Issues
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…
Department of Transportation Inspector General Audit of NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
“NHTSA’s ODI has made progress promoting a safer transportation system for the traveling public by restructuring its office, modernizing its data repository and analysis systems, and enhancing its risk-based investigative processes to assess safety-related defects. However, ODI did not meet its timeliness goals for the five types of investigations we examined, and the Agency did…
US turns up pressure on air bag inflator company that refuses a recall despite deaths, injuries
The company, he said, would have a hard time arguing that no more problems will occur. “I don’t know that this is something that they can legitimately assert, that there’s never going to be another inflator rupture,” Michael Brooks said. “There’s a high likelihood of another rupture of this type. There may not be a…
Phantom vehicles: Drivers don’t realize their headlights and tail lights are off
So why does this seem to be happening more often? Experts say vehicle dashboard lights which are on both day and night in newer model cars may be partially to blame. “It gives you the perception your headlights are on with some luminescence,” explained Brooks. By Cynthia Gould May 29, 2023 So called ‘phantom vehicles’…
Hyundais, Kias remain easy targets as concerns grow over auto cybersecurity
“The whole thing is a tragedy. And it’s amazing that it could be could have been prevented by, you know, a tiny piece of equipment that didn’t cost that much,” said Michael Brooks, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety. By Andrew Kinsey May 25, 2023 Nearly three months ago, Hyundai and Kia…
‘It becomes a bomb’: Company refuses to issue recall over millions of exploding airbags
“So essentially, you have a canister where the pressurized gas has no way to escape and it becomes a bomb,” said Michael Brooks with the Center for Auto Safety. By Justin Gray May 22, 2023 Investigators say some airbags that are supposed to protect you in a crash are exploding and causing injuries instead. A…
ARC Airbag Inflator Recalls and Incidents
NHTSA Recall Request ARC Recall Request Refusal Recalls Subject: Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Rupture NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V189000 Dated received: March 17, 2017 BMW of North America, Inc. (BMW) is recalling certain 2017 X5 sDrive35i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive50i, X5 xDrive35d, and X5 xDrive40e vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag modules using…
More than 30 million US drivers don’t know if they’re at risk from a rare but dangerous airbag blast
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, called on NHTSA and the automakers to release a list of affected models. “Customers, I think, have a right to know if there’s a potential defect in their car, particularly if it’s sitting a few inches from their chest and can explode,” Brooks said.…