I scream, you scream, we all want to make loud noises over that frozen dessert made of sweetened milk fat. So hearing that Uber is offering an on-demand ice cream delivery in certain cities today is no doubt quickening many hearts. But at $5 a pop, is the stuff even good? [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
July Food And Supplement Recall Roundup – More Salmonella Smoothies
By 7.18.14
In our July Recall Roundup for food, the Great Chia Seed Recall of 2014 continues, ice cream has mismatched flavor labels, and there are mysterious substances in the ham. Oh, and Foster Farms finally recalled some of the chicken blamed for a recent salmonella outbreak. [More]
Chrysler Will Finally, Eventually Get Around To Fixing Millions Of Jeeps Recalled In 2013
By 7.17.14
Last year, Chrysler reluctantly recalled millions of Jeeps out of concern that rear-end collisions could result in a fire. And even though the car maker came up with a fix for the issue, it still hadn’t repaired some 1.6 million Jeeps a year after announcing the recall. Under pressure from federal regulators, Chrysler now says it will pick up the pace of repairs, though it could still be eight months before some Jeeps are fixed. [More]
Elon Musk Reveals Details On Upcoming $35,000 Tesla
By 7.16.14
Dealerships and automakers around the country have been fighting electric car maker Tesla’s direct-to-customer sales model, but many have wondered why they care so much about a car that costs more than most people earn in a year. Now you can expect that fight to get even nastier after Tesla founder Elon Musk announced plans for a high-end electric car that only costs around $35,000. [More]
GM Admits Some Employees “Didn’t Do Their Jobs” Handling Ignition-Switch Defect
By 7.16.14
GM executives will be back in the hot seat on Capitol Hill tomorrow. This time, they’ll be getting a grilling from the Senate Commerce Committee about the ignition switch defect that killed at least 13 people and the decade it took to publicly identify the problem and issue a recall. [More]
White House Responds To Petition Asking For Direct-To-Consumer Tesla Sales In All 50 States
By 7.15.14
While the White House will respond to any We The People petition over 100,000 signatures, that doesn’t mean that the answer is always going to be something petitioners want to hear. And in the case of the 138,469 who wanted the administration to prevent sales from banning direct-to-consumer auto sales from companies like Tesla, that reply is pretty much, “Can’t do it, that’s Congress’ thing.” [More]
EPA Wants Car Companies To Test Gas Mileage In Real World
By 7.15.14
Over the last few years, car makers have had to fork over more than $500 million in refunds to customers because of exaggerated fuel economy estimates on new vehicle stickers. In an effort to provide more accurate mileage information to consumers, the Environmental Protection Agency wants car companies to do their mpg testing on the road instead of in the lab. [More]
July Recall Roundup – Beware Of Flimsy Phone Chargers
By 7.15.14
In July’s recall roundup, the Consumer Products Safety Commission is out to protect us all from shocking air conditioners, exploding wine bottles, leaking snow throwers, and dangerous mobile device chargers. [More]
Last Chance To Send In Questions For GM CEO Mary Barra
July 11, 2014
Earlier this week, we told you that our colleagues at Consumer Reports were going to feature General Motors CEO Mary Barra in the magazine’s first Ask the CEO column. They are still accepting questions for Ms. Barra through today at asktheceo@cr.consumer.org, so get yours in ASAP before this opportunity shuts off like the ignition on a 2003 Chevy Cobalt. [More]
New York State Attorney General Tries To Shut Down Lyft Before Tonight’s NYC Launch
By 7.11.14
Seven hours from now, people in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens were supposed to be able to dial up a vehicle from ride-sharing service Lyft and coast through traffic in a cloud of peer-to-peer vehicular bliss. “Not so fast!” the New York state government said to the service, its drivers, and their pink-mustachioed cars. [More]
M&M’s Pint And Shot Glasses Recalled Because Lead & Cadmium Aren’t Tasty
By 7.11.14
Did you visit one of the M&M’s World retail stores in NYC, Las Vegas, Orlando, or London earlier this year? Did you see some adorable pint and shot glasses featuring the anthropomorphic treats? Well, you might want to stop using them, as those cute candy illustrations may contain high levels of lead and cadmium. [More]
Three Men Allege They Were Kidnapped By Washington D.C. Uber Driver, Taken On 10-Minute High Speed Chase
By 7.10.14
It’s not just Washington D.C., taxi drivers who allegedly kidnap passengers. Three out-of-town visitors allege they were kidnapped and taken on a high speed chase after hopping in an UberBlack car in the city earlier this week. [More]
Honda Expands Airbag Defect Recall To Include Vehicles In California
By 7.9.14
If you live in California and you drive a Honda vehicle, listen up, because the car maker expanded its recall for potentially faulty airbag deployment issues by nearly 500,000 in your area. [More]
Uber Agrees To Not Gouge Riders During Emergencies & Natural Disasters
By 7.8.14
One of the nice things about ride-sharing services like Uber is that the company can compete against taxi cabs by charging decent rates. But the fact that Uber rates are dynamic and can go up in times of high demand means the door could be open to gouging in situations where other transportation options are not available. [More]
Scientists: Recalled Moldy Exploding Chobani Yogurts Could Make Consumers Sick
By 7.8.14
Hey, remember when Chobani recalled a wide variety of yogurts in the fall of 2013 because fungal contamination made them taste terrible and occasionally explode? About that: a new study published today in a journal of the American Society for Microbiology indicates that the fungus found in contaminated yogurt cups was a strain that can make animals, including humans, sick when it’s eaten. [More]
GM Hasn’t Recalled Millions Of Trucks And SUVs Despite Four-Year Investigation Into Brake Line Failures
By 7.8.14
Although General Motors appears to a be on a safety recall-announcing spree, it has resisted recalling 1.8 million trucks and SUVs despite a four-year long investigation by federal regulators into an issue that can cause the brake lines to fail. While brake failures could lead to crashes –which one would assume is a safety issue – the manufacturer maintains the problem is a simply matter of routine maintenace [More]
Ford Issues 6 Recalls Covering 101,000 Vehicles
By 7.8.14
In an effort to show GM that it’s not the only U.S. car maker who can issue a huge number of recalls, the folks at Ford have announced six separate recalls covering a total of 101,000 vehicles. [More]
