The list of retailers removing hoverboards from their virtual store shelves after receiving a warning from federal safety regulators grew again today, with Amazon stopping the sale of the self-balancing scooters for the second time. [More]
safety
Target Stops Sale Of Hoverboards Amid Safety Concerns
By 2.23.16
More than two months after Target temporarily halted the sale of “hoverboards” over safety concerns, the retailer is at it again, removing the self-balancing scooters from its website. [More]
Takata Airbag Recall Could Expand To Cover 90M Units
By 2.22.16
The nation’s largest vehicle recall could soon be even bigger: federal safety regulators are currently discussing the possibility of expanding Takata’s shrapnel-shooting airbag recall to cover another 70 million to 90 million inflators. [More]
Toys ‘R’ Us Stops Selling Hoverboards Amid Safety Questions
By 2.22.16
Just days after federal safety regulators urged retailers and manufacturers to remove so-called hoverboards from their shelves if they don’t meet certain safety standards set by the Underwriters Laboratory, one of the country’s largest toy stores, Toys ‘R’ Us, did just that. [More]
Hoverboards That Don’t Comply With UL Safety Standards Now Considered Defective, Hazardous
By 2.19.16
Amid multiple reports of “hoverboard” batteries exploding or catching on fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined that the self-balancing scooters are not safe unless they meet certain standards. [More]
Uber To Pay $28.5M To Settle Allegations It Misled Customers On Safety Practices
By 2.12.16
Ride-hailing service Uber has agreed to pay $28.5 million to more than 25 million customers, and rename its so-called “safe ride fee” in order to settle a class-action lawsuit that the company misled consumers about its “industry leading” safety procedures. [More]
Mazda Recalls, Stops Sales Of CX-5 Vehicles Over Fuel Leak Concerns
By 2.1.16
If you’ve got a 2014-2016 Mazda CX-5 sitting in the driveway — or you were planning on buying one anytime soon — here’s some bad news for you. The carmaker has recalled and stopped the sale of more than 260,000 of these vehicles over fuel leak concerns. [More]
U.S. Customs Officials Seize More Than 16,000 Counterfeit Hoverboards In Chicago
By 1.28.16
The march against potentially unsafe hoverboards continued in Chicago this week, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials seized more than 16,000 motorized scooters bearing unauthorized trademark logos. [More]
New York City Bans Hoverboards On Buses, Trains
By 1.27.16
If you live in New York City and plan to ride the subway or hop on a city bus, you better leave your “hoverboard” at home. The state’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday that it is banning the self-balancing scooters from public transportation over fire safety concerns. [More]
Uber Uses Sensors In Drivers’ Phones To Track If They Are Speeding
By 1.26.16
If you complain to Uber about your driver taking you on a wildly circuitous route to your destination — thus resulting in a higher bill — you know the company can check that because you can see your car’s every turn being tracked in real time on the app. But Uber can also use the driver’s smartphone to see if they are driving recklessly. [More]
Britax Recalls 71,000 Car Seats For Fall Hazard, 49,000 Stroller Arms Over Choking Danger
By 1.21.16
When carrying precious cargo, you likely do everything in your power to make sure it doesn’t fall and break. Those precautions likely go double when that precious cargo is your child. To that end: Britax announced today that it would recall about 71,000 car seats equipped with handles that can break, leading the carriers to unexpectedly fall. [More]
Regulators Investigating 13 Hoverboard Companies, Amazon Announces Refunds For Scooter Owners
By 1.21.16
For nearly two months now, federal regulators have been working to get to the bottom of exploding hoverboards. This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced just which brands of self-balancing scooters they are investigating, while also offering a few safety tips for consumers who might already have one of the devices at home. [More]
Hoverboard Company Accused Of Putting Counterfeit Safety Marks On Products
By 1.18.16
While U.S. officials try to get to the bottom of exploding hoverboards, you might be wondering if the scooters are safe. It’s unclear, but one company that makes the scooters, which, as we all know by now, do not actually hover, is in hot water for allegedly peddling products bearing counterfeit safety marks. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Recalling 389K SUVs (Again) To Fix Wiring Issue That Can Lead To Sun Visors Catching Fire
By 1.15.16
In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Fiat Chrysler over Jeep and Dodge SUVs that were recalled in July 2014 for a wiring issue that could cause sun visors to burst into flame. NHTSA wanted to see how effective that recall remedy had been, after post-recall reports of problems continued. Chrysler is now recalling almost 389,000 SUVs in the U.S. for a second time for that same issue. [More]
Regulators Move To Ease Restrictions For Self-Driving Cars
By 1.14.16
With everyone from Google to Ford trying to get into the self-driving vehicle business, federal regulators say it may be time to ease up on some restrictions that the industry claims are slowing innovation in the relatively new field. [More]
Safety Board’s List Of “Most Wanted” Improvements Targets Distracted, Tired Drivers
By 1.13.16
When you hear the words “most wanted,” the first thing to come to mind is probably a list of (alleged) criminals being sought by the authorities. But when the National Transportation Safety Board releases a “most wanted” list it takes on an entirely different meaning: a list of the top 10 transportation safety improvements on the roster for the new year. [More]
Walmart Recalling 330,000 Electric Griddles That May Serve Up A Shock
By 1.13.16
You might shock yourself while cooking by how many ways you can figure out to melt cheese into and onto things, but you shouldn’t actually receive an electrical shock in the process. That’s Walmart’s cue to recall 330,000 electric griddles that could pose a shock hazard to home chefs. [More]
3 Shoppers Hurt After Party City Shelves Fall Like Dominoes
By 1.12.16
It’s something you see in movies all the time — something bumps the shelves in a store and down they go in series, like huge dominoes. Luckily, it doesn’t happen in real life because the outcome could be deadly. [More]
