Safety


REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation

Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared in a statement that "this (unintended acceleration) matter is not closed," adding "removal of the floor mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles." Up to 2,000 Toyota customers claim to have experienced a sudden surge of ... Read more →

Ford unveils industry's first* production inflatable seat belts [w/VIDEO] John Neff

They started out in our steering wheels before taking up residence across the dash. They then migrated to the side of our vehicles and grew to be full-sized curtains. Automakers seem to stick them ...

GM recalling 53,000 Chevy Cobalt, Saturn Ion, and Pontiac G5 models over fuel leak concern Chris Shunk

General Motors may have shed itself of much of its pre-bankruptcy problems, but the automaker still has to tend to its warranty and recall duties. As such, GM is recalling 53,000 Chevrolet Cobalt, ...

STUDY: 30% of you are genetically predisposed to drive poorly Jonny Lieberman

Well, this explains everything. Scientists scientifically studied the brains of 29 people. Of those, 22 had normal brains while the other seven had a genetic variant that stops their brain from ...

Mazda recalls nearly 40,000 B-Series pickups over cruise control issues Michael Harley

Last month, Ford widened its cruise control switch recall to 4.5 million vehicles. Included in the growing list of cars and trucks was the Ford Ranger pickup – the mechanical twin to the ...

Toyota plans to trim trucks, focus on hybrids, improve quality 4 days ago on Autoblog

Stick with what you know. That seems to be Toyota's new mantra going forward, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly diverted its attention away from large trucks like the largely unsuccessful and slow-selling Tundra pickup and back on hybrid vehicles – possibly all wearing the Prius ...

VIDEO: Seattle earthquake viaduct simulation released; timing politically motivated? 8 days ago on Autoblog

The Alaskan Way Viaduct (AWV) is an elevated roadway running along the Elliot Bay Waterway in Seattle. An earthquake in 2001 damaged the viaduct, and the structural degradation has only gotten worse over the years. To forestall the possibility of having the conduit collapse in another natural ...

Nissan recalls 163,000+ 2008-2009 Rogue crossovers over potential steering fault 11 days ago on Autoblog

On Sunday, we brought you word of a Nissan recall affecting 2009-2010 Altima sedans, and today, we bring you word of an even larger safety issue impacting its CUV lineup. The Japanese automaker is recalling 163,659 2008 and 2009 model year Rogue crossovers due to a potentially serious safety ...

REPORT: NHTSA upgrading investigation into Honda Odyssey brakes 11 days ago on Autoblog

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has upgraded their preliminary probe into an issue with the Honda Odyssey to an engineering analysis. The agency has received more than 500 complaints about a braking problem, with drivers saying the pedal gets soft or spongy. According ...

NHTSA releases new info about crash that prompted Toyota floormat recall 11 days ago on Autoblog

Contrary to previous reports, the death of a four people and the largest recall in Toyota's history was caused by a compound of errors. The initial buzz/word on the virtual street suggested that it was simply an improperly placed floor mat that doomed CHP officer Mark Saylor and three family ...

REPORT: Tata investigating as Nano owners report steering column fires 12 days ago on Autoblog

If we weren't car guys, we could understand the attraction of a bare-bones car with a sticker price coming in at a fraction of a conventional car's. Heck, we still do. But we know as well as you do that in order to get the pricing that low, corners probably have to be cut somewhere. And when ...

Nissan recalls 26,000+ 2009-2010 Altima and Maxima models over strut issue 12 days ago on Autoblog

The 2009 and 2010 Nissan Altima and Maxima are being recalled over a suspension issue. The problem is the upper front strut insulators on some cars, which might not meet specified tolerances and therefore crack. Nissan is notifying owners this month and the repair will be taken care of by ...

VIDEO: Man misses runaway bus in Russia by inches 16 days ago on Autoblog

Driving is dangerous. We know that, yet the vast majority of us seem willing to take the risks inherent with strapping ourselves inside a two-ton projectile to share the road with other human-piloted objects of mass destruction. With all of these behemoth chunks of metal flying around at high ...

VIDEO: Autoblog tries out Volvo City Safety on boss's BMW 17 days ago on Autoblog

A number of bloggers on our team actually have real jobs, those crazy 9-5 things we full-time bloggers hear so much about. Sure, an actual 40-hour work week can tie one arm behind your back when trying to be a power blogger, but our own Dan Roth gets around this by incorporating his two incomes ...

OnStar prevents its first high-speed chase 18 days ago on Autoblog

We were wondering how long it would take before OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service was used to prevent a high speed chase. Though announced nearly two years ago, the service that allows OnStar to remotely disable a vehicle's gas pedal is still not yet available on all GM models – for ...

REPORT: NY cracking down on cabbies using cell phones - only took 10 years 19 days ago on Autoblog

It's hard to believe, but cab drivers in New York City are prohibited by law from talking on cell phones, with or without headsets. That doesn't seem to stop them, says the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. Citing phone-related accident statistics, the commission is now proposing more ...

Consumer Reports sees what happens when your floor mat sticks 22 days ago on Autoblog

In the wake of Toyota's huge floor mat recall, theorists have come up with several survival strategies designed to overcome a throttle that's stuck wide-open. Putting some of these theories to the test – and debunking several myths in the process – is the team over at Consumer ...

REPORT: Ford widens cruise control recall by 4.5M vehicles - now biggest in company history 24 days ago on Autoblog

For the past ten years, Ford has been doing a dance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and consumers over the issue of leaking cruise control switches in certain company vehicles. As of 2008, it had recalled some 9.6 million vehicles to repair a faulty Texas Instruments ...

