Issues
Vehicle not part of nationwide recall bursts into flames while being driven
“That tow hitch recall is one of many ways a fire can start in a vehicle,” said Michael Brooks, the executive director for The Center for Auto Safety. “All they can do is rely on Kia to be honest with the process.” By Jeremy Finley February 13, 2023 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Dan Beasley will…
Autonomous Trucks? California Says No
Michael Brooks, executive director at the Center for Auto Safety, sides with the legislators. “At this point, we would recommend a trained safety driver in every autonomous vehicle on the road,” he told U.S. News. “They’re not yet where we’d like them to be on safety.” By Jim Motavalli February 1, 2023 On January 27, the…
DOJ requests Tesla automated driving documents
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the Justice Department could be looking at safety issues with the systems, or it could be investigating Tesla claims that the cars can drive themselves when they can’t. By Tom Krisher and Michelle Chapman, Associated Press January 31, 2023 The U.S. Justice Department…
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…