Issues
Arizona fatal self-driving Uber accident was avoidable, investigators say
Police say the safety driver in the vehicle was distracted and appeared to be looking down, watching a television show on her phone moments before the accident. Click here to watch the full clip from NBC Nightly News.
Column: Why is the Senate giving more rights to driverless cars than people?
Today the U.S. Senate is holding a hearing on how driverless cars will impact the nation’s infrastructure. Last month the Senate held a confirmation hearing for Administrator of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Both are important topics, but a timelier hearing would investigate why the rush to get robot cars on the road is…
'West Wing' actress calls out Tesla after husband's car bursts into flames
Actress Mary McCormark called out Tesla in a post on Twitter Saturday showing frightening video of her husband’s car bursting into flames in Los Angeles traffic. McCormack, who starred on TV shows “The West Wing” and “In Plain Sight,” tweeted at the car manufacturer after her husband was forced to bail from his car on Santa Monica…
Number of Kia fires labeled as alarming by auto safety watch dog
TAMPA BAY, Fla. — A major automaker says it’s proud of its safety record, but the I-Team found dozens of fires in two models in recent years — figures that auto safety watchdogs call alarming. Thomas Clinard’s says his Kia Optima caught fire as he drove down Highway 19 in New Port Richey. Clinard fought…
Cars with recalls haven't only been sold by dealers. City- and state-run auctions have them too.
“I received a knock from two troopers,” Cherie Sharkey said. “They explained that there was a car accident with a fatality, and I lost it. Cherie’s son Michael was returning home from a fishing trip June 21, 2012 in the used 2006 Chevy Cobalt he’d purchased a week earlier. “The ignition switch recall,” Cherie said.…
GM and Tesla diverge on autonomous paths
DETROIT — Autopilot. The name connotes a futuristic vision, the automotive equivalent of soaring carefree through open skies. Contrast that with Super Cruise, which suggests an enhanced version of cruise control, relief from road-trip tedium, like a good audiobook. The two brand names reflect the diverging visions of autonomy that Tesla Inc. and General Motors…
Some Hyundia, Kia vehicles should be probed for noncrash fires, safety advocate says
WASHINGTON — The Center for Auto Safety has asked NHTSA to investigate certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles built in the U.S. for potential noncrash fire risk. The consumer safety group says 120 complaints of fires have been submitted to NHTSA along with 229 complaints of melted wires in the engine bay, smoke and burning odors.…
As Elon Musk promises ‘full self-driving,’ experts worry Tesla is ‘using consumers as guinea pigs’
Tesla’s cars will in August suddenly activate “full self-driving features,” the company’s chief executive Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday, three days after federal investigators said a Tesla SUV driving semi-autonomously had accelerated over 70 mph and smashed into a highway barrier. Musk’s promotion to his millions of followers — that the fantastic future of self-driving…
Consumer Groups Call For Investigation Into Tesla's 'Autopilot'
Click here to watch the full clip from KABC TV-7.
Woman escapes from Kia SUV engulfed in flames
It turns out that the car was under recall, but the owner claims that she never received a recall notice. Click here to watch the full clip from NBC Nightly News. Learn more about Kia and Hyundai non-crash fires.