Car Safety
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Toyota waited until boxing day to announce it had reached a tentative settlement in an ongoing class-action lawsuit representing owners claiming they were negatively impacted in the value of their cars due to the recent recalls spurred by alleged unintended acceleration. The original recalls focused primarily on ill-fitting floor mats and stuck accelerator pedals. Despite even NASA finding no fault with the suspected Toyota and Lexus models included in the recalls (many suspect driver error), the new settlement, if it passes all associated appeals, will see the Japanese automaker launch a new...
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Lexus To Outline Autonomous Car Strategy At 2013 CESIn the race to develop the world’s first self-driving car, Japanese firms have been lagging their European and North American counterparts. Google has already developed a fully autonomous vehicle and has even gained a license to test it on public roads in the state of Nevada. Mercedes-Benz...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 Hyundai Veloster Models Recalled For Sunroof FlawHyundai has announced the recall of certain 2012 model year Veloster hatchbacks, built between November 1, 2011 and April 17, 2012. At issue is a potential defect in the panoramic sunroof glass, caused by inadvertent contact between the glass and the unloading station robot. In all, some 13,500...
Kurt Ernst -
2013 Jaguar XF Recalled Due To Faulty Fuel PumpsJaguar has issued a recall on certain versions of its 2013 XF sedan due to a problem that could see the affected cars’ fuel pumps shut down. The recall only affects those 2013 Jaguar XFs built from October 3, 2012, through October 12, 2012, of which just 13 examples are said to be in the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-Benz Highlights New E Class Features: VideoWant to learn more about the new Mercedes-Benz E Class models, but find yourself pressed for time? There’s no need to wade through an eighteen-page press release (written in German, translated into English) when we recapped all the relevant information for you last week. That’s still...
Kurt Ernst -
Toyota To Pay Record Fine Over Lexus Pedal EntrapmentJust two years after Toyota paid fines totaling $48.8 million, including a then-record single fine of $16.4 million, the automaker has been hit with a new $17.4 million fine over a delayed pedal entrapment recall on 2010 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h models. As CNN Money explains, the NHTSA contacted...
Kurt Ernst -
As part of a routine test of a new refrigerant being used in the Mercedes-Benz B Class, engineers simulated a pinhole leak in a coolant line. When the refrigerant (now mixed with A/C compressor oil) sprayed on a hot engine, the results were dramatic. The vaporized mixture reportedly ignited on contact with the hot surface, creating what Reuters (via Yahoo News) described as a “ball of fire,” followed by a cloud of dangerous hydrogen fluoride gas. The corrosive gas then attacked the windshield, etching the glass and raising even more potential concerns about the safety of the new...
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Land Rover Recalls LR2 And Range Rover Evoque For Faulty BrakesThe 2012 Range Rover Evoque, along with the LR2, are being recalled for faulty brake calipers.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes Explains Its 2014 S Class’ Autonomous System: VideoThe 2014 Mercedes-Benz S Class due out next year will be the first car in history to offer customers a fully autonomous system, whereby the car will be able to drive itself--in certain situations--without any driver involvement. This is made possible due to an extensive array of sensors on the new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lamborghini Issues Recall On Aventador LP 700-4Lamborghini has issued a recall on certain versions of its flagship Aventador LP 700-4 model due to a fault in the affected cars’ headlights. The recall only affects those Aventador models built from July 15, 2011, through April 20, 2012. Considering the exclusiveness of the model, as well as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche Recalls 2010 911 GT3 Models For Rear Wheel Hub IssuePorsche has announced the recall of 2010 model year 911 GT3s, built between May 15, 2009 and February 11, 2010. At issue is the rear wheel hub assembly, which may be prone to failure under certain driving conditions. Some 455 Porsche 911 GT3 models are affected by this recall. The recall also...
