California Lemon Law blog – Page 74 – A blog by the Law Office of Edzant Price LLP

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have upgraded an investigation into exploding airbag inflators made by ARC Automotive Incorporated after a Canadian woman was killed during a low speed accident. According to a spokesman for Transport Canada, the woman may have survived the accident had she not suffered shrapnel injuries. The NHTSA began looking at ARC airbags last year after reports that an Ohio woman was seriously injured by a rupturing airbag when her 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan crashed. Investigators say another injury involving a 2004 Kia Optima also had an ARC inflator installed from the same factory.

The NHTSA are focusing on airbags made between 2000 and September 2004, but do not believe that humidity is the cause of the problem. The probe into the ARC inflators is similar to the Takata issue which resulted in 69 million Takata airbags recalled in the U.S.

View the full details of the NHTSA ARC Airbag Investigation HERE.

After leasing a 2013 Fiat 500 Electric vehicle in February 2014, the owner found herself returning to an FCA dealership in September 2014 for repairs. She subsequently provided FCA four (4) more opportunities to fix problems, which kept her vehicle out of service for more than 67 days. When she contacted the Law Offices of Delsack & Associates P.C. she told us she was having problems with the:

Power Inverter Module (PIM)
ABS system
Regenerative Braking Controller (RBC)
Body Control Module (BCM)
On Board Charging Module (OBCM)
Propulsion Warning System

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General Motors has decided that defects relating to vehicle safety exists in certain 2011 Buick Regal and 2016-2017 Buick Envision vehicles.

The first problem affects certain 2011 Regal cars equipped with 8 way power adjustable front seats. The wiring harness for the seats could chafe against the seat frame and cause an electrical short. The problem could result in an inability to adjust the seats, flickering lights on the instrument panel, sparking or smoke from under the seat, and possibly a fire. Dealers will inspect and secure the wiring harness and repair chafed wires as necessary. GM’s number for this recall is 30710 and the NHTSA campaign number is 16V-517.

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A small number of 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder owners will be contacted by the manufacturer, regarding a problem affecting the seat belts in their vehicles. During servicing that requires the removal of the seat belt mount and/or the seat belt reel, the one-time-use mounting screws may have been reinstalled instead to being replaced with new ones and/or it is possible that the screws may have been installed in the wrong location. In the event of a crash, the incorrect bolts may not keep the seat belts properly anchored to the car. Continue reading →

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Volkswagen are continuing talks on how to repair VW, Audi, and Porsche 3.0L diesel engines for cheating on emissions tests, after California regulators reject VW’s most recent recall proposal. In a letter to Volkswagen, CARB listed the failures of the proposed solution, saying that the company failed to provide a full description of the defeat devices, the impact the fix would have on vehicle performance and emissions, or even a description of the fix that would allow CARB to evaluate its feasibility.

The announcement is a setback for the automaker who believed that the 3.0-liter TDI models sold by Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen would only require a software update. If the manufacturer is unable to come up with a satisfactory fix, they could be forced into buying back almost 85,000 vehicles. VW also continues to face lawsuits by investors and dealerships in the U.S., as well as from consumer in Germany.

General Motors will be asking the owners of certain Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles to return to their dealerships to repair an electrical problem affecting the power train system. The ignition systems in these vehicles may contain a damaged electronic park lock lever that could allow the ignition key to be removed when the transmission shows it is in “Park”. The vehicle could unexpectedly roll away, potentially causing an accident. Continue reading →

New data affecting defective Takata air bag inflators in certain 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles, has found a high risk of ruptures during air bag deployment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are asking the media and public to ensure that vehicles in this population are found and fixed before they cause injuries or fatalities. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, there is a 50% higher chance that these air bag inflators could rupture in a crash. Owners should stop driving their vehicles and have the airbags replace immediately. Continue reading →

The owner of a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze contacted our law offices, looking for advice about his vehicle. He complained to his GMC dealership many times about the problems and had four (4) unsuccessful repair attempts which kept his car out of service for over 42 days. In addition to recalls affecting airbags, brakes, the fuel system, and engine cooling, he experienced water pump failures, loss of engine power with high rpm’s, a defective turbo assembly, a check engine light that remains on, a defective camshaft actuator, and an oil pan gasket that leaks. Continue reading →

Another NHTSA Investigation Into Airbag Safety

CA Lemon Law Buyback For Leased 2013 Fiat 500 Electric

Buick Regal & Envision Safety Defects

2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – Seatbelt Mounting Bolts Could Fail

Will VW Buy Back 3.0L Vehicles For Cheating On Emissions Tests?

GM Unexpected Roll Away From Damaged Park Lock Lever

NHTSA Calls On Media And Public To Help Fix High-Risk Takata Airbags

2012 Chevrolet Cruze – California Lemon Law Buyback