Issues
Fuel tank probe rekindles old issue
The placement of fuel tanks on passenger vehicles has changed over the past three decades, and for good reason.
Automakers gradually have repositioned the tank to an area in front of the rear axle, generally below the rear passenger seat. Statistically speaking, the tank in that location is less vulnerable in a high-speed, rear-end crash than in the previous location — between the rear bumper and axle.
Fiery crashes of the Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat in the 1970s prompted automakers to rethink how to protect the gasoline tank.
Toyota Is Recalling 1.1 Million Corollas and Matrixes for Stalling Problem
Toyota said on Thursday that it was recalling about 1.1 million 2005–8 Corollas and Matrixes as well as well as almost 162,000 Pontiac Vibes to fix a stalling problem. The Vibe is a mechanical sibling of the Matrix.
The announcement comes four days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was intensifying its investigation of the issue.
Grand Cherokee Is Investigated for Gas Tank Danger
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday it would grant a consumer group’s request to investigate whether an estimated three million Jeep Grand Cherokees had gas tanks that were too vulnerable to fires after a rear impact.
The petition to investigate the 1993–2004 Jeeps was made last October by the Center for Auto Safety, which says the gas-tank design is defective.
Lawsuit Leads to Debate on Recalled Rental Cars
Two consumer safety groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to order Enterprise Rent-A-Car to start fixing every vehicle with a safety recall before renting them to consumers. The groups say the request highlights the lack of a requirement that rental companies must fix recalled vehicles before renting them.
The request comes about three months after Enterprise admitted in a California court that its failure to fix a Chrysler PT Cruiser was responsible for the deaths of two California women when it caught fire and crashed.
FTC Rental Car Recall Repair Petition
Immediate Release: August 9, 2010
Two auto safety advocacy groups, joined by the mother of two girls killed in the crash of a defective vehicle knowingly rented to them by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, today petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to take action to stop Enterprise and its owner company from renting out recalled but unrepaired vehicles to customers.
FTC urged to bar Enterprise from renting out recalled autos that need fixing
Two auto safety advocacy groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to prohibit Enterprise Holdings Inc., the owner of the Enterprise, National and Alamo rental car companies, from renting out recalled vehicles that have not been fixed.
Enterprise’s Handling of Recalled Autos Targeted in Group’s FTC Petition
Enterprise Holdings Inc., the largest U.S. rental-car company, lets autos under federal safety recalls be rented before repairs, consumer advocates said in a petition asking the Federal Trade Commission to bar the practice.