A day before representatives from Japanese auto parts maker Takata are set to appear in front of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee to discuss the more than 34 million defective airbags linked to six deaths and more than a hundred injuries, the company announced it would stop using an often volatile chemical in its safety devices moving forward and call back some airbags replaced during earlier recalls. [More]
recall
BMW, Honda & Fiat Chrysler Identify Some Additional Vehicles Affected By Expanded Takata Recall
By 5.28.15
Automakers began identifying which of their models are affected by the recently expanded Takata airbag recall Thursday, with Fiat Chrysler, BMW and Honda adding hundreds of thousands of vehicles to their already overflowing roster of cars in need of replacement safety devices. [More]
Ford Recalls Nearly 445K Vehicles For Power Steering Failure, Fuel Leak Issues
By 5.27.15
Ford Motor Company issued two new recalls Wednesday covering nearly 445,000 vehicles after receiving numerous complaint and incident reports, including at least four accidents related to loss of power steering and high underbody temperatures. [More]
NHTSA Once Again Flexes Regulatory Muscle Over GM, Manufacturers Who Used Takata
By 5.22.15
Since taking the helm of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in January, Mark Rosekind has made his intention to hold automakers responsible for safety issues well known. This week, the agency continued tightening the reins by extending oversight requirements imposed on General Motors stemming from its ignition switch defect and invoking its legal authority to speed up the recall process related to millions of vehicles recalled for Takata airbag defects. [More]
Takata Beefing Up Replacement Airbag Production, Again
By 5.20.15
Just as federal regulators caution that it could take years before the nearly 34 million recalled vehicles equipped with Takata airbags that can spew shrapnel upon deployment are replaced, the Japanese auto parts maker says it expects to speed up its output of replacement parts by year’s end. [More]
Man Sues Blue Bell Claiming He Contracted Listeria-Induced Meningitis After Eating Contaminated Ice Cream
By 5.20.15
Investigator are still working to determine what caused the current Blue Bell Creameries listeria outbreak that has been linked to three deaths and at least 10 illness in four states dating back at least five years. But that hasn’t stopped a former Texas man from filing a lawsuit against the company alleging that he contracted listeria-related meningitis after eating the company’s products two years ago. [More]
NHTSA Says It Could Take Days Or Weeks Before All Takata Recalled Vehicles Are Identified
By 5.20.15
Japanese auto parts maker Takata finally buckled under pressure from federal regulators Tuesday, declaring that nearly 33.8 million vehicles sold in the United State come equipped with airbags that can spew pieces of shrapnel upon deployment. While about 17 million of those vehicles had already been part of recalls by major automakers, millions of others have yet to be identified, leaving consumers wondering if they’re driving around with what some people have likened to an explosive device in their steering wheel. [More]
NHTSA Investigating Nissan Vehicle Issue That Can Result In Blown Tires, Brake Failure
By 5.19.15
Suffering a tire blowout while driving down the highway is never a welcome experience, but imagine if you found out that the tire blew, not because of debris on the roadway, but as a result of a manufacturing defect with your vehicle? It’s for that reason more than 130,000 Nissan Versa vehicles are now under investigation by federal regulators. [More]
NHTSA Probing Fiat Chrysler’s Response To At Least 20 Safety Recalls, Schedules July 2 Public Hearing
By 5.18.15
Federal regulators are once again expressing their displeasure with Fiat Chrysler’s slow-moving response to fixing millions of Jeeps that can explode following low-speed rear-end collisions. Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it plans to take the car manufacturer to task not only for its leisurely pace on the Jeep recalls, but for nearly 20 other safety recalls. [More]
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream To Reopen Scoop Shops After Listeria Contamination
By 5.15.15
A week after Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream announced it had pinpointed the source of the listeria contamination that led to the Ohio-based company recalling all of its products and closing its boutique stores, the treats maker has restored production –– just in time for summer. [More]
Blue Bell Lovers Turn To Craigslist For Exceedingly Expensive Pre-Owned Treats
By 5.14.15
With local grocery stores’ freezer shelves still void of any Blue Bell Creameries products and no timeline for when they might return, those with a serious love of the ice cream brand are turning to a black market of sorts to get their fix. [More]
GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Reaches 100
By 5.11.15
Nearly four months after General Motors’ victim compensation fund stopped accepting death and injury claims related to its massive ignition switch issue, the number of people killed because of the long-ignored defect continues to climb, now officially reaching triple-digits. [More]
Jeni’s Splendid Pinpoints Source Of Listeria Contamination That Led To The Recall Of All Products
By 5.7.15
The source of a listeria contamination that resulted in an Ohio-based ice cream maker recalling all of its products and temporarily closing its boutique stores has been traced to just one machine in the company’s production facility. [More]
Ford Expands Door Latch Recall To Include 156,000 Additional Fiesta, Fusion & Lincoln Vehicles
By 5.1.15
Less than a week after Ford finally issued a recall for nearly 400,000 vehicles that may contain malfunctioning door latches, the car manufacturer is adding another 156,000 of the same vehicles to the recall roster. [More]
Ford Issues Four Recalls Covering Nearly 600,000 Vehicles
By 4.29.15
Just days after Ford bit the bullet and recalled nearly 400,000 vehicles under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a door latch issue, the automaker is at it again, issuing four recalls covering nearly 600,000 vehicles with an array of potential problems. [More]
Regulators Gearing Up To Take Action On Slow-Moving Takata, Jeep Recall Fixes
By 4.29.15
After months of expressing concern over the slow-moving pace automobile and parts manufacturers have taken to remedy defects associated with nearly 1.5 million Jeeps that can explode following low-speed rear-end collisions and more than 25 million vehicles equipped with defective, shrapnel-shooting airbags, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is poised to take aggressive action to better ensure the safety of owners of those vehicles. [More]
Takata Airbag Defect Now Linked To 105 Injuries, Six Deaths
By 4.27.15
The number of injuries and deaths associated with Takata-produced airbags that have been found to spew pieces of shrapnel at passengers and drivers upon deployment increased once again, now totaling 105 injuries and six deaths, according to data received from the parts manufacturer. [More]
Ford Recalls 400,000 Vehicles Under Investigation By NHTSA For Door Latch Issues
By 4.27.15
Nearly seven months after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first opened an investigation into thousands of Ford vehicles that may contain malfunctioning door latches, the car manufacturer has issued a recall of nearly 400,000 sedans. [More]
