Issues

Millions of older cars, trucks with dangerous defects aren’t getting fixed

September 20, 2024

“The widespread practice of selling these dangerous vehicles without first fixing obvious and identified safety hazards unacceptably shifts the burden from manufacturers and used car sellers onto the party least equipped to address the danger – the consumer,” Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said in a statement. He described the outlook…

US investigating reports that some Jeep SUVs and pickups can catch fire after engines are turned off

September 9, 2024

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said it would be wise for owners of the Jeeps under investigation to park them outdoors until the matter is resolved because NHTSA is citing a risk of property damage. “If I owned one of these vehicles, I certainly wouldn’t want to park it…

Questions about the safety of Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ system are growing

August 28, 2024

Musk, who has acknowledged that his past predictions for the use of autonomous driving proved too optimistic, in 2019 promised a fleet of autonomous vehicles by the end of 2020. Five years later, many who follow the technology say they doubt it can work across the U.S. as promised. “It’s not even close, and it’s not…

Congresswoman Scanlon Introduces Bill to Prevent Pedestrian Accidents and Deaths

August 27, 2024

For Immediate Release: August 27, 2024 Contact: Carina Figliuzzi, [email protected] Congresswoman Scanlon Introduces Bill to Prevent Pedestrian Accidents and Deaths Over the past 15 years, pedestrian deaths caused by car accidents have risen by 80 percent. Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) introduced the Pedestrian Protection Act to address the rapid rise in…

How effective is the Hyundai, Kia anti-theft software? New study offers insights.

August 7, 2024

“It doesn’t appear to be a perfect software fix,” Michael Brooks told Arizona’s Family, a Phoenix television station, in May, telling the station that it’s unclear why certain cars were still susceptible to theft. “It could be thieves are finding other ways to steal these cars,” he told the station. “It could also be that sometimes consumers…

BMW recalls 394,000 older vehicles equipped with Takata air bags

July 11, 2024

“It’s a critical concern now, and in five years we’re going to have even more vehicles reaching the age where they are at a critical concern…. As long as these air bags are out there on the road, we are going to see tragedies happen.” – Michael Brooks, Executive Director of The Center for Auto…

Chevron takeaways: Supreme Court ruling removes frequently used tool from federal regulators

July 1, 2024

In the short term, the decision is likely to limit government actions on auto safety, making the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration second-guess itself about new regulations, said Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, a watchdog group. “It’s going to be harder for NHTSA to put forth rules that are…

New research shows more than 270,000 cars in Missouri and Illinois have potentially deadly Takata airbags: Is your car at risk?

June 28, 2024

Every day Ritchey is on the search for people who don’t even know they’re in danger. She drives for miles, hoping someone will answer. Now, it’s a race against time and the weather. The more time the inflator inside the airbag is exposed to humidity, the bigger the risk, according to Michael Brooks, spokesperson with…

A US toddler was trapped in a Tesla after its battery died without warning amid record heat waves – ‘safety comes last’ at Tesla, expert says

June 21, 2024

Michael Brooks, the executive director for nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, told Fortune that a toddler trapped in a car, in the Arizona heat, can become critically endangered in 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, many children die in hot cars. By Eva Roytburg June 21, 2024 A 20-month old girl in Arizona was recently locked inside a…

The heat inside your car can turn deadly in minutes this summer

June 21, 2024

Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group, said more than 215 new vehicle models already offer some type of warning system [for children left in rear seats]. But Fennell, of Kids and Car Safety, and Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said most of those innovations don’t go far enough. “The…