Safety
Fully Defeatable Electronic Stability Control Targeted by European Safety Agency
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Electronic stability control systems save lives. That’s a fact. And as a result every vehicle now sold in the U.S. comes with a stability control system. But only a fraction of cars sold come with full defeatable ESC – the type that lets you shut off all the electronic nannies and hand the tail end…
Left Turn Assistant: BMW’s Latest Safety Innovation
Despite what you might be thinking, this story has nothing to do with BMW joining NASCAR. Instead, it’s the latest safety innovation by the Munich-based automaker, called Left Turn Assistant (LTA). Equipped in a 5 Series test vehicle it is designed to work at speeds of up to 6 mph, using three laser scanners in…
2011 Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon Pickups Recalled For Faulty Windshield Wipers
General Motors has announced the recall of 4,674 model year 2011 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups for faulty windshield wipers that may fail in cold weather conditions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has stated that the windshield wipers may become inoperative. The issue centers around potentially loose nuts on the wiper’s motor…
Feds Investigate Ford Freestyle For Unintended Lunging
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 170,000 2005 through 2007 model year Ford Freestyle’s after 18 crashes caused by “lunging.” No injuries have been attributed to the abnormal vehicle behavior, however. The Ford Freestyle abnormally lunges forward even when drivers didn’t have their feet on the gas pedal says the reports. Hitting the…
OnStar Launches Vehicle Compatibility Tool for ‘For My Vehicle’ Rearview Mirror
This gives uses the chance to enter in information regarding their vehicle, such as make, model and year to see if the FMV can be made to work withe their car or truck.
Feds Investigating Fuel Tank Problem On Ford F-150 Trucks
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a fuel tank problem that could affect more than 2.7 million Ford F1-50 pickup trucks. NHTSA claims that the steel straps holding up the gas tank in place can rust and break, possibly allowing fuel to spill and catch fire. The trucks with this issue include the…
2.7 Million Ford F-150 Trucks Under Investigation for Fuel Tank Issues
The heart of the investigation relates to the fact that the steel straps are essentially the only thing holding the tank to the frame of the truck.
856,000 GM SUVs Under Investigation For Faulty Fuel Gauges
Federal regulators are investigating 865,000 General Motors SUVs, including the 2005-’07 Chevrolet Trailblazer and Buick Rainier,for faulty fuel gauges that are inaccurate. The 2005-’06 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, the 2005-’07 GMC Envoy, the 2005-’06 GMC Envoy XL and the 2005-’07 Saab 9-7X are also affected vehicles being investigated. 668 complaints regarding the vehicles having defective fuel gauge readings…
Chevy Cruze Recalled for Steering Shaft Fix
General Motors is recalling nearly every one of its Chevy Cruze models built in North America to inspect the steering shaft to ensure it has been properly installed. GM’s second-best selling vehicle last month, a total of 154,000 Cruzes are affected. In addition, 120,000 of those with automatic transmissions will get an additional inspection to…
Honda Airbag Recall Expanded to Include an Additional 833,000 Vehicles
Honda’s recent airbag recall in North America is a growing problem for the auto maker. The recall, which affect 2001 to 2003 model Honda and Acura vehicles, is related to a faulty airbag module that might have been replaced by a defected service part, when the original driver’s airbag was changed. This latest recall notice…
Feds Probe GM SUVs for Faulty Fuel Gauges
Those findings registered over the weekend brings the total number of complaints so far to some 668 and NHTSA is investigating a whopping 865,000 vehicles regarding this problem.
