them. [More]
Jeep Cherokee Owners File Lawsuit Against Fiat Chrysler, Harman After Hackers Wirelessly Hijack Vehicle
By 8.5.15
It was inevitable: A few weeks after hackers showed that a Jeep Cherokee could be hijacked remotely, three car owners have filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status against Fiat Chrylser Automobiles and Harman International, the maker of the Uconnect onboard infotainment system. [More]
At Least 124 People Died Because Of General Motors Ignition Defect
By 8.4.15
One year after General Motors’ victim compensation fund began accepting death and injury claims related to its massive ignition switch issue and six months after the submission deadline, the carmaker announced it had completed its review. Now, instead of acknowledging just 13 deaths tied to the deadly defect, the car manufacture is admitting that 124 deaths – nearly 10 times the original tally – resulted from its failure to address the problematic switches in more than 2.59 millions of vehicles. [More]
Uber Driver Accused Of Rape Used Phony Permit To Drive
By 8.4.15
Uber is once again under fire for its system of vetting drivers after the city of Dallas claims that an Uber driver accused of raping a passenger was operating on a bogus permit and should never have made it through the company’s screening process. [More]
Regulators Investigating Harman Kardon After Remote Hack Of Jeep
By 8.3.15
UPDATE: A day after regulators announced they had opened an investigation into Harman Kardon to determine if vehicles – other than the recently recalled 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler models – equipped with certain infotainment systems were susceptible to remote hacks, the company assured investigators and consumers that the previously reported hack was an isolated incident. [More]
Kraft Recalling 36,000 Cases Of Cheese Due To Packaging Choking Hazard
By 8.3.15
True story: I had a friend in college who often wanted a snack while we were out and about on weekend nights guzzling Milwaukee’s Best Light. To curb her cravings, she’d often stick a few Kraft singles cheese slices in her purse, conveniently wrapped in plastic for individual snacking opportunities. Alas, that same convenient packaging is at the heart of a new voluntary recall from Kraft, over concerns that people could choke on the plastic wrapping. [More]
320K Dodge Chargers Recalled Because Airbags Shouldn’t Deploy When The Door Shuts
By 8.3.15
For the past year, car makers have been plagued with airbag issues of some kind. Over the weekend Fiat Chrysler announced it was the latest company to encounter problems with the safety devices: unintended deployment when shutting a vehicle’s doors. [More]
Hacker Claims To Be Able To Take Control Of Any General Motors Car With OnStar
By 7.30.15
As we saw last week, the ability to remotely take control of a vehicle is a very real concern. While Fiat Chrysler recalled nearly 1.4 million vehicles and issued a patch related to some of its internet-connected cars, another automaker is now sitting in the precarious spot of potential hijack victim, as a hacker claims he can commandeer any of the company’s vehicles as long as they come with the OnStar system. [More]
Regulators Deny Request For Investigation Into 5 Million Fiat Chrysler Vehicles
By 7.30.15
Following a probe into 23 safety recalls and 11 million cars – which resulted in a record-setting $105 million fine – it appears that Fiat Chrysler is getting a little bit of good news from federal regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has decided to not open an investigation into nearly five million other vehicles over power system failures. [More]
Uber Launches Car Leasing Program To Attract More Drivers
By 7.30.15
There’s one big obstacle for anyone who wants to sign up as an Uber driver and hit the road — if you don’t have a car, you’ve got nowhere to put any passengers. Uber wants to make it easier to attract potential drivers, launching its own auto leasing subsidiary unit that will bring the ride-hailing company into the financial services industry. [More]
Tesla: Refer A Friend, Get $1,000 Off A $70,000 Model S
By 7.30.15
In the market for an electric car, but the high price tag scaring you away? Would $1,000 off be enough to spur you to purchase that $70,000-plus vehicle? That’s apparently what Tesla’s betting on. [More]
July Recall Roundup: Of Course Kids Are Going To Chew On Their Strollers
By 7.30.15
In this month’s recall roundup, a stroller wasn’t designed to be chewed on, a fish tank heater might cook your fish instead of keeping them comfortable, and a lawn mower may fling grass clippings at the person operating the vehicle. It’s a dangerous world out there, apparently. [More]
