“Your car is essentially turning into a computer and collecting data on you as you drive. And that data is worth something, particularly to your insurance company,” executive director of the Center for Auto Safety Michael Brooks said. By Justin Gray, WSB-TV March 29, 2024 When Temieka Clay shopped around for new car insurance she…

The Philadelphia Police Department is the only law enforcement agency Brooks has heard of requiring a waiver for wheel locks, devices that he said been “relatively effective” for decades at delaying or stopping car thefts. “What is [the police department] trying to protect themselves from?” said Brooks. “I’m having trouble envisioning a scenario in which…

“It’s something that I think Kia needs to get on top of now and immediately. And if they don’t, then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should,” said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of The Center for Auto Safety. By Action 9 News April 1, 2024 The owner of another Kia K5 has reported hearing an…

“No one is reading an owner’s manual while submerged,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. By Ryan Felton March 13, 2024 The death of a 50-year-old chief executive highlights a little-discussed reality of motor-vehicle safety: Approximately 400 people die annually in North America in a…

Brooks also partially blames the NHTSA for not mandating electronic immobilizers: “They played a pretty big role in the problem here by not forcing manufacturers to upgrade their vehicle security,” he said. By Cari Spencer March 11, 2024 Hannah Baker was told her car would be safer from theft. Following a nationwide surge in stolen…

The advocacy group The Center for Auto Safety said laws put the responsibility on consumers to do their own research on advisories and recalls before buying used. “The burden is definitely on the consumer, and it really pays to do your research on manufacturer service bulletins and communications with dealers, because you can find a…

Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said more vehicles should be reinspected. “I think Ford needs to go back and do a full audit to make sure no one has received a fake Takata repair, that they don’t miss anything,” Brooks said. “They need to find every vehicle that hasn’t received…

Brooks worries about exploding glass in a moving vehicle becoming a dangerous distraction, not to mention the possibility of stolen property if a window shatters while a car is parked. “A recall is an acknowledgment that you screwed up and you’re making it right with your customers,” Brooks says. By Stephanie Zimmermann February 20, 2024…

Michael Brooks, executive director at the consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety, noted the agency had identified steering rack part numbers, suggesting it was examining possible hardware defects. The high failure rates of the new models suggest that “there is a significant issue here,” Brooks said. By David Shepardson and Hyunjoo Jin February 2,…