NHTSA Investigating Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner For Shattering Glass
NHTSA is investigating the 2010-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner for a rear window that could potentially shatter. So far, the government agency has received 18 complaints regarding the rear window shattering when the tailgate is opened or closed. 200,000 Escape and Mariner vehicles will now be investigated, and Ford has issued a service bulletin regarding the…
Honda CR-V Under Investigation for Headlight Failures; Recall Possible
If you own a 2002 to 2004 Honda CR-V it could be the subject of a recall in the near future after federal safety regulators announced an investigation into headlight failures for those model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced an early investigation into almost 300,000 of the Honda soft-roaders after…
2011 Toyota Tundra Recalled For Driveshaft Issues
Toyota is voluntarily recalling 51,000 Tundra pick-up trucks regarding a defect that reportedly occurs in 0.05 percent of Tundras sold. A drive shaft component, known as the slip yoke, may have been casted incorrectly, leading to a possible part failure. Although no injuries or deaths have been reported, Toyota is notifying dealers to be on…
Nissan Pathfinder, Infiniti QX4 Recalled for Rust and Steering Problems
In fact, no fewer than 35 cases of severe rusting were reported and of those, 18 vehicles were suffering from steering problems as a result.
Toyota Vietnam Recalls 66,000 Cars Due To Whistleblower
Toyota‘s Vietnamese division has been left red-faced after obfuscating the seriousness of a recall for their export-market Innova minivan, with Toyota being forced to recall nearly 10 times as many vans as they initially claimed. Despite flaws the the braking system, wheel alignment bolts and the seats, Toyota claimed that only 8,830 cars would need…
Jeep Liberty Investigated By NHTSA Over Suspension Failures
NHTSA is investigating some 370,000 Jeep Liberty SUVs due to potential rust issues involving the lower control arms. NHTSA has recieved 9 complaints so far regarding rear control arm failure due to corrosion, with two of the incidents occurring at speeds greater than 50 mph. The Liberty has faced three previous recalls, in 2003 and 2006, totaling over 1 million…
Ford F-150 Recall Expanded to Include 1.2 Million Trucks
Ford has bowed to pressure from the government’s safety regulator, greatly expanding a previously issued recall for the F-150 pickup truck. In February Ford announced a recall for 144,000 of the vehicles, but now that number has climbed to 1.2 million, and includes 2004 to 2006 model year F-150s as well as a select few…
Toyota Corolla Under Investigation for Airbags that Fail to Deploy
Toyota is facing the potential for more recalls as the government’s safety agency has announced an investigation into the Corolla for airbags that failed to deploy. In total the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining 170,000 Corolla models after receiving a complaint from one driver who claimed the airbags in his 2008 Corolla did…
NHTSA Investigating Kia and Subaru Models For Safety Defects; Recall Possible
The Subaru Impreza and Kia Sorrento are currently under the scrutiny of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as the government agency is investigating the cars for serious defects. Approximately 50,000 Sorrentos from 2011 could lose power because of a transmission intermediate driveshaft that could fail, according to four complaints received by the feds. Five more…
2011 Chevrolet Cruze With Detached Steering Wheel Caught On Video
While we reported on the recall regarding the Chevrolet Cruze and its defective steering wheel issue, we didn’t realize just how severe the problem was until we saw video of the defect, and the very real consequences it could pose. A Youtube user uploaded a video of one of the vehicles, which shows the steering…
Keyless Ignitions Could Become Mandatory, Or Banned, Depending On NHTSAs Whims
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the possibility of making keyless ignitions a mandatory item for cars, as a means of providing drivers with a way to shut off the engine quickly in case of emergencies. NHTSA is also considering banning the devices altogether, and mandating the use of a physical key, since…
Chevrolet Cruze Recalled Due To Steering Defect
General Motors will recall 2,100 Chevrolet Cruze sedans after a steering wheel came loose from the car’s steering column recently. General Motors claims that no injuries resulted from the problem, and a bolt that was not properly installed was the culprit. “We made a mistake, but we’re confident that we’ve got it fixed,” said GM…
Ford Should Expand F-150 Recall NHTSA Boss Says
The agency in charge of vehicle safety is continuing to push for a more wide-spread recall of the Ford F-150 pickup truck, a sign that Ford has failed to appease the government body with its first recall notice. Back in February Ford announced a recall for 144,000 F-150 models from 2005-2006, although the National Highway…
