While Tesla continues to work on spreading its network of supercharging stations around the country to more easily serve drivers of its electric cars, CEO Elon Musk doesn’t want those stations to be used solely by owners of Tesla vehicles like the Model S. In his quest to spread the popularity of electric cars, Musk says he wants other manufacturers to know how to build their own Supercharger stations. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Chrysler Recalls More Than 10,000 SUVs Because Cruise-Control Is Supposed To Be Controlled
By 6.6.14
The invention of cruise-control has saved many consumers from receiving costly speeding tickets, but the often convenient system hasn’t been operating as it should in a number of Chrysler SUVs. [More]
Uber & Lyft Will Defy Order From Virginia DMV To Stop Picking Up Passengers
By 6.6.14
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles made its feelings about ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft very clear yesterday, telling them in no uncertain terms to cease operations in the state until they obtain the proper permits. But both companies say they are doing nothing wrong and will keep on picking up (and presumably dropping off) passengers. [More]
GM Admits Incompetence In Ignition Debacle, Denies Cover-Up
By 6.5.14
This morning, General Motors CEO Mary Barra discussed the findings of the car maker’s internal report on an ignition switch defect that went without a recall for more than a decade and has resulted in at least 13 deaths. The company’s findings claim that while GM screwed up big-time, there was no attempt by executives to cover the problem up. [More]
GM Is Super Sorry It Sent Recall Notices To Families Of Crash Victims
By 6.4.14
By this point, most owners of recalled General Motors vehicles don’t need a notice from the car maker to know their ignition switches need work. One group of people who definitely don’t need reminding of this fact are the families of those who died in crashes tied to the ignition defect. [More]
Uber Driver With Battery Conviction Charged With Punching Passenger
By 6.4.14
Ride-sharing service Uber is already drawing fire from established taxi and livery services who allege that its drivers are not held to the same standards as professional drivers. So it’s not great news that one of its drivers has not only been arrested for allegedly punching a passenger, but that he has a criminal history that does not bode well for one in this line of work. [More]
Report: 74 Deaths May Be Tied To GM Ignition Defect
By 6.3.14
While General Motors has admitted that an ignition switch defect in Chevy Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other vehicles has been tied to 13 deaths, others have indicated that the number could be significantly higher than that. A new report from Reuters claims to have found at least 74 fatalities that may be related to the defective switches. [More]
NHTSA Investigating Why Jeep Airbags Continue To Deploy On Their Own
By 6.2.14
When a car manufacturer initiates a recall and provides a remedy for the issue, you assume that fix is going to stick. But that may not be the case for the 2012 airbag-related recall of two Jeep models, as federal regulators are investigating why Chrysler’s fix has not eliminated the problem. [More]
Yet Another Car Dealership Begs For Perfect Survey Scores
By 5.30.14
We aren’t in the car business. We won’t pretend that we know how automakers should run things. However, the evidence shows us that maybe the current system of evaluating dealerships isn’t working out so well. It gives them incentives to lie and falsify data, not to provide good customer service. [More]
Suspended GM Engineer “Forgot” He Had Bad Ignition Switch Fixed In 2006
By 5.30.14
Last year, the General Motors engineer who quietly signed off on a fix to an ignition problem that has resulted in at least 13 deaths claimed in a deposition that he had no knowledge of making this incredibly important improvement. But after Congressional investigators have turned up all sorts of evidence showing that he did indeed give the okay for this fix, the engineer reportedly says he simply forgot about it. [More]
Car Recallapalooza Continues As Ford Recalls 1.39 Million Vehicles
By 5.29.14
When we saw that Ford announced a recall of 1.39 million cars and sport-utility vehicles, we had to check back in the archives. Hadn’t we just posted about a Ford recall? Yes, it was only earlier this month that 692,000 vehicles were recalled because their airbags might not deploy. This latest batch mainly involves power steering failure in SUVs. [More]
May Food And Supplement Recall Roundup: Not So Dairy-Free
By 5.28.14
In our May Recall Roundup for food, supplements, and even a few over-the-counter drugs, there’s dairy in the dairy-free pancakes, Salmonella in the chili powder, and always a few precription drugs hiding in the “supplements.” [More]
NHTSA Probing Possible Brake Failure Issue On 200K Nissan Vehicles
By 5.27.14
When depressing the brake pedal, you expect your car to slow down, stop and then stay stopped until you lift your foot. But that apparently isn’t happening in some Nissan vehicles and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into the issue. [More]
Hummus Sold At Target, Trader Joe’s, Giant Eagle Recalled For Potential Listeria Contamination
By 5.23.14
Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can have unpleasant consequences for most people, and serious, life-threatening consequences for people who are very old, very young, already ill, or who are pregnant. A company called Lansal, Inc. that manufactures hummus for Tryst Gourmet and the private-label brands of retailers Target, Trader Joe’s, and Giant Eagle, reports that the pathogen may be in their hummus and related products. [More]
Following Death Of Child, NHTSA Investigating Dodge Ram Ignition Switch
By 5.23.14
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into a possible Chrysler Group pickup truck ignition-switch defect that has resulted in one fatality. [More]
Toyota Recalls Lexus GS For Braking Issues, Sienna Minivans Over Spare Tire Concerns
By 5.22.14
Not to be outdone by General Motors’ recallpalooza, Toyota announced a pair of recalls this morning — for Sienna minivans and Lexus GS sedans — totaling nearly 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. alone. [More]
Nest Officially Recalls Smoke Alarms, But You Just Need To Connect Yours To Web To Fix
By 5.21.14
Last month, the folks at Google-owned Nest alerted owners of the company’s Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that an software glitch could, under very specific circumstances, cause the device to delay sounding the alarm. Today, the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission made it official with a formal recall announcement. [More]
Proposed Rule Means Airlines Would Have To Be More Forthcoming With Fee Disclosures
By 5.21.14
Purchasing plane tickets can be a painstaking task. First, you comb through options to see what fits your schedule, then you search high and low for a price that meets your travel budget. But upon arriving at the airport you’re faced with fee after fee and pretty soon, that travel budget goes out the window. Those days might be over, however, now that the U.S. Transportation Department has proposed a new rule that would require airlines to directly disclose basic service fees. [More]
