Automakers have struggled in recent months to get their hands on enough new parts to replace millions of defective Takata airbags. To make matters worse, the Japanese auto parts maker at the center of the massive safety issue has re-recalled hundreds of thousands of replacement parts in recent months because the devices could still harm drivers and their passengers upon deployment. To reduce these risks, Toyota is reportedly looking to purchase millions of new airbag inflators from a rival of Takata. [More]
recall
Senators Call For Recall Of All Vehicles With Takata Airbags
By 8.20.15
Because it could take some time for federal investigators to determine the cause of a ruptured Takata airbag in a Volkswagen — a carmaker that hadn’t been part of any earlier exploding, shrapnel-shooting airbag recalls — some lawmakers are calling for a recall of all vehicles equipped with airbags made by Takata. [More]
Exploding Airbag In Volkswagen Under Investigation
By 8.18.15
For the past year, federal regulators have been investigating shrapnel-shooting airbags, linked to at least eight deaths and hundreds of injuries. These devices, made by Takata, are used by 11 different automakers, but until this week, Volkswagen had not been part of the investigation. [More]
More Recalls Under A More Watchful Eye Is The “New Normal” For Auto Regulators
By 8.17.15
Back in January, newly appointed chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mark Rosekind predicted that 2015 could see even more recalls than the recallapalooza that was 2014.While, the 32.4 million cars recalled in the first eight months of the year still pales in comparison to the more than 63 million called back last year, Rosekind wasn’t completely off on his forecast – namely that the agency would take a less forgiving approach to possible safety defects. [More]
Volkswagen Recalls 420,000 Vehicles Over Non-Deployment Of Airbags
By 8.14.15
Automakers have recalled more vehicles for airbag issues in the last year than many of us can keep track of. Today, Volkswagen joined the long list, calling back some 420,000 sedans equipped with airbags that may not deploy. [More]
Britax Recalls 213,000 Car Seats Because They Might Not Secure The Child
By 8.14.15
Britax Child Safety Inc. initiated a recall this week of more than 213,000 car seats after finding buttons on the safety devices could fail, leaving a child essentially unsecured. [More]
Takata Plans To Launch Airbag Recall Notification Campaign
By 8.12.15
Three months after Japanese auto parts maker Takata bowed to regulatory pressure and recalled 33.8 million vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting airbags responsible for at least eight deaths and hundreds of injuries, the company is launching an awareness campaign to ensure owners of affected vehicles are aware of the massive recall. [More]
Angry Orchard Recalls Hard Cider Because Beer Bottles Aren’t Supposed To Break When You Open Them
By 8.6.15
After a hard day’s work, what’s better than coming home to a nice cold bottle of hard apple cider (or some people might think, anyway). You know what’s not nice? When that bottle breaks or overflows upon opening. For that reason, Angry Orchard Cider Co. has recalled select cases of its adult beverages. [More]
At Least 124 People Died Because Of General Motors Ignition Defect
By 8.4.15
One year after General Motors’ victim compensation fund began accepting death and injury claims related to its massive ignition switch issue and six months after the submission deadline, the carmaker announced it had completed its review. Now, instead of acknowledging just 13 deaths tied to the deadly defect, the car manufacture is admitting that 124 deaths – nearly 10 times the original tally – resulted from its failure to address the problematic switches in more than 2.59 millions of vehicles. [More]
Regulators Investigating Harman Kardon After Remote Hack Of Jeep
By 8.3.15
UPDATE: A day after regulators announced they had opened an investigation into Harman Kardon to determine if vehicles – other than the recently recalled 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler models – equipped with certain infotainment systems were susceptible to remote hacks, the company assured investigators and consumers that the previously reported hack was an isolated incident. [More]
320K Dodge Chargers Recalled Because Airbags Shouldn’t Deploy When The Door Shuts
By 8.3.15
For the past year, car makers have been plagued with airbag issues of some kind. Over the weekend Fiat Chrysler announced it was the latest company to encounter problems with the safety devices: unintended deployment when shutting a vehicle’s doors. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Loses Bid For New Trial In Wrongful Death Case Involving Jeep Fire
By 7.29.15
Fiat Chrysler’s woes related to millions of Jeeps that could catch fire after being rear-ended continued today as a judge rejected the company’s request for a new a trial in the wrongful death case of a four-year-old boy. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Receives Record $105 Million Fine For Failure To Address 23 Recalls
By 7.27.15
For the second time this year, federal regulators have handed down a record-setting fine to an automaker for failing to properly report and investigate possible defects. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration levied a $105 million fine against Fiat Chrysler, following months of investigations into the car maker’s leisurely pace in fixing more than 11 million vehicles connected to 23 safety recalls. [More]
Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Recalled Tuna Sickens 62 People In 11 States
By 7.24.15
At least 62 people in 11 states have become infected in the year’s latest Salmonella outbreak, this one concerning recently recalled frozen raw tuna widely used by restaurants and grocery stores serving sushi. [More]
Ferrari Latest Automaker To Recall Vehicles For Possible Airbag Defect
By 7.20.15
While 11 automakers have already recalled millions of vehicles equipped with potentially deadly Takata-produced airbags, a twelfth car manufacturer announced it would also recall thousands of cars with safety devices supplied by the Japanese auto parts maker, although for a different, but still dangerous, reason. [More]
Cribs Recalled After Reports That Brackets Can Break, Trapping Or Injuring Infants
By 7.16.15
All recalls are important to take note of, but those related to the safety of products used specifically for the youngest consumers – babies – are often of the utmost importance. And while a recent recall for Bexco is relatively small, because there’s a risk of entrapment of infants the issue falls into the “take note” category. [More]
GM’s Colorado, Canyon Trucks Reportedly At Risk For Same Fire Issues As Recalled Hummers
By 7.15.15
Following reports yesterday that General Motors knew that hundreds of thousands of Hummer vehicles were prone to fires because of potential electrical shorts before recalling the vehicles under the threat of an investigation by regulators, it now appears that two other models produced by the car maker may have the same issues, yet they remain on the road. [More]
Report: GM Threatened With Regulatory Investigation Before Issuing Recall For Fire-Prone Hummers
By 7.14.15
Last week, General Motors announced that it would recall nearly 196,000 Hummer vehicles because simply turning on the heating or cooling system could set the car ablaze. While we reported that federal regulators had received nearly two dozen consumer complaints about the issue over the past seven years, a new report finds that the real number of reported incidents is much higher, and that GM may have continued to put off issuing the recall had it not been for threats of an investigation. [More]
