Product Safety News

January 16, 2012 -

BMW is recalling 89,000 Mini Coopers in the United States for the same sort of problem that led to earlier recalls of BMW and Rolls-Royce luxury cars.

The problem, in all the recalls, is that a computer circuit board controlling a turbocharger cooling system can fail. The result: a smoldering water pump and, in some cases, a fire in the engine compartment.

The turbo cooling system in the Mini Coopers operates differently from that in the BMW and Rolls-Royce cars, according to a letter BMW sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nevertheless, some turbocharged Mini cars have caught fire in the same way the larger cars did.

BMW is still investigating whether the cause of the problem is related or just coincidental, Mini spokeswoman Nathalie Bauters said. Germany's BMW AG (BAMXF) owns and operates all three car brands.

January 9, 2012 -

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that 465 Floridians were killed in ATV accidents between 1982 and 2010. It's the kind of accident that disproportionately affected children younger than 16, who accounted for 23 percent of all reported ATV deaths in Florida, according to the federal statistics.

January 9, 2012 -

Welcome to an unlikely beacon of hope for the global auto industry - Detroit.

Executives arriving this week for the Detroit auto show find a U.S. car market that has morphed from meltdown three years ago to a safe haven as concerns grow about the stability of other big economies, from Europe to China.

Analysts and executives expect 2012 U.S. auto sales to grow 4 percent to 9 percent, the third consecutive annual gain. The only reason automakers are not more bullish is the risk that the sovereign debt crisis in Europe may trigger a broader slowdown.

January 5, 2012 -

General Motors is going to modify its Chevrolet Volt plug-in car to eliminate the possibility that its batteries can catch on fire hours or days after a serious side-impact crash. GM says it was a "customer satisfaction" action and would not be considered a recall.

November 26, 2011 -

New fires involving the lithium-ion batteries in General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Volt have prompted an investigation to assess the risk of fire in the electric car after a serious crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday.

November 24, 2011 -

At this year's L.A. Auto Show, carmakers are highlighting safety features that focus on preventing accidents rather than merely surviving them. Warning indicators for blind spots and rearview cameras have become common, but many manufacturers are taking the technologies a step further.

November 11, 2011 -

Plaintiffs' lawyers turned down a settlement offer from the Ford Motor Co. in the middle of jury deliberations and were rewarded Thursday with a verdict that found the auto giant liable for $73 million in damages.

October 25, 2011 -

A new audit says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration needs to make significant improvements in its handling of auto safety investigations. The Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General says that after an 18-month review, NHTSA needs better training, better documentation on responding to complaints and deciding whether to open an investigation — and issued 10 recommendations for improvements.

October 19, 2011 -

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood received a firsthand look at "connected vehicle" technologies that have the potential to improve safety and help drivers avert crashes as part of a research clinic hosted by the Department of Transportation at Walt Disney World® Speedway.

October 16, 2011 -

October 16, 2011 - If you're involved in a traffic accident with no witnesses except you and the other driver, it's just your word against his, right? Wrong.

October 13, 2011 -

Tiremakers have long held the re-sale market at arm’s length out of a healthy respect for the boundaries of anti-trust regulations. But, a number of factors are aligning that may shift the market away from the re-sale of used tires for vehicles. The cost of selling used tires is going up. And, the scrap market is growing in tandem with the demand for used tires to be recycled into fuel to meet the energy requirements of rising economies, such as China’s. At the same time, tire litigation is getting more sophisticated and manufacturers have a keener understanding of their liability.

August 29, 2011 -

In a move to help prevent such accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which enforces trucking regulations, has proposed reducing the allowable driving time for interstate truckers from 11 hours in each 14-hour shift to 10 hours. Truckers also would be required to take a one-hour break during marathon shifts that include loading and unloading their cargo and to take more time off duty between seven-day stretches. A final decision is due Oct. 28 on the rules, which the trucking industry says will raise the cost of doing business.

August 16, 2011 -

A federal jury awarded $3 million Monday to the family of a 33-year-old Lake County man killed in late 2009 in a trucking accident on Interstate 95 in Flagler County. The lawsuit verdict was handed down in U.S. District Court following two hours of deliberation by the jury in the death of Julio Rentas Jr., according to the Didier Law Firm.

