I don’t have a car (and I don’t feel like getting arrested) but if I did, what would it take for me to earn enough money as a driver for Uber (or Lyft or Sidecar) to pay the bills? To earn $50,000 a year, I’d have to pick up anywhere from 12 to 17 fares a day, depending on which service I drive for, according to one new report. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
If You Have A GM Car Recalled For Ignition Problem, Now Is The Time To Get It Fixed
By 12.2.14
It’s been many months since General Motors finally got around to recalling more than 2 million vehicles for a problem with the ignition switch that has been tied to dozens of deaths. Many recalled cars have yet to be fixed because there weren’t enough parts to make the repairs, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says sufficient replacement switches are now available so there is no reason to wait any longer. [More]
Uber’s Latest Privacy Problems: “Ghost Texting” Drivers’ Contacts, Collecting Android Users’ Data
By 11.26.14
Controversial car service Uber, already under fire recently, has a new pair of privacy concerns this morning. One has to do with drivers’ accounts, and the other is for anyone who uses the Android version of the app. [More]
Mazda Recalls Nearly 100,000 Cars Because Adequate Tire Pressure Is Important
By 11.25.14
Car manufacturers must meet a number of safety regulations when selling vehicles. One such mandate that the vehicle’s a low-tire pressure warning system works. That apparently isn’t the case for nearly 100,000 of the newest Mazda vehicles. [More]
Regulators Close Investigations Into 600,000 Ford, GM Vehicles Without Initiating Recalls
By 11.25.14
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration generally opens inquiries into car manufacturers after receiving numerous consumer complaints about an issue. Those investigations often lead to some type of safety recall. However, that wasn’t the case for two recently closed probes of more than 600,000 Ford and General Motors vehicles. [More]
Woman’s Conviction Overturned 10 Years After Fatal Wreck, GM Says Ignition Switch Could Be To Blame
By 11.25.14
Millions of General Motors vehicles have been found to contain a deadly ignition switch defect. Among those cars is the 2004 Saturn Ion. And while that may seem insignificant to the vast majority of consumers, it resulted in a judge clearing a Texas woman for a car accident that killed her fiancé. [More]
Honda Failed To Report More Than 1,700 Death And Injury Claims, Could Face Record $35M Fine
By 11.25.14
Honda’s issues with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aren’t looking any better after the manufacture announced that it failed to report more than 1,729 claims of injury or death to the regulators. And that violation could lead to the biggest fine in the history of NHTSA, totaling more than $35 million. [More]
General Motor’s Ignition Switch Death Toll Rises To 35
By 11.24.14
Less than a year ago, General Motors claimed that only 13 fatalities had resulted from a faulty ignition switch issue. Now three months after a plan to compensate victims was set up, 35 death claims have been accepted. [More]
Lexus Recalls Nearly 423,000 Sedans Because Fuel Leaks Can Lead To Fires
By 11.21.14
The only time most consumers want to see a car catch on fire is during a high-action movie. So it’s probably for the best that Toyota issued a recall of nearly 423,000 Lexus vehicles for a fuel leak issue that increases the risk of fire. [More]
Graco Recalls 4.7 Million Strollers To Prevent Amputations Of Tiny Fingertips
By 11.20.14
Graco and Century strollers with a sliding fold-lock hinge have been on the market since 2000, but they are potentially dangerous. The Consumer Product Safety Commission knows of eleven cases where children have caught their tiny fingers in the hinge. In ten of those cases, their fingertips were amputated or partially amputated. Graco has announced a recall, and will send a repair kit to stroller owners. [More]
Takata “Deeply Sorry” To Those Affected By Defective Airbags, Still Reluctant On Nationwide Recall
By 11.20.14
In September 2013, Stephanie Erdman’s life changed forever when her 2002 Honda Civic collided with another vehicle on the way to a local grocery store in Florida. While Erdman’s passenger suffered only scrapes and bruises, she’s undergone a number of surgeries – with more to come – after being struck by shrapnel from her vehicle’s ruptured Takata airbag. Erdman’s story, and the graphic photos of her accident and injuries, took center stage Thursday morning during a Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation hearing addressing the airbag defects that have now been linked to at least five deaths. [More]
Arizona Sues GM For $3B, Claiming Auto Maker Defrauded Consumers
By 11.20.14
So far this year General Motors has been party to a slew of lawsuits related to its massive ignition switch recall involving millions of vehicles with the potentially deadly defect. The latest case against GM was filed Wednesday by the State of Arizona, which alleges that the carmaker defrauded consumers out of an estimated $3 billion by knowingly selling defective vehicles. [More]
Uber Investor Ashton Kutcher Sticks Up For Executive Who Wanted To Look Into “Shady Journalists”
By 11.19.14
If you’ve been on the internet at all this week, then you already know that Uber has found itself in hot water after an executive discussed the idea of digging up dirt on journalists critical of the company. Well, things aren’t looking much better for the ride-sharing company today after actor and investor Ashton Kutcher Tweeted his support for the executive in question. Uber has also updated its privacy policy to ease the minds of users, but it could still allow the company to track riders. [More]
NHTSA Pushes For National Recall Of Takata Airbags
By 11.19.14
In the past year, nearly 10 million vehicles have been recalled in areas of high humidity – generally the southern United States – related to defective Takata-produced airbags. That number could increase significantly now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has urged the Japanese auto parts maker and car manufacturers to expand the recall to cover the entire United States. [More]
One Year After Jeep Recall, Repairs Still Difficult To Obtain
By 11.18.14
Despite Chrysler’s promise earlier this year to ramp-up efforts to fix more than a million Jeeps recalled over a year ago, consumers continue to report issues with obtaining the needed repairs. [More]
NTSB Rules That Model Aircraft Can Be Regulated By FAA
By 11.18.14
What’s the difference between a model aircraft you’d take out to the park and fly for your own amusement without having to worry about being fined or penalized by the Federal Aviation Administration, and operating a remote-controlled aircraft that does fall under the regulatory umbrella of the FAA? Earlier this year, a federal administrative law judge said it was pretty clear that model aircrafts of any sort are exempt from FAA oversight, but the National Transportation Safety Board today said the judge was mistaken. [More]
Uber And Spotify Pair Up To Allow Riders To Choose Their Own Tunes For The Drive
By 11.17.14
“What do you mean when you say you ‘have no Janet Jackson’??!?!” at least one car full of people has gaspscreamed at at least one car service driver (sorry, guy). That outraged reaction could be a thing of the past for Uber customers, as the company has joined forces with Spotify to offer Spotify Premium account holders the ability to play their own playlists and control the music during some Uber rides. [More]
Ford Expands Ranger Recall By Nearly 10,000 Trucks Over Takata Airbag Defect
By 11.17.14
The number of vehicles affected by potentially defective Takata airbags continues to grow. This time it comes from Ford, with the manufacturer expanding its previous recall regarding the Ranger pickup truck, bringing the total number of affected trucks to 23,713. [More]
