General Motors will be conducting a safety campaign for certain 2014 Buick Lacrosse and 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 17 inch front brake assemblies. According to reports, these vehicles may have been manufactured with front brake rotors that are too thin. Initial brake performance will will not be affected by the problem, however, higher heat generated in the rear pads will significantly shorten the brake pad life. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Automobile Safety
2014 Nissan Leaf Missing Structural Welds
Nissan is conducting a safety campaign on a small number of 2014 Nissan Leaf EV’s after a routine quality inspection found a vehicle that was missing several front member welds. Vehicles with several structure welds out of specification fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 208; Occupant Crash Protection, and FMVSS No. 305; Electric-powered vehicles: electrolyte spillage and electrical shock protection. Continue reading
2014 Hyundai Tucson Airbag Safety Problem
Certain 2011-2014 Hyundai Tucson vehicle may be affected by a manufacturing problem that could lead to the drivers side airbag inadvertently deploying or not deploy at all during an accident.
According to reports filed with the NHTSA, during assembly, it is possible that the bolts attaching the driver’s airbag module to the steering wheel assembly were not properly torqued. Over time, the bolts could loosen causing a rattling noise and could eventually detach from the steering wheel completely. There have been no reports of accidents or injury because of the problem. 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.
2014 Ford Escape Door Will Not Close?
Ford has identified a condition relating to safety in certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape SUV’s manufactured between October 2011 to April 2013. The automobile manufacturer will be asking approximately 581,986 vehicle owners to return to an approved repair facility to have the problem repaired free of charge. Continue reading
Are You Concerned About The Safety Of Your Automobile Tires?
Caring for your tires is essential in keeping you safe, saving you money, and reducing your vehicles environmental impact. Most newer vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system, but by the time the warning goes off, your tires are already significantly under inflated.
The above video is a great resource put out by the NHTSA during their TireWise campaign, as a way to help consumers make smart decisions when buying and maintaining tires. For more information, visit NHTSA’s TireWise website.
2008 Saturn Aura Transmission Shifting Problems
Owners of certain 2007-2008 Saturn Aura cars equipped with four speed automatic transmissions, will be contacted by General Motors about a problem that could lead to fractured transmission cables. The problem has already resulted in 28 crashes and four injuries in the past seven years. Continue reading
Is Your 2013 Nissan Pathfinder Leaking Transmission Fluid?
Owners of certain 2013 Nissan Pathfinder SUV’s, equipped with continuously variable transmissions (CVT), will be receiving notices from the automobile manufacturer regarding a problem that could result in the transmission to function improperly. Nissan began their investigation into the issue in September 2012 after a cooler hose separated from the radiator during a routine quality test drive. Continue reading