Issues
VW Must Face Up to a Sooty Little Problem with its Diesel Engines
By Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Auto Editor
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Volkswagen has a big decision coming up that could have a huge effect on how favorably American consumers see the German automaker and diesels.
To its credit, Volkswagen has been offering diesels in the United States for years. That has allowed driving enthusiasts to enjoy its entertaining 1.9-liter TDI four-cylinder while getting as much as 38 miles per gallon in the city and 46 mpg on the highway, according to the Environmental Protection Agency estimate.
Again, NHTSA Probes Sudden Acceleration – March 22, 2004
By Harry Stoffer
Automotive News / March 22, 2004
Ford Ordered to Test Cop Car Safety Add-On
March 17, 2004
BY JENNIFER DIXON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
An Illinois judge has ordered Ford Motor Co. to conduct a crash test on plastic trunk packs that were offered in Crown Victoria police cars to protect gas tanks from rupturing in high-impact rear crashes.
Consumer Groups Challenge the Use of Regional Safety Recalls
By CHERYL JENSEN
If two consumer groups prevail in their suit against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorists could feel more confident that safety defects possibly affecting their vehicles are not falling into a geographical black hole.
Pushing to Close Gaps in Compiling Vehicular Deaths
By Cindy Skrzycki
Tuesday, March 16, 2004; Page E01
Every year, awful things happen to children in cars that do not show up in a fatality database run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Kids die in power window accidents. They get locked into cars that heat up like ovens. They are backed over by unsuspecting adults.
Also missing from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, or FARS, in some instances, are deaths caused when vehicles on the side of the road are hit and burst into flames.
Regional Recalls by Manufacturer
AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.
NHTSA Recall No. 05V-385/Acura Recall No. P92
Vehicles: 2001-02 Acura MDX manufactured from August 2000 through December 2001.
Population: 22,861 sport utility vehicles sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and District of Columbia.
Consumers Sue Over Limited Car Recalls
By Christopher Jensen, Plain Dealer Auto Editor
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Two consumer groups sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Wednesday, claiming the public is endangered while automakers save money because the federal agency allows \"regional\" recalls of defective vehicles. In a regional recall an automaker is allowed to limit repairs to the region in which a problem is most likely to occur instead of repairing all vehicles nationwide.
Consumer Groups Sue Over Car Recall Limits
By DANNY HAKIM
March 11, 2004
Two consumer groups sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday over the practice of allowing automakers to limit car recalls to specific states.
Consumer Groups Challenge Regional Motor Vehicle Recalls
Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen Sue to End NHTSA’s Dangerous Practice
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen filed a lawsuit today that challenges the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) policy of allowing vehicle manufacturers to limit certain recalls of defective vehicles to select states.
Dallas plans to retrofit cop cars
March 5, 2004
BY SARAH A. WEBSTER
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
Ford Motor Co., which is being sued by dozens of cities and counties over the safety of its Crown Victoria police cars, said Thursday it will not pay for the fire suppression systems the City of Dallas plans to install on 775 of their police cars.