The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have opened an investigation into a May 7th fatal crash involving a Tesla electric car. At the time of the accident, it is believed that the “Autopilot” was controlling the vehicle while the driver was distracted. Witnessed say the driver of the car may have been watching a movie when the collision happened. Continue reading
Category Archives: Automotive News
Recall Rental Law Protects Drivers From Safety Defects
On December 4, 2015 President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94) into law. Although the federal act focuses primarily on maintaining infrastructure, a major provision within the regulations includes rules affecting automobile rental companies. The legislation was championed by the family of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, sisters who died in a rental vehicle that was under a safety recall that had not been repaired.
Beginning June 1, 2016, any company or dealer with fleets greater than 35 will be prohibited from renting vehicles with recalls until the problem has been fixed. Although the bill passed with the support of the rental car industry and the input of the American Car Rental Association, smaller independent companies question how the bill will affect their business. Often, automakers will announce a recall without a timeline for repairs or parts, leaving some fleets with cars parked for a potentially long time. Continue reading
Do You Think Your Vehicle Is A Lemon?
A brief description of the California Lemon Law
As a leader in consumer protection, California was one of the firsts states to enforce lemon laws. The California Lemon Law requires that a manufacturer who is unable to repair a vehicle to conform to the express warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, must replace or repurchase the vehicle. In many cases, the manufacturer will try to show that the criteria has not been met, and therefore, the buyer or lessee is not entitled to a replacement vehicle or refund. Continue reading
Takata Airbag Recall Expanded & Accelerated
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that they will be expanding and accelerating the recall of Takata air bag inflators. The decision comes after the NHTSA and an independent expert reviewed the findings of three independent investigations into the ruptures and concluded that a combination of time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contributed to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. The degradation caused the propellant to burn too quickly, rupturing the inflator module and sending shrapnel through the air bag and into the vehicle occupants. Continue reading
VW Emission Scandal Update
It’s been six months since Volkswagen admitted to modifying their diesel vehicles to pass emissions tests, but few details have emerged about how the problem will be corrected. A recent interim agreement between Federal authorities and Volkswagen could have the German automobile manufacturer buying back or repairing over 500,000 cars, but the details on how this will be done are still vague. Meanwhile, consumers have been left with unanswered questions. The problem does not pose a safety risk to drivers and vehicles will still pass inspection, but some owners living in California and states that enforce tough emissions rules, question whether the problem will affect their vehicle registration renewal. Continue reading
Rupturing Takata Airbag Claims Another Victim
A 17-year-old driver of a 2002 Honda Civic was killed last month after her Takata air bag ruptured during a rear-end crash. This is the 10th known U.S. death in addition to over 100 people that have been injured when their Takata airbags exploded with too much force. Continue reading
Does Your Vehicle Have A Safety Defect?
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was established in 1966 to give the Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) authority to issue and enforce vehicle safety standards. These standards set minimum performance requirements for those parts of the vehicle that affect its safe operation (brakes, tires, lighting) or that protect drivers and passengers from death or serious injury (air bags, safety belts, child restraints, energy absorbing steering columns, motorcycle helmets). Federal Standards are applicable to all vehicles and vehicle-related equipment manufactured or imported for sale in the United States and certified for use on public roads and highways. Continue reading
Takata Airbag Recall Affects Another 5 Million U.S. Vehicles
The NHTSA announced last week that an additional five million vehicles will be added to the Takata airbag recall, bringing the total number of vehicles affected in the United States to almost 19 million. The new list will affect automakers not previously included in the recall, including Volkswagen, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. The NHTSA have prioritized the replacement of the defective air bag inflators to ensure they are replaced quickly and addressing the highest risks first. Continue reading
