A year after General Motors first announced the long-delayed recall of the Chevy Cobalt, Saturn Ion and several other vehicles for an ignition problem that both the carmaker and regulators had ignored, the fund responsible for vetting death and injury claims related to the recall is now acknowledging at least 56 fatalities. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Why Can’t You Tip Your Uber Driver From Within The App?
By 2.16.15 — Updated: 3.22.17
Uber’s goal is to make the process of hailing a cab seamless and easy, without requiring users to carry cash or even have any idea what street address they’re at. The company’s success shows how much people like this integrated pricing model, but as the company lowers fares, drivers earn less money. Yet asking for tips, even with a sign in the backseat, can get a driver in trouble. [More]
Uber Adding “Panic Button” To Mobile App In Chicago
By 2.13.15
A few weeks after announcing that Uber would implement a panic button feature in its app for users in India after allegations of rape against a driver there, the company now says it’ll be launching the safety feature in Chicago soon as well. [More]
GM Provides More Details On Long-Range Affordable Electric Chevy Bolt
By 2.12.15
A month after General Motors showed off a prototype of the Chevy Bolt — a purely electric vehicle that the carmaker estimates will get around 200 miles per charge and only cost around $30,000 — the company has provided details to show that it intends to move ahead with production on the Bolt. [More]
Tesla Working On A Lithium-Ion Battery To Power Homes, Businesses
By 2.12.15
Pricey electric-car manufacturer Tesla plans to use its technology to revamp the way we power our homes. [More]
New NHTSA Chief Wants To Create Team Focused On Spotting Defects
By 2.12.15
Just a month into his new gig as the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mark Rosekind unveiled his vision for the future of the agency, including increasing staff and creating two new divisions to help step up efforts to identify defects and alert motorists about issues and recalls. [More]
Kidde Recalls 5M Disposable Fire Extinguishers Because Fire Extinquishers Should Put Out Fires
By 2.12.15
The thing about fire extinguishers is that when there’s a fire, you have a reasonable expectation that the device can put out said fire. But that apparently isn’t the case for nearly 5 million Kidde plastic disposable fire extinguishers being recalled. [More]
Advocates Push NHTSA For Answers Regarding Airbag Recall, Remedy Effectiveness
By 2.11.15
The first major automobile recall of 2015 centered on 2.1 million vehicles containing an electronic glitch that could cause the safety devices to deploy inadvertently. While that defect is obviously a safety hazard, little else about the recall seems out of the ordinary. That is until you learn that this is the fourth time these vehicles have been recalled for this particular issue. Now, a consumer group is pushing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for answers regarding the recall, its past remedy failures, and the agency’s ability to ensure owners of recalled vehicles are safe. [More]
February Food And Supplement Recall Roundup: Curse Of The Contaminated Cumin
By 2.10.15
In this month’s Recall Roundup for food and supplements, some cumin became contaminated with peanut protein, then spread its potentially deadly payload everywhere from ethnic markets to the hot bar at Whole Foods. Pet food marketed for raw feeding of dogs and cats contains bacteria that can harm humans and pets alike. Oh, and there was some more undeclared knockoff Viagra masquerading as a “bee pollen” dietary supplement. [More]
Land Rover, Jaguar Recall 104,000 Vehicles For Brake, Light Issues
By 2.9.15
Jaguar Land Rover North America issued three recalls affecting nearly 104,000 vehicles over the weekend for myriad issues, ranging from problems with brake lines to lights. [More]
West Coast Ports Contract Dispute Means Automakers Must Ship Parts By Plane
By 2.6.15
The ongoing labor dispute between dockworkers and shipping companies at ports on the West Coast of the United States is affecting more than just the availability of French fries in Japan and Venezuela. McDonald’s has resorted to shipping fries by air, and some auto manufacturers are going to start sending those cargo planes back from Japan filled with car parts. [More]
Proposed Bills Would Revamp Food Safety Agencies & Recall Protocols
By 2.6.15
Last year a group of legislators introduced a bill that would have given the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture the legal backbone to get unsafe meat, poultry and eggs off store shelves. While that bill died in Congress, two new measures seek to pick up the pieces, establishing a single, independent federal food-safety agency and providing new recall procedures. [More]
Federal Jury Orders Toyota To Pay $11M To Victims Of Fatal Crash Involving Sudden Acceleration
By 2.4.15
A federal jury in Minnesota decided Tuesday that the design of a 1996 Toyota Camry involved in an accident that killed three people and left two seriously injured had a dangerous defect that was partly responsible for the crash, despite the automaker’s claims to the contrary. Toyota now has to pay almost $11 million to the victims. [More]
GM Spent $2.8B To Cover The Record Recalls Of 2014
By 2.4.15
General Motors continues to put an epic year of recalls in the rearview mirror. After recalling 30 million vehicles and providing compensation for the families and victims of its massive ignition switch defect, the car company has announced it can now put a price on 2014’s recallapalooza: $2.8 billion. [More]
Whole Foods Recalls Macadamia Nuts In 6 States For Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 2.4.15
Hey you — Did you buy raw macadamia nuts from Whole Foods? Did you buy them in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee? If so, then you might want to check the label to see if they belong to the batch of nuts being recalled for potential Salmonella contamination. [More]
Is Google Planning A Ride-Sharing Service To Rival Uber And Lyft?
By 2.3.15 — Updated: 2.22.17
While everyone is buzzing over a recent report that Google is planning its own ride-sharing service in an attempt to cut a nice slice out of the pie currently enjoyed mostly by Uber and Lyft, the company responded to requests for comment with the kind of non-denial that just makes everyone think something has got to be going on. So what’s the deal? [More]
GM Compensation Fund: Approved Death, Injury Claims Likely To Rise Following Onslaught Of New Submissions
By 2.2.15
Although the deadline for submissions to the General Motors ignition switch victims’ compensation fund has come and gone, officials with the program say the number of approved death and injury claims will likely rise for several more months. [More]
2.12 Million Honda, Toyota & Chrysler Vehicles Recalled Because Airbags Should Only Deploy In Crashes
By 2.2.15
Car manufacturers’ troubles with airbags have followed them into the new year, with three manufactures recalling approximately 2.12 million vehicles because the safety devices may deploy at the wrong time. [More]
