The investigators over at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have had their work cut out for them this year. And that workload doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, as the regulator announced this week that it would be looking into power steering issues in nearly a million vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Co. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
General Motors Issues Bonus Recall Of 57,182 Vehicles
By 10.6.14
On Friday, General Motors recalled 524,000 vehicles due to defects that could cause crashes if they manifested themselves while you’re driving on the highway. The GM recall-announcing team pulled a weekend shift and announced an additional recall of more than 57,000 vehicles. Models included in this recall are the Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Caprice police cruisers, Cadillac CTS-Vs, and Chevrolet Sonics. [More]
Elon Musk Predicts Tesla Cars Will Be Able To Drive Themselves 90% Of The Time In 2015
By 10.3.14
Do you see that, off in the distance? Where flying cars are zooming around without a human hand to guide them? It’s what I call “The Jetsons Horizon” and if Elon Musk has anything to say about it, we’ll be getting closer to that line as soon as 2015. [More]
GM Recalls Yet Another Half-Million Cars Over Increased Crash Risks
By 10.3.14
It’s the track on infinite repeat this year, it seems: General Motors has issued a recall of 524,000 vehicles for safety reasons. The two separate recall actions have nothing to do with ignition switches, at least, but both — on Cadillac and Saab SUVs and Chevy Spark cars — are hazards that increase the risk of a dangerous crash. [More]
Several Varieties Of Bravo Raw Dog And Cat Food Recalled For Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 9.30.14
Pets are often regarded with a special level of love and devotion from their owners. When it comes to feeding those furry family members, only the best is acceptable. And the best certainly doesn’t include salmonella. That’s why dog and cat food manufacturer Bravo issued a recall of several varieties of pet food. [More]
Toyota Recalls 690,000 Tacoma Pickups For Rear Suspension Issue That Could Lead To Fire
By 9.30.14
For the third time this year Toyota issued a recall for one of its most popular models. The manufacturer is calling back 690,000 Tacoma pickup trucks for an issue with the rear suspension. [More]
GM: This Is Awkward, But Those Corvette Valet Cams Might Be Illegal
By 9.29.14
Having an extra pair of eyes and ears to keep watch over your expensive ride might sound like a wonderful idea, but GM is now warning owners of its new Corvette that those valet nanny cams might be illegal, depending on where you live. [More]
NHTSA Examining 163 New Complaints Of Unintended Acceleration In Toyota Vehicles
By 9.29.14
Just six months after it was announced that Toyota would pay $1.2 billion to close a case involving the unintended acceleration in a number of vehicles, the car manufacture is facing a federal probe over the same issue. [More]
Uber Wants To Hire German Taxi Drivers, Not Fight With Them
By 9.29.14
Uber is best known as an app that dispatches limos, black cars, or regular drivers in regular cars to wherever you and your smartphone are, but has a less-known feature called UberTaxi. In Germany, where the company and taxi drivers are in a legal fight over whether the company should be allowed to compete with licensed taxis, the company is trying something new: hiring taxi drivers. [More]
Harley-Davidson Recalls All 2014 Touring Bikes, Including Trikes And Custom Designs
By 9.29.14
By now we’re used to vehicle recalls reaching into the hundred thousands, but this one is a bit different. Harley-Davidson is calling back nearly 126,000 motorcycles because a problem with the clutch could lead to crashes. [More]
GM Ignition Recall Death Toll Increases Again, 23 Deaths Now Linked To Defective Switches
By 9.29.14
It may take months or even years before we realize the full scope of devastation caused by the defective ignition switches in General Motors vehicles. But each week the picture becomes a bit clearer. This week, the overseer of the independent compensation fund announced that two more deaths were the direct result of the defect that went ignored for more than a decade. [More]
Ford Recalls 850,000 Vehicles Over Airbag Concerns
By 9.26.14
It’s probably safe to say that the majority of safety recalls issued in 2014 revolved round issues with either ignition switches or airbags. The latter is the reason for Ford’s latest recall of nearly 850,000 vehicles. [More]
Uber Driver Says Female Passenger Was Asking To Be Groped By Wearing A Tank Top
By 9.26.14
I’ve heard any number of horror stories from female friends who have been harassed by overly flirtatious cab drivers — even dated a woman was kicked out of a cab when she told she driver she had a boyfriend — but the experience of one Uber passenger in Florida goes far beyond making salacious or sexist comments. [More]
Foster Farms Recalls 39,747 Pounds Of Cooked Frozen Chicken Strips For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 9.26.14
You may remember the name Foster Farms from the year-long salmonella outbreak that authorities finally linked to the company this past July. During a recent inspection, routine tests turned up Listeria Monocytogenes bacteria in frozen chicken strips shipped to warehouses in California, Texas, Utah, and Washington state. [More]
Chrysler Recalls 350,000 Vehicles For A Variety Of Ignition Switch Issues
By 9.25.14
After going three days without a vehicle recall we now return you to your regularly scheduled programing – er, recall notice. Chrysler announced today that it would voluntarily call back nearly 350,000 vehicles for ignition switch issues. [More]
September Recall Roundup – Toppling Televisions And Lead-Painted Sunglasses
By 9.25.14
In the Recall Roundup for September, smoke alarms fail to go off, kids’ sunglasses are decorated with Disney characters rendered in lead paint, and a cooking thermometer adds a little something extra that you didn’t want to your food. [More]
Watchdog Says Treasury Dept. Once Again Overpaid GM Execs
By 9.24.14
Under the guidelines for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which invested billions of taxpayer dollars in bailing out the nation’s banks and carmakers, executive pay is supposed to kept to reasonable levels. In the case of General Motors, it pledged to cap salaries at $500,000; not bad for a company that allowed nearly two dozen people to die rather than fix an ignition switch. But the TARP watchdog says that once again the Treasury Dept. has allowed GM to pay execs more than it agreed to. [More]
21 Deaths Now Tied To GM Ignition Defect
By 9.22.14
The number of deaths tied to defective ignition switches in General Motors vehicles continues to increase. A week after the overseer of the independent compensation fund revealed that the death toll had swollen to 19 from the original 13 that GM had previously admitted, comes news of additional fatalities linked to the defect that went ignored for more than a decade. [More]