REPORT: Chrysler retiree saves two men in fiery pickup crash with his power washer 24 days ago on Autoblog

Retired Chrysler worker Stipe Botica is a hero today after putting out an engine fire after a single-vehicle accident, likely saving the life of the passenger. The accident occurred at 4 am when two men in a Ford Ranger crashed into a vacant house next door to Botica's residence at Forest Glade ...

Viper app allows remote start of your car with iPhone 24 days ago on Autoblog

As the iPhone continues to introduce apps both silly and indispensable, it should come as no surprise that there's now an app for starting your car remotely. Introduced by car alarm company Viper, the SmartStart app comes in two flavors: a $299 package if you already have a compatible Viper ...

Ruffing It: Honda confirms canine-friendly Element to nuzzle into showrooms next month 24 days ago on Autoblog

The Honda Element would seem to be a fine choice for anyone with an active lifestyle that wants a vehicle that's able to haul a ton of stuff while getting reasonable fuel economy and not breaking the piggy bank. Now – if you'll forgive us for regurgitating this very tired joke – it's ...

Kicking the Dead: Pontiac recalls 10k 2009-2010 Vibes over cold-weather braking 25 days ago on Autoblog

General Motors is recalling 10,119 units of the Pontiac Vibe due to cold weather-related brake problems. The vehicles subject to the recall are all fitted with the 1.8-liter four-cylinder powerplant, and were sold or are currently registered in one of about two dozen snow belt states. ...

VIDEO: Next-gen Volvo S60 takes Active Safety to next level with people sensing? 28 days ago on Autoblog

For decades now, Volvo has been staking its claim in the automotive landscape by being the safety brand. And honestly, that's smart marketing. When a family (especially a young family) goes car shopping and safety is high on their list of concerns, tying your product to their desire to see their ...

Nissan may bust a nut under pressure, recalls 143,000 over tire monitoring woe 28 days ago on Autoblog

If you own a 2008-2010 Nissan with Tire Pressure Monitoring and you live in one of the 21 "cold weather" states, your tires could lose an air load in a big hurry. Nissan is recalling 143,000 vehicles equipped with TPMS after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered that the ...

REPORT: So-called "smart" gas pedals could counteract floor mat issues 28 days ago on Autoblog

Now that Toyota's massive 3.8 million-vehicle recall for floor mats with a mind of their own has got unintended acceleration on our brains, perhaps it would be a good time to take a look at ways to solve the potential problem once and for all. In contrast to Toyota's initial low-tech tie-wrap ...

Toyota's solution for troublesome floormats: Tie them down 29 days ago on Autoblog

Good news for those of you who happen to own a Toyota or Lexus vehicle sans floormats, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly come up with a solution to the 3.8 million-vehicle recall announced last week. We haven't reviewed the documentation ourselves, but it sounds as if the answer is to zip ...

NHTSA launches probe into 2000-2001 Toyota Tundra frame rust claims 1 month ago on Autoblog

Coming hard on the heels of its largest U.S. recall in history is news suggesting that Toyota could again face the wrath of the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. That's because the government agency is finally turning its eyes on the frame rust problem for 2000-2001 Toyota Tundras, a ...

REPORT: Rural roads more dangerous than congested urban areas 1 month ago on Autoblog

According to the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota, more people die each year in rural roadway accidents than in urban settings. As you might expect, there are indeed more crashes in cities than in the country, but those accidents are less likely to be fatal. ...

BMW previews its vision of a safer city scooter with C1-E concept 1 month ago on Autoblog

Says BMW, "This is what a safe, environment-friendly and highly practical single track vehicle for city traffic could look like in the future." Well then, let's dissect that statement and see how BMW sought to accomplish these seemingly contradictory goals. First, safety. Between 2000 and 2003, ...

REPORT: NHTSA investigating Ford F-150 airbags, Mazda RX-8 clutch pedals 1 month ago on Autoblog

According to The New York Times' Wheels blog, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently in the early stages of investigating issues involving the 2005 Ford F-150 and 2004-2008 Mazda RX-8 models equipped with manual transmissions. In the case of the Blue Oval, NHTSA has ...

Michelin sweeps Consumer Reports' largest ever tire test 1 month ago on Autoblog

No one can dispute the importance of tires on dry, wet or snowy pavement, but some buyers tend to pick their rubber based on price alone. For the more quality-minded customer, Consumer Reports conducts an annual tire test and this year's battle of the road rubber was the biggest ever with 69 ...

Toyota floormat recall gets explained 1 month ago on Autoblog

Wondering what the deal is with all those potentially dangerous Toyota floormats? After all, just about every car sold in America is equipped with or at least offers optional floormats, sometimes with multiple choices. So, why are Toyota's mats being singled out? The short answer is because the ...

REPORT: IIHS concerned with growing popularity of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles 1 month ago on Autoblog

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is concerned with the growing popularity of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. Specifically, the IIHS worries that these vehicles are increasingly being allowed to travel on public roads where traffic often ...

REPORT: Judge orders Toyota not to not destroy car crash information 1 month ago on Autoblog

According to Bloomberg, Toyota has been ordered by Texas Judge T. John Ward no to destroy any of its crash data, and research projects related to product liability or crashworthiness. The temporary restraining order, which is in effect until after a October 7 hearing (at which it will be determine ...

Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation 1 month ago on Autoblog

Volvo has publicly stated that it would like to eradicate accident-related injuries and deaths per year by the year 2020; an extraordinarily lofty goal that would obviously save countless lives. But in the next ten years, hundreds of thousands of drivers will die in traffic accidents in the U.S. ...

OMG LOL: New study says 93% of Americans favor banning text messaging while driving 1 month ago on Autoblog

Maybe it's not surprising that Ford commissioned a study that helps bolster a sales case for some of its in-car-electronics, but the Blue Oval seems to have its finger on the pulse of the nation this time. Market researchers Penn, Schoen & Berland polled 1,000 drivers and found that 93% of ...

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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