General Motors has decided that a defect relating to airbag safety exists in certain 2014 Corvette sports cars. Owners will be issued notices with instructions to return to their dealership to have the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) replaced, free of charge. The GM recall number is 14219 and the NHTSA campaign number is 14V299. Continue reading
Category Archives: Automotive News
Rupturing Airbags Prompt NHTSA Investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that they will be opening an investigation into automobiles from five major automobile manufacturers for problems with airbags that could rupture and injure vehicle occupants. The announcement comes after six reports of air bag inflator ruptures occurring in areas that have consistently hot, humid conditions. The NHTSA has received notification from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota that they will be issuing limited regional recalls to repair possible safety defects involving these Takata brand air bag inflators. Continue reading
FTC Urged To Enforce Mandatory Recall Repairs On Used Vehicles
According to recent reports from the New York Times, a group of eleven consumer and safety organizations are petitioning the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate used car dealership, CarMax, for deceptive advertising practices. The group claims that the dealership is advertising their pre-owned vehicles as passing a rigorous 125 point quality inspection, but the inspection fails to carry out the basic step of checking to see if there are any unfixed safety recalls affecting the vehicle. Continue reading
Ignition Switch Problems For Buick, Cadillac, And Chevy Cars
General Motors continues to expand their recall for ignition switches that could unexpectedly shut of when the ignition key is bumped or when driving on rough road conditions. The problem has resulted in unexpected loss of engine power and can affect power steering, power braking, and airbag deployment. Until the problem can be fixed, drives are asked to remove all items from their key ring leaving only the vehicle key. Continue reading
Could Push Button Ignition Become Standard On Automobiles?
GM’s ignition switch problems have raised the question of whether push button ignition systems may be safer to use in automobiles than the standard keyed ignition. Key-less ignition systems have been used in luxury cars since the 1990’s, and most of today’s automobile manufacturers offer them as an option in approximately 72% of their vehicles sold today. Continue reading
The Right To Repair Act And Your California Lemon Law Rights
The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, are several bills introduced to the United States Congress last February. If passed, the bill would require automobile manufacturers to give independent repair shops access to the same repair information their approved repair shops have. The legislation hopes to give consumers a choice to pick a repair facility best suited to their particular needs.
It is important to note, however, that under the California Lemon Law, a vehicle owners must give a manufacturer authorized dealer a reasonable number of repair attempts before their vehicle can be considered a lemon. While, the Right to Repair Act will give consumers more choice of where to take their vehicles, it may also negatively affect their lemon law rights. Continue reading
California Bill Prohibits Sale Of Recalled Used Vehicles
Santa Barbara Senator, Hannah-Beth Jackson is proposing a bill that will prohibit automobile dealers from selling, leasing, renting, or loaning used cars that are under recall until the problem can be repaired. Federal law already prohibits new cars from being sold when they have known recall defects, but Jackson’s bill would extend the ban to prevent unsafe automobiles from getting into the hands of unaware used car buyers. According to a poll carried out by Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS), a key supporter of the bill, almost 90% of Californian voters support the legislation. Continue reading
GM Faces Fines For Ignition Switch Safety Problems
A record fine of $35 million U.S. will be paid out by GM after a government investigation into how GM handled the recall of 2.59 million vehicles over faulty ignition switches. GM’s agreement with regulators also includes significant changes into how the automobile manufacturer reviews safety problems and decides when to issue a recall.
- G.M. will be required to meet monthly with regulators and provide a list of every safety problem under consideration, as well as report on any new communications with their dealers.
- The company must also improve information sharing across its different units, make recall decisions more quickly and revise its analysis practices to improve the ability to identify safety issues.
