Issues
GM recalls nearly 900 vehicles with Takata air bag inflators, blames manufacturing problem
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said GM and NHTSA are leaving drivers to worry about what air bag inflators their vehicles have and whether they are safe to drive. “It’s kind of absurd that we’re left in the dark about what’s in our vehicles due to confidentiality provisions” granted…
Advocates Call On Congress to Put the Brakes On Reckless Autonomous Vehicle Rollouts
“It’s important to emphasize that future benefits of AVs remain speculative and have yet to be proven to us in any tangible form,” said Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Michael Brooks at a press conference Tuesday. By John Besche July 26, 2023 In advance of today’s congressional legislative hearing on robocar policy, safety advocates, academics,…
Some Kia owners question anti-theft software fix after cars were stolen following upgrade
Michael Brooks, with the Center for Auto Safety, says these solutions aren’t enough. He’s among those calling for the feds to take action. “Basically, they say there is a criminal act that has taken place that kind of lets Hyundai and Kia off the hook. We don’t agree with that,” Brooks said. By Susan Hogan,…
Woman’s recalled Jeep bursts into flames on Central Florida highway
“The consumer is basically forced to do their own risk assessment and analysis of the defect to determine whether or not they should be driving the car…” – Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety. By Jeff Deal and Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com ORLANDO, Fla. — A Jeep Gladiator suddenly burst into flames…
Center for Auto Safety Statement on lack of Forced Arbitration Prohibition in proposed AV legislation
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 Contact: Michael Brooks (202) 328-7700 [email protected] Center for Auto Safety Statement on lack of Forced Arbitration Prohibition in proposed AV legislation The Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce will take up the issue of autonomous vehicles in a July 26th hearing entitled “Self-Driving Vehicle…
‘It was horrible’: Spontaneous fire destroys Central Florida man’s Kia hybrid
The head of the Center For Auto Safety says vehicle fires are rare, but he isn’t surprised about the greater frequency of hybrid fires, given the combination of high-voltage batteries meshed with gas engines. “You’ve essentially got the fire risk of an electric vehicle and an internal combustion engine vehicle combined in some ways, so…
Three Top US Transportation Agencies Still Don’t Have Permanent Leaders
Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said finalization of new regulations has “slowed significantly” and investigations have dragged on with no resolution since the agency last had stable leadership in January 2017. By Alan Levin June 28, 2023 Three of the major US transportation safety agencies are without permanent leaders as…
Kia & Hyundai thefts on the rise despite a security fix
Michael Brooks with the Center for Auto Safety said the manufacturers’ fix falls short. “They’ve had the software fix out for a few months now and we’re continuing to see rashes of thefts spread from city to city,” Brooks noted. By Jackie Callaway June 20, 2023 St. Petersburg Police showed up at Michele Austin’s condo…
FEMA plans new fire tracking system armed with machine learning and biometrics
Another challenge is that only fire departments can access the NFIRS, blocking out other safety researchers from crucial data, said Michael Brooks, chief counsel for the Center for Auto Safety. By Rebecca Heilweil June 14, 2023 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has good reason to track fires across the country. Fires kill thousands of people and…
‘It’s kind of scary’: Some Jeep owners claim to experience violent wobbles at high speeds
Michael Brooks with the Center for Auto Safety told Deal they’ve received complaints about this wobble issue going back two decades and have seen a lot more in the last few years. Brooks said, “Sometimes these conditions are caused by some of the custom lifts and things that are put on vehicles, but the great…