Issues
Federal Regulators Ratchet Up Probe of Ford Explorer Exhaust Complaints
by Christopher Jensen Over the last five years, auto safety regulators have received hundreds of complaints of exhaust fumes and carbon monoxide wafting into the cabins of Ford Explorers. Investigators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who began looking into the issue only last year, say they’ve uncovered no medical evidence that motorists have…
Driverless Vehicle Makers Get to Steer Own Safety Oversight
The U.S. Transportation Department unveiled a new policy that permits companies developing autonomous vehicles to self-police the technology’s safety, a move that drew plaudits from automakers but criticism from safety advocates. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the policy incorporates concerns raised by companies and others about initial guidance released by the Obama administration and will…
U.S. to Let Automakers Self-Police Self-Driving Car Development
The U.S. Transportation Department unveiled a new policy that permits companies developing autonomous vehicles to self-police the technology’s safety, a move that drew plaudits from automakers but criticism from safety advocates. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the policy incorporates concerns raised by companies and others about initial guidance released by the Obama administration and will…
Tesla Self-Driving System Faulted by Safety Agency in Crash
By NEAL E. BOUDETTE and BILL VLASIC SEPTEMBER 12, 2017
Driver Errors, Overreliance on Automation, Lack of Safeguards, Led to Fatal Tesla Crash
9/12/2017 WASHINGTON (Sept. 12, 2017) — The National Transportation Safety Board determined Tuesday that a truck driver’s failure to yield the right of way and a car driver’s inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation are the probable cause of the fatal May 7, 2016, crash near Williston, Florida. The NTSB also determined the operational design of…
Consumer Groups: Subaru Owners Deserve Transmission Recall Not Extended Warranty
By Christopher Jensen Consumer advocates from three groups say Subaru should be recalling models with a stalling problem instead of providing owners with an extended warranty on a troublesome continuously variable transmission. Stalling cars create “potentially dangerous situations for drivers,” said Jason Levine, the executive director of The Center for Auto Safety. “Why isn’t this…
Fatal Jeep Crash Renews Criticism of Recall Fix to Prevent Fires
A fatal accident this week involving a Jeep SUV has revived criticism from safety advocates that a federally sanctioned recall plan to keep the vehicle’s fuel tank from igniting in rear-end crashes didn’t go far enough to protect motorists. Vicki Hill, 58, of Elyria, Ohio, died early Monday morning after her 2007 Jeep Liberty was rear-ended.…
Recall: With 707 Horsepower It’s A Good Idea To Keep The Oil In The Engine
by Christopher Jensen It’s hard to imagine any good coming from the driver of a 707-horsepower vehicle not being able to see out the windshield. That accounts for the automaker recalling about 1,200 of its 2017 Dodge Challenger SRTs with the Hellcat V-8. The problem is a possible oil leak. A hose to the engine…
U.S. too slow to require rear seat belt warnings, lawsuit says
A new lawsuit accuses the U.S. government of being too slow to implement rules requiring that rear seat vehicle passengers be warned when they fail to buckle their seat belts. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, two nonprofits said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has done nothing to implement legislation signed in July…
At Center for Auto Safety, a New Leader for a New Era
Since 1970 the tiny Center for Auto Safety has wielded enormous influence through its campaigns to recall vehicles for safety-related defects and to push states to enact consumer protections such as lemon laws. But consumer advocates say the Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit is entering a new and perhaps more challenging environment under the Trump administration. And, for the…