More than 300,000 BMW owners will soon be eligible to claim their portion of a $478 million settlement over allegations that a design defect resulted in water damage to electrical components in vehicles’ trunks. [More]
national highway traffic safety administration
Nissan Recalls Altimas, Because Rolling Down The Window Shouldn’t Open The Door
By 2.7.17 — Updated: 2.8.17
We’re all used to the idea of pressing a button to roll down your car window. What we’re not used to — because it would be insanely dangerous — is pressing the window button and having the door open instead. [More]
600,000 Audi Vehicles Recalled Over Fire Hazard, Airbag Issues
By 1.30.17
Audi’s parent company Volkswagen is kicking off the week in style, announcing two separate recalls — one involving a potential fire risk, the other for faulty airbags — covering a total of nearly 600,000 vehicles. [More]
Investigation Finds Tesla’s Autopilot Functioned Properly In Fatal Crash
By 1.19.17
As expected, federal safety regulators closed a months-long investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot feature after the fatal crash occurred when the semi-autonomous driving feature was activated, finding that the collision was not the result of a defect in the feature. [More]
Feds Set To Close Investigation Into Fatal Tesla Autopilot Incident Without Recall
By 1.19.17 — Updated: 1.20.17
UPDATE: NHTSA has indeed closed its investigation into this collision and found that the driver was at fault. Click here for more details. [More]
3 Takata Execs Face Criminal Charges Over Handling Of Deadly Airbag Defect
By 1.13.17
For the second time in one week federal authorities have taken the rare step of bringing criminal charges against auto industry executives for alleged wrongdoing. Today, the Justice Department announced criminal indictments against a trio of execs at auto parts maker Takata for their involvement with the shrapnel-shooting airbags that have been linked to at least 11 deaths. [More]
Toyota Adds 544K Vehicles To Takata Airbag Recall
By 1.13.17
With Takata’s supposed $1 billion criminal settlement looming, another automaker announced plans to expand the number of its vehicles affected by the massive shrapnel-shooting airbag defect: Toyota will add 543,000 cars to the recall list. [More]
Guilty Plea, $1 Billion Penalty Expected In Deadly Takata Airbag Debacle
By 1.12.17
When it rains criminal settlements it apparently pours: auto parts maker Takata will reportedly plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing in the handling of its years-long shrapnel-shooting airbag defect debacle by the end of the week. [More]
Ford Adds 816K Vehicles To Takata Airbag Recall List
By 1.12.17
After what seemed like months with no additional vehicles being added to the ongoing shrapnel-shooting Takata airbag recall, we now have two in two days. The most recent coming from Ford, which added 816,000 vehicles to the list. [More]
Honda Adds 772K Vehicles To Takata Airbag Recall
By 1.11.17 — Updated: 1.16.17
Just when it seemed like carmakers had run out of vehicles to recall related to the deadly Takata airbag defect, more are added to the list: 772,000 Honda and Acura vehicles. [More]
Honda Recalls 650K Minivans Over Concerns About Second-Row Seats
By 12.29.16
If you’re ever in a car crash, you don’t want your seat sliding around in its tracks. Which is why Honda is recalling nearly 650,000 minivans with second-row seats that can come unlocked and move around after a collision. [More]
Braking Failures In Older Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan Vehicles Under Investigation
By 12.27.16
When driving in certain weather situations — like a snowstorm or when it’s raining — it’s important to leave enough room between you and other vehicles to lessen the chance of an accident. But that space may not be enough when it comes to nearly 475,000 Ford and Mercury vehicles now under investigation for brake failure. [More]
Smart Cars Under Investigation After 8 Reports Of Engine Fires
By 12.21.16
There are a lot of things you don’t want to happen to your car, but having it go up in flames for no apparent reason is likely close to the top of the list. Yet, that’s apparently occurred to eight Smart vehicles in the last two years. [More]
Regulators Investigating 1M Dodge Trucks, SUVs Linked To Rollaway Incidents
By 12.20.16
Six months after confusing gear shifters made headlines following the death of Star Trek Actor Anton Yelchin, federal regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into one million Dodge trucks and SUVs with similar shifters after receiving more than 40 complaints the vehicles have rolled away after drivers put them in the “Park” position. [More]
Proposed Safety Rule Would Require Cars Be Able To “Talk” To Each Other
By 12.13.16
The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed a new rule that would mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) on all new cars, saying the technology has enormous potential to reduce crashes and possibly save lives. [More]
Regulators Speeding Up Takata Recall, Update List Of Affected Vehicles
By 12.9.16
When federal regulators took over the messy Takata airbag recall in May 2015, they provided a timeline in which carmakers were to have shrapnel-shooting safety devices replaced. With more than 42 million vehicles having potentially dangerous airbags in their dashboards and steering wheels, the campaign was bound to take some time. But it’s not progressing enough, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as it moves to speed up the process by providing a replacement schedule and more complete list of affected vehicles. [More]
Ford Recalls 680K Vehicles Because Seatbelts Are Supposed To Work
By 12.2.16
Seatbelts, they can save lives in the event of a crash. However, in order for that to be a possibility, the devices have to actually work, and that apparently isn’t a certainty in more than 680,000 vehicles being recalled by Ford. [More]
Hacker’s Company Handing Out Code That Can Turn Any Car Into A Self-Driving Vehicle
By 12.1.16
Does making a product free mean you don’t have to answer to authorities who might come knocking later? One experienced hacker seems to think his startup can avoid liability while giving away code for a software kit to convert cars into self-driving vehicles. [More]