Kurt Ernst -
2003-2006 Acura MDX Included In Wide-Ranging Honda RecallHonda has issued a recall of more than 800,000 vehicles due to a potential issue that may see the vehicles start to roll away after being parked. The recall covers three models, the Honda Odyssey and Pilot from the 2003 to 2004 model years, as well as the Acura MDX from the 2003 to 2006 model...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-Benz has issued a wide-ranging recall on some of its most popular models due to a faulty fuel filter flange, which the automaker says may crack and cause fuel to leak. The specific models are the 2011-2012 C300, GLK350, E350, S400 Hybrid, S550, S63 AMG, CL550 and CL63 AMG, but only those built from April 18, 2011, through July 12, 2011. Mercedes says there are some 5,800 vehicles affected by the latest recall in the U.S. Due to an irregularity stemming from the molding process of the fuel filter flange on these vehicles, the unit may crack when operated in high temperatures. This may...
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White House Green Lights Black Boxes For New CarsThe White House Office of Management has approved a request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate event data recorders, commonly referred to as “black boxes,” in 100-percent of new vehicles sold. In the very near future, then, the car you drive may...
Kurt Ernst -
Toyota Implementing Tech To Prevent Unintended AccelerationWith the unintended acceleration debacle now in its rearview mirror, automaker Toyota is employing technology to ensure that this won’t happen on future models. Intelligent Clearance Sonar and Drive-Start Control will (hopefully) eliminate accidents caused by pedal confusion or improper gear...
Kurt Ernst -
NTSB Publishes Recommendations For Safer RoadsThe job of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is to make passenger travel safer, whether that travel occurs by car, bus, train, or airplane. Recent advances in vehicle safety have produced safer cars, but in this case safer also translates to more expensive. Consider the 2013 Infiniti...
Kurt Ernst -
2014 Mercedes-Benz S Class' Autonomous Steering TestedLike it or not, autonomous cars are coming. But with any new technology, especially one that’s particularly groundbreaking, the introduction of self-driving technology in cars is being done gradually, with each introduction merely a stepping stone to the next facet of the technology. First...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2013 Cadillac XTS Models Recalled For Rear Seat Head Restraint IssueGeneral Motors has announced the recall of 2013 Cadillac XTS models built between October 12, 2011 and August 30, 2012. On the 12,626 cars affected by this recall, the rear seat head restraints may not fully lock in the upright position after being folded. As a result, the rear seat head rests...
Kurt Ernst -
Car 2 Car and Car 2 Object communications are the next big steps forward in vehicle safety, and both are necessary milestones on the road to fully autonomous cars. Automakers such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Ford, General Motors and Nissan have been active in research for years, and now Toyota is jumping in in a big way. Toyota has begun full scale testing of inter-vehicle communications, as well as road-to-vehicle communications as part of its drive to reduce accidents via Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technology. The ITS proving ground, which covers over eight-and-a-half acres, is...
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Ford Runs Contest To Find Best Car-2-Car Communication SolutionsMost major automakers, on both sides of the Atlantic, are teaming up with governments and other industry groups to help develop a new generation of Car-2-Car and Car-2-Object communications technology in order to not only improve safety but also reduce emissions and make driving more enjoyable. One...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker Determines Cause Of Hurricane Sandy Karma FiresDuring the devastating Hurricane Sandy that hit the Northeast last week, several cars parked in Port Newark, New Jersey succumbed to severe fire damage. Among the cars were 16 brand new Fisker Karma extended-range electric cars, images of which hit the Web on October 31st, a day after the fire...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker Karmas Catch Fire After Being Submerged By Hurricane Sandy FloodA total of 16 Fisker Karma extended-range electric cars, each costing more than a $100k, have gone up in flames after reportedly being partially submerged by flash floods caused by Hurricane Sandy. The brand new cars were parked in Port Newark, New Jersey, and are believed to have caught fire last...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2005-2008 BMW 7-Series Recalled Due To Potential Roll-Away IssueJust a week after the recall of its 7-Series due to a software problem that could cause a door to open unexpectedly, BMW has issued a second recall on its flagship sedan, this time because of another software problem that could cause the car to roll away after the driver has exited it. There are...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2005-2007 BMW 7-Series Recalled Due To Unexpected Door ReleaseBMW has issued a recall on certain versions of its 7-Series flagship sedan due to what the company says is a software problem that can cause a door to open unexpectedly. The recall affects 2005 to 2007 7-Series sedans built from August 23, 2004, through September 3, 2007. In total there are some...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran