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]
national highway traffic safety administration
Takata Allegedly Knew About Airbag Defect 10 Years Ago, Senators Urge Criminal Investigation
By 11.7.14
With 16 million vehicles recalled, a number of lawsuits and several investigations already underway related to defective Takata-produced airbags, lawmakers are urging the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into the Japanese auto parts maker following revelations that the company knew off issues four years prior to the first recall. [More]
NHTSA Gives Honda Until December 15 To Turn Over All Communications About Takata Airbag Defect, Recalls
By 11.6.14
Federal regulators have increased their scrutiny over Honda’s actions related to the millions of vehicles recalled because of Takata airbag defects. Two days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it would look into Honda’s reporting process, the regulators have asked the car maker to submit even more documentation including all communications the company had with the airbag supplier. [More]
Regulators Investigating Honda Over Inaccuracies In Reporting Injury And Death Claims
By 11.4.14
Less than two weeks after Honda announced it would begin a third-party audit of potential inaccuracies in providing valuable information regarding death and injury claims to U.S. regulators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened its own investigation into the car company’s reporting procedures. [More]
Ferrari To Pay $3.5M Penalty For Failure To Submit Fatality Reports To NHTSA For Three Years
By 10.31.14
As we’ve reported previously, car manufacturers are required to report death and injury claims to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration so that the agency can identify potentially fatal and dangerous defects. Failing to submit those reports not only endangers drivers, it can cost a pretty penny for auto makers. Just ask Ferrari, the high-end carmaker must pay a $3.5 million penalty for its inaction. [More]
NHTSA Probes Lack Of Parts & Communication In Year-Old Dodge Recall
By 10.27.14
Nearly a year after Chrysler announced two recalls of Dodge Ram trucks, consumers are still waiting to have their vehicles fixed. The lack of parts and slow pace in remedying the steering issues has investigators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looking for answers. [More]
Maker Of Airbags Linked To 8M Recalled Vehicles Used Unusual Chemical Explosive For Inflation
By 10.27.14
Takata, the Japanese/German auto-parts maker, that supplied airbags used in millions of recalled vehicles employed an unusual explosive chemical to inflate the safety devices, which may have contributed to the spraying of metal shrapnel at vehicle passengers. [More]
Evenflo Agrees To Recall 202,000 Rear-Facing Infant Car Seats Over Tricky Buckle
By 10.24.14
Earlier this year, both Graco and Evenflo recalled almost six million car seats, all told, due to a safety buckle that regulators said could be tricky to open in the case of an emergency, and hamper attempts to get kids out of the car safely. And now, despite pushing back against a recall for additional rear-facing infant seats that use the same buckle, but that the companies argued don’t pose the same risk, Evenflo says it’s agreed to recall 202,000 more car seats. [More]
NHTSA Urges Owners Of Vehicles With Defective Airbags To Get Them Fixed, Even Though No Parts Are Available
By 10.21.14
Federal safety regulators are asking millions of vehicle owners to immediately fix their defective airbags, but it may do little to actually remedy the problem. With more than 14 million cars equipped with faulty Takata airbags, car manufacturers say they don’t have enough replacement parts on hand, meaning consumers consumers will have to wait and decide for themselves whether they want to keep driving affected vehicles. [More]
Toyota Expands Defective Airbag Recall To 247,000 Additional Vehicles In High Humidity Areas
By 10.20.14
Just days after it was revealed that defective Takata-produced airbags had been linked to three deaths in the United States, Toyota Motor Corp. expanded its recall of vehicles that may employ the safety devices to include 247,000 additional cars. [More]
Honda To Audit Reporting Inaccuracies After Third Takata Airbag Death Linked To Company
By 10.17.14
Car manufacturers are required under law to report death and injury claims to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those figures allow the regulatory agency to identify potentially fatal and dangerous defects. New reports show that might not have been the case for Honda Motor Corp., whose vehicles have now been linked to three fatalities related to defective airbags. [More]
NHTSA Investigating Nearly One Million Ford Vehicles For Possible Power Steering Defect
By 10.7.14
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]
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]
Report Finds NHTSA Failed To Detect GM Ignition Switch Issue For Seven Years Despite Ample Information
By 9.16.14
By definition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is tasked with preventing crashes and achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety. Yet, according to a new House committee report, the agency failed for years to identify a safety issue in General Motors vehicles that eventually lead to 19 deaths, if not more. [More]
NHTSA Probes Ford Fiestas Because Car Doors Shouldn’t Magically Open While Driving
By 9.15.14
As a general rule of thumb I make sure to never drive with my door open: it’s not safe for me, my passengers or other drivers. But for some 60-odd drivers of Ford Fiestas, closing the door didn’t mean it would actually stay shut, and that issue opened the door (horrible pun) for a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation. [More]
NHTSA Launches Online Search Tool So Consumers Can Find Out For Themselves If A Vehicle Has Been Recalled
By 8.20.14
With more than 46 million vehicles having been recalled so far this year, the thought of accidentally purchasing a used car with safety defects might be a bit nerve-wracking for consumers. A new online search tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aims to take the worry and guess-work out of whether or not a used car has been recalled and fixed. [More]
Ford Recalls 83,000 Vehicles Because Losing Power Or Rolling Away Isn’t A Perk
By 8.15.14
Another day, another round of cars that might roll away even if they appear to be in the “park” position. This time Ford is recalling more than 83,000 vehicles because a faulty part could cause them to lose power to roll away. [More]
Hyundai Fined $17.35M For Failing To Issue Brake Recall For More Than A Year
By 8.8.14
If we’ve learned anything this year it’s that vehicle recalls are a big deal, and, as a car manufacturer, ignoring signs of a recall will most certainly land you in hot water with U.S. regulators. And so, Hyundai will pay more than $17 million for delaying a recall related to defective brakes. [More]