August 8, 2011 -

A Texas appeals court refused to overturn Kia Motors Corp.'s portion of a $4.4 million product liability judgment, ruling that a defective airbag in a Kia Spectra had led to the plaintiff's death in a 2002 head-on collision. Andrea Ruiz was fatally injured by a blow to the head when a pick-up truck crashed into her Kia Spectra and the driver's side airbag failed to deploy.

August 5, 2011 -

Automaker will replace module on 300,000 U.S. models

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling nearly 300,000 minivans in the United States over concerns that air bags may deploy inadvertently, the automaker said Thursday. The company is recalling 299,718 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Grand Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country minivans to replace a module in the United States.

August 5, 2011 -

Honda Motor Co Ltd will recall 2.49 million cars, small SUVs and minivans worldwide, including its popular Accord sedan, to repair a software problem that could damage the automatic transmission.

The recall includes 1.5 million vehicles in the United States, about 760,000 in China and 135,142 in Canada, the automaker said. This week, Consumer Reports said it was not recommending the 2012 Honda Civic. This led some industry analysts to ask if that was a symptom of larger problems at the automaker.

July 26, 2011 -

Ford Motor Company, ordered by a Florida judge to face a new trial in a lawsuit it previously won, can’t dispute that a defect caused an Aerostar van to accelerate out of control.

A state court jury in Bushnell, Florida, cleared Ford of liability in February 2010 in a lawsuit brought by a woman who was left paralyzed from the waist down when the van she was riding in crashed. The woman, Peggy Stimpson, and her husband sued Ford in 2004, claiming a defect in the 1991 Aerostar’s cruise control system could trigger unintended acceleration. They also claimed the company destroyed or concealed documents related to the risk.

July 26, 2011 -

With record high temperatures nationwide and reports of 21 hyperthermia-related child deaths already this summer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) convened a first of its kind roundtable with key stakeholders today to help step up efforts to prevent these needless deaths. Children left alone in vehicles during hot weather are at risk of a serious injury or death from hyperthermia. According to NHTSA research, hyperthermia is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle deaths for children under the age of fourteen.

July 26, 2011 -

Ford earned $2.4 billion in the second quarter, down from $2.6 billion a year earlier, but stronger than Wall Street expected as new small cars such as Fiesta and Focus sold well as gas prices rose and price increases generally offset higher material costs.

July 11, 2011 -

Pilot Programs in Syracuse, NY, and Hartford, CT, Significantly Curb Texting and Cell Phone Use Behind the Wheel

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced dramatic reductions in distracted driving in Syracuse, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut, after two pilot projects measured the effect of increased law enforcement coupled with high-profile public education campaigns.

June 28, 2011 -

DELTONA -- A Deltona toddler who drowned in a family pool got out of the house through a doggy door, sheriff's investigators said.

June 10, 2011 -

General Motors Co. is recalling more than 50,000 Cadillac SRX crossovers in North America to reprogram airbags. GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the right side head-protecting air bag won't deploy in a crash if no one is in the front seat. As a result, a backseat passenger may not be fully protected and could get hurt. GM spokesman Alan Adler said no crashes or injuries have been reported.

June 8, 2011 -

In 2010 A Record 49 Children Died Of Heat Stroke In Cars

With hot summer days ahead, KidsAndCars.org is warning parents and caregivers to take extra precautions to prevent leaving children alone in cars. Through May 31 this year 8 children had already died of heat stroke in vehicles - close to the record-setting pace of 2010 when 49 infants and children died.

June 6, 2011 -

Labels on Pet Doors Now Alert Parents to Potential Child Hazard

School is out for the summer and thousands of South Florida kids will be spending their days at the beach or hanging out at a pool.

But before they head out the door, parents are encouraged to talk to their kids about playing it safe. Drowning is the leading cause of death among children between 1 and 4 years old and for every child that drowns, four more nearly drown.

June 1, 2011 -

Bell Sports, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Health Canada have announced the recall of about 31,000 Bell Exodus full-face bike helmets in the United States and an additional 2,500 in Canada because of a head injury hazard. The plastic buckle that connects the chin straps on the product can fail, causing the helmet to fall off the user’s head.