Safety
Forget Tire Chains, Try Tire Socks – Video
You can buy just about anything nowadays. Ralph Lauren sells dog sweaters embroidered with the Polo logo, chihuahuas dare not venture into the snow without their booties and now you can buy socks… for your car. Is this consumerism run amok? Maybe not, there’s a new safety product aiming to replace snow chains and it’s…
Toyota Fire Hazard Investigation Opened by NHTSA Involving 830,000 Units
There has been a trend of high profile NHTSA investigations recently, the most notable being Toyota‘s unintended acceleration and GM‘s Chevy Volt fire hazard. Although both cases have closed, NHTSA has announced a new case involving 830,000 Toyota vehicles for possible fire hazards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating a possible fire hazard…
Honda Faces Class Action Lawsuit, Broken Windows to Blame
A group of angry customers filed a class action lawsuit against Honda because they say the company manufactured and sold vehicles with defective window mechanisms. “The right passenger side window fell into the door of my 2002 Honda Odyssey LX in September 2011. It was a startling, loud sound that jolted me,” plaintiff Phyllis Grodzitsky of…
Nissan Invitation Concept Is a Better Versa: Geneva Motor Show Preview
Nissan announced today that it will be revealing a new B-segment concept car called the Invitation at next month’s Geneva Auto Show. The little car that slips between Nissan’s Micra and Juke vehicles in the European market is aimed to attain the company’s Pure Drive badge for efficiency with 100g/km CO2 emission. What isn’t clear…
2011 Toyota RAV4 Recalled For Airbag Failure
Toyota is recalling 427 2011 RAV4 models because the side-curtain airbags that might not deploy. According to the notice, a propellant with incorrect specifications was used in the airbag inflator. In certain instances that can cause one or both of the devices to fail. The vehicles included in the recall were made between November 24…
Volvo Celebrates 30 Years of the 760 GLE
Volvo has long been recognized for its boxiness and its Swedish sensibilities but it wasn’t always so. For February 2012, Volvo is celebrating the 30th birthday of the original 760 GLE sedan, the car that saved the Volvo Car Corporation. During 1975, automakers across the world were badly beaten by the effects of the oil…
Honda Ridgeline Recalled for Spare Tire/Tire Information Placard Mismatch
Honda has announced a recall in the United States for 206 Ridgeline trucks built from 2011 through 2012. This recall is to address a possible mismatch between the Ridgeline’s spare tire and the FMVSS mandated tire information placard installed on the vehicles’ driver-side doorjambs. Honda Ridgeline trucks sold in the United States are fitted with…
National Insurance Crime Bureau Introduces Special Mustang Theft Report
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB), a non-profit organization created by the insurance industry to address insurance-related crime, publishes an annual report called Hot Wheels to identify America’s 10 most stolen vehicles. This year, the NICB introduced a special issue called Hot Wheels Classics, which focuses on a specific model with historical significance. For its first Classics…
BMW X5 Recall Notice: SUV Can Roll-Away in Park
Kudos to BMW for owning up to its mistakes. Too often the news is full of scandals where car companies tried to cover catastrophes with foggy facts, but not the Bavarian luxury car king, no sir. Instead, we stumbled across a recall that BMW deserves a pat on the back for, despite having to laugh…
Lawsuit Demands NHTSA Disclose Records From Toyota Investigation
After almost a year since regulators closed Toyota’s unintended acceleration investigation, independent auto-safety firm Safety Research and Strategies announced Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed in federal court requesting for the government to release internal records of said investigation. According to Safety Research and Strategies, there is reason to believe that the National Highway…
Chevrolet puts Product Cycle Eco-Impact Labels on its Vehicles
Beginning with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, Chevrolet plans to apply eco-impact labels on all of its brand-new vehicles by 2013. As the first of any automaker to present its cars in this manner, Chevrolet’s Ecologic label allows customers to assess environmental impacts associated with any particular Chevrolet vehicle in all stages of its product life….
