Issues
Virginia Threatens to Remove Guardrails Unless Manufacturer Performs New Tests
10/14/14
Concern is mounting over the safety of guardrails sold by Trinity Industries, as yet another state has threatened to stop buying them, and will consider removing them.
Virginia, in a letter sent to the company on Friday, told Trinity that state transportation officials did not believe Trinity had properly tested the end of a guardrail it redesigned in 2005. Virginia officials also told Trinity, which is based in Dallas, that the company had made changes to the design without telling them.
Highway Guardrail May Be Deadly, States Say
10/24/14
Federal highway officials had long insisted that guardrails throughout the state were safe. But some guardrail heads had apparently malfunctioned, in essence turning the rails into spears when cars hit them and injuring people instead of cushioning the blow, Missouri officials said.
“The device is not always performing as it is designed and intended,” a Missouri transportation official wrote of the problematic rail heads in an internal communication.
DP09-005 Investigation Documents
Updated 5/5/15
U.S. Subpoenas Trinity Industries for Records on Guardrails
4/29/15
Trinity Industries has received a Justice Department subpoena seeking more than a decade’s worth of records on its guardrail products, the company disclosed late Wednesday.
The Justice Department is pursuing a criminal investigation into Trinity and its dealings with the Federal Highway Administration over the the company’s ET-Plus guardrail system, according to people familiar with the matter.
CAS FOIA’s on Strickland/Chrysler Emails
On June 3, 2013, NHTSA issued a recall request letter to Chrysler requesting a recall of the 2002–07 Jeep Liberty and 1993–04 Jeep Grand Cherokees for fuel tank fires. Six days later on June 9, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, and Chrysler-Fiat Chairman Sergio Marchionne held a secret meeting in an FAA office building near Chicago. On June 18, 2013, Chrysler agreed to perform a voluntary recall of the 2002-07 Liberty, and the 1993-98 Jeep Grand Cherokees, which excluded the 1999-2004 Grand Cherokees.
Father Describes Port of Los Angeles Crash That Killed Two Young Sons – 4/15/15
The father behind the wheel of the car that plunged into the water at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Thursday, killing his 8 and 13-year-old sons, called the crash “a really bad accident.”
Ali Elmezayan described the chain of events that led to the tragic crash, telling KTLA he stopped the car at Berth 73 so he, his wife, and two sons could take in the view.
“I try to park next to the ocean,” Elmezayan said. But he said the car “didn’t stop.” “I don’t know how this happened,” he said.
G.M. Deems Steering Issue Unworthy of Recall – 4/10/15
As awareness grew last year of General Motors’ failure to disclose a dangerous defect in millions of older cars, its executives had a clear message for the public: Safety was G.M.’s first priority.
By the end of the year, G.M. had recalled a record number of vehicles — 30 million in North America — and overhauled its safety practices.
But the company’s handling of a recent steering issue sheds new light on where G.M., and regulators, draw the line at what constitutes a safety issue worthy of a recall.
Takata Airbag Inflator Ruptures
Takata Airbag Inflator Ruptures