Having your car fill with smoke while driving down the road or finding that the airbags don’t deploy properly during an accident are most definitely causes for concern. That’s why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened investigations into thousands of Jeep Cherokees and Nissan Rogues. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
South Carolina Orders Uber To Cease Operations Until Proper Certificates Are In Place
By 1.16.15
The list of cities, states and countries that have ordered ride-sharing service Uber to halt operation in their area continues to grow. The latest service issue comes from South Carolina as the state’s Public Service Commission sent the company a directive to cease and desist service immediately. [More]
Southwest Fined $1.6M For Lengthy Tarmac Delays
By 1.15.15
Southwest Airlines is once again feeling the ire of federal regulators, as the Department of Transportation on Thursday imposed a $1.6 million fine against the airline for forcing passengers to stay on planes for hours at Chicago’s Midway airport in January 2014. [More]
What Recall Woes? GM Sold Record 9.92M Vehicles In 2014
By 1.15.15
Back in June, General Motors hit the mark where it had officially recalled more cars during the 2014 recallapalooza than it had sold in the United States during the past seven years. While that comparison was startling and put the sheer enormity of the company’s many recalls into perspective, it apparently wasn’t something the company or consumers worried about, as a new report points out that the company still managed to sell a record number of vehicles last year. [More]
Organic Ground Beef Sold At Wegmans Stores Recalled Due To Plastic Fragments
By 1.14.15
There are many things that are very delicious alongside ground beef when mashed into a hamburger patty or loafed into a meatloaf, but plastic shards are not one of those things. Customers of Northeastern grocery chain Wegmans have reported finding “small malleable plastic pieces” in their packages of organic ground beef. [More]
Another Chicago Uber Driver Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Passenger
By 1.14.15
While Uber claims to have recently bolstered its security and safety policies, reports of drivers allegedly assaulting passengers continue to make headlines. [More]
Musk: Tesla May Eventually Use Car Dealers But Not Ones Who Have Been “Jerks”
By 1.14.15
Even though upscale electric vehicle maker Tesla currently only puts out around 35,000 cars a year, it’s already gotten under the skin of the auto sales business with its refusal to use the traditional franchised dealership model, leading some states to enact backward-looking laws blocking non-dealership sales of automobiles. But Tesla founder Elon Musk admitted yesterday that his company may eventually go the dealer route, but only with non-jerks. [More]
IKEA Recalls 169,000 Crib Mattresses After Reports Infants Became Trapped Between Mattress And Crib
By 1.14.15
When parents put their child to bed they likely have a reasonable expectation that their kiddo will sleep comfortably and safely. Hundreds of thousands of customers who own certain IKEA crib mattresses might not sleep so soundly, however, after the company issued a recall following reports that the product poses a hazard to infants. [More]
Uber Promises To Share Trip Data With Cities While Guarding Customer Privacy
By 1.13.15
On the one hand, the more information about how its traffic works a city can get, the more material it has to improve parking, or transit in that area. But on the other, customers who use ride-sharing services like Uber might balk at the idea of information about their trips being shared outside the company. Uber is pledging now to both share data about rides with U.S. cities as well as safeguard customers’ privacy. [More]
New NHTSA Chief Says 2015 Might See Even More Recalls Than Last Year
By 1.13.15
It might be difficult to envision a year punctuated by more vehicle recalls than the recallapalooza that was 2014. But the new head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration predicts that 2015 could be another record-setting recall year for car manufacturers. [More]
Chevy Bolt Takes Aim At Tesla With Up To 200 Miles Per Charge, Cost In Low $30Ks
By 1.12.15
While the world still waits for the Tesla Model 3, an electric car that will get upwards of 200 miles per charge and cost around $35,000, General Motors today revealed a prototype for its Chevy Bolt, which aims to match that upcoming Tesla in both mileage and cost. [More]
Uber Promising Seasonal Cuts To Prices In 48 Of Its “Newer” Cities
By 1.9.15
Maybe you thought you were special, living in a city that’s had Uber longer than others. Perhaps at one time you were different, but now the newbies are getting the special treatment. Uber says seasonal ride prices will be going down in 48 of its “newer cities” on the U.S. map, while still guaranteeing earnings for those driver. [More]
Feds Fine Honda $70 Million For Over A Decade’s Worth Of Inaccurate Death And Injury Reports
By 1.8.15
The new year is off to a rough start for automaker Honda, as federal regulators announced today that the car company will be paying a record-setting $70 million fine for failing to report over 1700 injuries and deaths over a period of 11 years. [More]
Ford Recalls 13,500 Cars Because Drivers Keep Accidentally Shutting Them Off While Driving
By 1.6.15
The future of cars is very high tech: they’re computers on wheels, full of touch-screen and push-button systems. So many push-button systems, in fact, that for one line of Lincoln SUVs, owners can have trouble telling them all apart. And that’s how drivers have been turning off their ignitions while trying to hit other functions. Like the radio. [More]
Happy Apples Recalls More Candy Apples Sold Under Kroger Name
By 1.6.15
If you hadn’t already heard the news that you should stay away from pre-packaged candy apples due to the risk that they might be contaminated with Listeria bacteria, and you’ve been hoarding some in your pantry past peak caramel apple season in the fall, well, it’s time to check your pantry. Kroger-brand caramel apples have been named in the big, sticky nationwide recall. [More]
Volkswagen Unveils Smartphone-On-Wheels Concept, Integration of Apple And Android App Systems
By 1.5.15
Volkswagen’s first ever appearance at CES press day culminated in the unveiling of the Golf R Touch, a highly intuitive, infotainment vehicle that sounds more like a smartphone-on-wheels than an actual car. [More]
Toyota To Offer Royalty-Free Use Of Fuel Cell Patents To Jump-Start Production Of “Hydrogen Society”
By 1.5.15
Toyota didn’t exactly announce any new products at its CES press conference on Monday, but the company did give a gift to its competitors: royalty-free use of its hydrogen fuel cell patents. While some companies might feel the need to fiercely guard such game-changing technology, officials at Toyota say sharing the information could mark a turning point in automotive history. [More]
Toyota Plans Commercial Release Of Hydrogen Fueled Mirai This Fall
By 1.5.15
Alternative fuel-loving consumers received a bit of good news Monday during Toyota’s CES press conference. The company plans to offer its hydrogen fueled vehicle – Mirai – for consumer purchase this fall. [More]
