Issues
Why Teslas keep catching on fire
“Batteries are hopefully going to be getting better over time,” said Michael Brooks, from the Center for Auto Safety. New regulation could push battery safety even further, he added. By Rebecca Heilweil January 27, 2023 When Thayer Smith, a firefighter in Austin, Texas, received the call that a Tesla was on fire, he knew that…
Carmakers Have Another Screen in Their Sights: Your Windshield
“NHTSA has issued some visual-manual driver distraction guidelines that might apply to some of the augmented reality stuff as it pertains to the driver, but those are essentially recommendations with no force of law,” explains Michael Brooks, Executive Director for the Center for Auto Safety. By Liane Yvkoff January 23, 2023 Augmented reality in vehicles…
US ends probe into Ford SUV exhaust issues without a recall
The nonprofit Center for Auto Safety in Washington in 2018 had called on Ford to recall all of the Explorers due to the high number of complaints. On Monday, Executive Director Michael Brooks said it appears that Ford’s service campaign took care of the problem, but he questioned why it took NHTSA so long to…
Do-not-buy warning follows 4 year I-Team investigation into Hyundais, Kias bursting into flames
Brooks told the I-Team the auto safety watchdog had not issued a “do not buy” warning on any group of cars in the last 20 years. “I’ve never seen the magnitude that we’ve seen from these vehicles.” By Jackie Callaway January 13, 2022 TAMPA, Fla. — Christine McGuire-Wolfe’s experience echoes that of dozens of drivers…
Woman Died Trapped in Burning SUV After Vehicle Malfunction
Also, in 2014, the Center for Auto Safety, a pressure group representing car drivers, wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) urging them to recall Chrysler SUVs and vans from 2007 to 2014, because of concerns about the TIPM. The group wrote: “These owners remain at the mercy of a defect which many have likened to…
Safety Experts Worried About Electric Cars’ Weight
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, notes that the extreme power of today’s electric cars compounds the problem. “People are not trained to handle that type of acceleration. It’s just not something that drivers are used to doing,” Brooks told NPR. By Sean Tucker January 13, 2023 The 2023 Mazda MX-5…
Center for Auto Safety Warns Purchasers to Avoid Used Hyundai and Kia Vehicles Subject to Engine Failure and Possible Fires
Center for Auto Safety Warns Purchasers to Avoid Used Hyundai and Kia Vehicles Subject to Engine Failure and Possible Fires The Center for Auto Safety is urging consumers to avoid purchases of certain Hyundai and Kia models that continue to present major headaches for owners. 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata, 2013-2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, 2011-2013 Kia…
US official warns of risks posed by heavy electric vehicles
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said he, too, is concerned about the weight of EVs because buyers seem to be demanding a range of 300 or more miles per charge, requiring heavy batteries. Setting up a charging network to accommodate that may be a mistake from a safety perspective,…
Consumer Groups: Recalled Airbags Pose Greater Threat in 2023
By Suzanne Potter January 3, 2023 It’s a brand-new year, and consumer auto safety groups are hoping to avoid further deaths from faulty Takata air bags by raising awareness about the ongoing recall. More than 41 million vehicles from 34 brands, and from model years 2000 to 2018, are affected. Michael Brooks, executive director of…
US probing automated driving system use in 2 Tesla crashes
By Tom Krisher December 22, 2022 Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, a watchdog group, said it’s long past time for the agency to seek a recall. “The question is what’s the threshold number of injuries and deaths and cars driving stupidly that we have to see before NHTSA finds…