Safety Group Pushes for Jeep Grand Cherokee Recall as SUV Claims 14 More Lives
Calls for a recall of the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee have been redoubled after the release of a new report documenting the growing list of fatalities associated with the SUV. The report, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has added 14 more deaths to the SUVs total, resulting from fires…
BMW 5-Series Highly-Automated Driving Mode Road Test [Video]
A dizzying line of taillights that goes on for miles is enough to ruin anyone’s day. Pressure mounts in your temples and your skull feels like it’s going to crack. Welcome to the traffic jam migraine. Don’t worry though, the commuter’s burden will eventually be a thing of the past. If there’s one thing luxury cars…
Parents Push Teens To Drive Stick to Avoid Distracted Driving
Just when an earlier study suggested that teenagers today prefer owning smartphones and electronic devices over owning a car, a local study by news channel Sacramento News10 revealed that there is a resurgence of manual transmission automobiles for young drivers. Worried about teen drivers texting and driving, parents have started a trend of purchasing stick…
Infiniti JX Named to “Smartest Family Cars of 2012” List by Parenting Magazine
In Parenting Magazine‘s first “Genius” issue, a new magazine committed to helping parents find ways to best help their children unlock their “genius” potential, the all-new Infiniti JX SUV was chosen as one of the “Smartest Family Cars Of 2012.” Editorial Director for the Parenting Group Ana Connery said, “By recognizing today’s smartest cars, Parenting…
NHTSA Closes Chevy Volt Fire Probe
After an extensive two-month investigation into the Chevrolet Volt’s fire related incidents, the U.S. safety regulators of the National Transportation Safety Administration have announced that the case is closed. The conclusion: the Volt’s plug-in hybrid battery pack does not pose a significant fire risk following a crash. According to NHTSA’s statement, the organization “does not…
Kia Optima, Rondo Recalled for Airbag Issues
Kia says it will be notifying owners of the affected vehicles, suggesting to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer who replace the airbag clock spring assembly.
NHTSA To Take Crash-Assessment Testing High Tech
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering at length the changes that could be made to its 5-star crash-assessment testing. Rather than concentrate only on crash-worthiness, the NHTSA is looking into new technologies that put an emphasis on accident-avoidance. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says, “Crash-worthiness has been the guiding star for NHTSA. But…
NHTSA Closes Honda Accord Hybrid, Kia Sorento Investigations
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that investigations of the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Kia Sorento have both ended. The NHTSA first looked into Accord Hybrid models after initial investigations linked unintended acceleration to a fatal accident. After a thorough investigation, the agency found no evidence of defect within the Accord Hybrid. No…
U.S. Auto-safety Regulators Pleased By GM’s Cooperation in Volt Recall
Recently, Chevrolet Volt fire hazards resulting from compromised battery cells have been under particular scrutiny by the NHTSA. Addressing the issue, GM has been informing Volt owners to bring their vehicles back to dealerships where steel plates will be fitted to increase protection surrounding the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries. At an interview yesterday during the 2012 Detroit Auto…
GM Announces Chevy Volt Fire Fix
With no official recall on the books, General Motors is announcing enhanced safety features on its Chevrolet Volt extended range electric car to protect against possible fire concerns. The Volt made headlines of the wrong kind recently when it was revealed that last summer a test vehicle caught fire at a National Highway Transportation Safety…
Mitsubishi Evo Narrowly Avoids Pile Up on West Virginia Turnpike [Video]
Some cars handle better than others in snow and as high-performance beasts go, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII is certainly among the best. The Evo, as it is commonly called by enthusiasts, is a lot like the Subaru WRX STi. They’re both beefed up rally versions of their manufacturer’s humdrum sedans. Stiff suspension, power-a-plenty and…
Massachusetts Politician Involved In High Speed Crash Did Not Wear Seatbelt, Survives Without Injury
A state police report revealed Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray was involved in a high speed car accident that sent his state-issued Ford Crown Victoria careening into a ledge and flipping over after it had struck a rock ledge at 108 mph, according to crash data found in the black box of Murray’s vehicle. The…
Hyundai Hunts Big Three in Global Sales Race
2011 marked another year of success for South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia. Having capitalized on its Japanese rivals’ year of challenges, sales for Hyundai and Kia have climbed like a rocket. Final global sales numbers for 2011 are 4.05 million and 2.54 million for Hyundai and Kia respectively. Boasting an increase…
