In the middle of an investigation into why General Motors allowed vehicles with defective ignition switches to not only hit the market, but continue to be sold and driven for years while at least 13 people died, the carmaker has placed to engineers directly involved with this issue on paid leave. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Toyota Recalls 6.4 Million Vehicles Worldwide
By 4.9.14
Toyota Motor Corp. announced today that it is recalling 6.39 million vehicles worldwide for a variety of problems including issues with seat rails, airbag deployment and steer columns. This marks the companies third million-vehicle recall in five years. [More]
Uber Tired Of Customers Using Cars As Couriers, Begins Testing Actual Courier Service
By 4.8.14
One could argue that Uber is a type of courier service, right? They’ve delivered Christmas Trees, kittens to brighten your day and of course shuttled you across the city. Well, you won’t have to argue the merits of that point anymore now that the company has officially began testing Uber Rush – an actual courier service. [More]
Ford Recalls 435,000 Vehicles For Possible Steering Issues, Possibly Unsafe Seats
By 4.7.14
For much of the United States winter is in the rearview mirror. But for consumers in 20 states and the District of Columbia, winter’s effects could continue to linger if they drive a Ford. The company recently announced two new recalls affecting more than 435,000 vehicles. [More]
GM Unsure If Or How To Compensate Ignition-Switch Victims, Could End Up Facing Criminal Case
By 4.7.14
Roughly 7 million cars and trucks recalled, at least 13 confirmed deaths tied to one faulty part, and a decade-long cover-up all adds up to one surefire thing: GM is getting dragged to court. But which court? In the midst of all the pending suits, shouting senators, Capitol Hill hearings, and other legalese, there’s still one big question up in the air for General Motors: is this mess only going to cost them money, or did they screw up badly enough to face criminal charges, too? [More]
April Food And Supplement Recall Roundup: So Long, Organic Peppercorns
By 4.7.14
In our April Recall Roundup for food, supplements, and even a few over-the-counter drugs, the lemon cookies have peanut butter, the vegan hot chocolate mix has dairy, and a lot of organic peppercorns might be contaminated with salmonella. [More]
Dyson Bladeless Heaters Recalled Because A Fire Is Too Much Heat
By 4.2.14
We know that a lot of our readers are fans of Dyson vacuums, but we aren’t sure whether any of you are into their air multipliers, which are totally not mini-portals to a distant dimension. Someone out there is, because they’ve expanded the line to include portable heaters. Some of these units have been heating a little too much lately, and 380,000 of them have been recalled in North America. [More]
Dodge Durangos & Jeep Grand Cherokees Recalled Over Brake Concerns
By 4.2.14
Why should General Motors get all the recall headlines when another domestic carmaker has defective vehicles to fix? Chrysler has announced a recall of around 870,000 total vehicles — 644,000 in the U.S. — for concerns about corrosion in the braking system that could increase the risk of a crash. [More]
GM CEO & NHTSA Director Admit Maybe They Messed Up This Ignition Recall
By 4.1.14
This afternoon, two people who inherited the crud-storm that is GM’s ongoing, massive ignition-related recall sat before lawmakers in Congress and tried to both defend their respective organizations while admitting that mistakes were made, resulting in at least 13 deaths. [More]
CBS Apologizes For “Audio Error” Of A Loud Car Engine Dubbed Over Tesla Footage
By 4.1.14
One of the main reasons someone might purchase a Tesla is part of what makes the vehicles what they are — being an electric car means having an engine that’s quieter than the usual grumble and rumble of a traditional car. So anyone watching 60 Minutes this past Sunday might’ve been surprised to hear what seemed like an electric car with a nasty cold. [More]
Multiple GM Recalls Announced For Steering, Transmission & Drive Shaft Issues
By 3.31.14
While General Motors execs prepare to go before Congress in the morning to explain why it took more than a decade and at least 13 deaths to issue a recall on more than two million vehicles, the carmaker announced three new, separate recalls — totaling nearly 2 million vehicles — for potential problems with the power steering, transmission, and drive shaft. [More]
NHTSA: New Vehicles Must Have Rearview Technology Starting May 2018
By 3.31.14
In four years, when you buy a new car or truck it’ll have a rearview camera as a standard feature. That’s because it’ll have to under a new rule just issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. [More]
Even Business Travelers Don’t Want Anyone Yakking Away On The Phone In Mid-Air
By 3.31.14
Who do you think of when you imagine the chatty kind of person who might want to make phone calls in the middle of a crowded airplane, mid-flight? While your mental picture might land on a businessperson in a suit yelling something about mergers and Hong Kong markets and getting that deal done before they close, a trade group representing business travelers has come out against the idea. [More]
Timeline Shows GM & NHTSA Failed On Multiple Occasions To Prevent Deaths Tied To Ignition Switch Recall
By 3.31.14
In advance of Tuesday’s hearing before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding the ongoing recall of more than 2 million GM vehicles for ignition-related problems tied to at least 13 deaths, the Committee on Energy and Commerce has released a detailed timeline of events, including all the times at which the carmaker or regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could have alerted the public to the defect. [More]
GM Adds 971,000 Vehicles To Ignition Recall, Confirms 13th Death Tied To Defect
By 3.28.14
Not a good way to end the week for General Motors, which not only added 971,000 vehicles to the ignition-related recall that had already been issued for 1.6 million cars, it also confirmed that the defect is indeed tied to 13 deaths. [More]
GM Asks Dealers To Stop Selling Chevy Cruze, Won’t Say Why
By 3.28.14
In the midst of a recall scandal involving ignition problems that have resulted in the deaths of at least a dozen people, General Motors has another publicity mess on its hand. The carmaker has told its dealers to stop selling certain Chevy Cruze models but isn’t publicly stating a reason for the halt. [More]
San Antonio Police Watching For New Public Menace: Lyft Drivers
By 3.27.14
Out of all of the issues that people who drive for ride-sharing services might have, we didn’t imagine this one: wondering whether your next passenger is a cop. Yet Lyft drivers in San Antonio received that warning from the city’s chief of police. Could other cities where these apps are doing battle with governments that regulate taxi medallions do the same? [More]
Court To Decide If Recalled GM Cars Should Remain Parked Pending Repairs
By 3.27.14
Earlier this week, plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against General Motors over the ongoing ignition-related recall of more than a million cars asked the court to issue an injunction that would compel GM to urge drivers to stop driving these vehicles until the repairs. Today it was announced that both sides will get to argue their position before the court on April 4. [More]
