Safety


REPORT: Toyota forced to submit data on Tundra frame rust to NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a preliminary evaluation last month of rusting Tundra frames from the 2000 and 2001 model years. Around 200 complaints had been registered before the NHTSA commenced its investigation, with upwards of seventy more complaints coming in since then. As with the rusting Tacoma frames, the Tundra members in question were made by Dana. Importantly, though, the Tundra examination is focused only on "the cross member that supports the spare tire -- not the entire frame." Still, ... Read more →

2010 Top Safety Picks announced by IIHS, new roof strength rule shakes things up Jonny Lieberman

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has once again announced the winners of its Top Safety Pick award – all 27 of them. This time out, 19 cars and eight SUVs made the all-important ...

REPORT: Toyota may offer to fix 4 million accelerator pedals Jonathon Ramsey

While Toyota maintains its position that recent accelerator issues have only to do with floor mats, the company has reportedly agreed to "make changes to gas pedals in certain U.S. models under an ...

REPORT: NHTSA upgrading investigation into Honda Odyssey brakes Jonathon Ramsey

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 ...

Nissan recalls 26,000+ 2009-2010 Altima and Maxima models over strut issue Jonathon Ramsey

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 ...

REPORT: Ford widens cruise control recall by 4.5M vehicles - now biggest in company history 1 month 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 ...

Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation 2 months 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. ...

NYT straps on its helmet and wades into the brain bucket controversy 2 months ago on Autoblog

There's a bit of controversy going on in the helmet world, and it has a direct impact – pun intended – on every motorcycle rider trying to protect his or her head while looking for the best helmet to buy. All helmets approved for sale in the United States are tested and approved by the ...

Subaru Legacy and Outback, Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring new IIHS Top Safety Picks 3 months ago on Autoblog

Four 2010 model year vehicles have just been awarded Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Subaru's Outback and Legacy, the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler's Sebring. Top Safety Picks are given to those vehicles that come equipped with electronic stability control and receive ...

VIDEO: U.K. texting-while-driving PSA is a return to Blood on the Highway 3 months ago on Autoblog

It looks like Wales hired Danny Boyle or Quentin Tarantino to create a PSA to showcase the dangers of texting while driving (it was actually Peter Watkins-Hughes). As these things do, it starts off with a couple of teenagers doing what teenagers do -- in this case, sending text messages from ...

Party Time: Volvo celebrates 50 years of the three-point belt 3 months ago on Autoblog

Back in 1958, most Americans wouldn't have been caught dead wearing a seat belt. That was mostly because safety belts were optional equipment in every car sold in the U.S. and drivers were suspicious of the things. Just one year later, though, Nils Bohlin of Sweden invented and patented a ...

Transportation Secretary LaHood calls for September 'distracted driving' summit? 3 months ago on Autoblog

A recent study from Virginia Tech showed that texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely to get into a crash and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is looking to address the problem head-on with a September summit to study distracted driving. LaHood plans to to use the summit with law ...

Review: 2010 Volvo XC60 delivers on looks and lux - handling, too. Nav? Not so much. 4 months ago on Autoblog

Volvo has seen better days. Just a few short years ago, the Swedish automaker was the lone bright spot in Ford's European luxury operation, boasting impressive sales and actual profits. Fast-forward to 2009, and the situation couldn't be more different. Sales are downright depressing, revenues ...

Honda adds 440,000 more cars to airbag fragment recall 4 months ago on Autoblog

Honda began a recall campaign last November to repair overpressurized airbag inflators in 2001 Honda Civics and Accords. The excessive pressurization could cause the metal inflator casing to explode on the driver's side, potentially resulting in fragments that would pierce the airbag material ...

SURVEY: Drivers feel 35% less safe than they did five years ago... do you? [w/POLL] 4 months ago on Autoblog

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released new survey results stating that over one-third of the motorists it polled are driving scared. More specifically, they feel less safe than they did back in 2004. Thing is, 2008 was the safest year to drive a car since 1961, and adjusted for ...

REPORT: NHTSA withheld results of studies on cell phone use while driving because of Congress 4 months ago on Autoblog

As always, it ain't the crime, it's the cover-up. In what looks to be Congress protecting its turf, a planned study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on driver distraction – specifically, drivers using cell phones – was put on hold. The reason, according to The New ...

STUDY: Raising national speed limit has resulted in 12,500 deaths 4 months ago on Autoblog

In 1995, highway speed limits increased from a nation-wide 55 mph to 65, 70 or 75 mph, depending on the state, and most Americans were thrilled. The obvious benefit of the change was people could legally get to where they wanted to go, but according to a new study, the downside has been an alarming ...

NHTSA: Drunk driving is down, but 16.3% of nighttime drivers are on drugs 4 months ago on Autoblog

Recently, the U.K. began to consider a law that would address drivers under the influence of drugs, and was looking at using a device that would act like a breathalyzer for narcotics instead of alcohol. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration might want to make the same recommendation ...

BMW recalling 2008MY 1- and 3-Series; plus 2009MY X5 and X6 models over safety concerns 4 months ago on Autoblog

A potential fault with the side airbags fitted to 2008 BMW 1- and 3-Series cars has lead to a recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Apparently, possible fitment of the wrong crimp connector can cause the airbag not to properly deploy. In a separate recall, 2009 ...

Volkswagen Routan recalled for... *magic 8-ball shake*... owner's manual omission?! 4 months ago on Autoblog

In Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of the characters decries the need for a set of detailed instructions on a packet of toothpicks. Volkswagen might feel the same way now that 18,500 of its 2009 Routan minivans are being recalled because their owner's manuals don't include a required warning ...

VIDEO: What goes into German engineering - Audi's TechDay Quality 5 months ago on Autoblog

Why are German luxury cars so expensive? Because of German engineering. And what is this whole "German engineering" thing all about? That's the question Audi tries to explain once a year when it takes outsiders through its quality processes during its factory TechDay. According to the Audi, ...

REPORT: NHTSA may mandate amber turn signals 5 months ago on Autoblog

Some cars have red turn signal lamps, while others have an amber hue. Big deal, right? The National Highway Traffic Safety Association thinks it is, after finding that amber lights are 5.3% more effective at preventing crashes than the red blinkers. NHTSA came to that conclusion after comparing ...

STUDY: Majority of highway fatalities caused by deficient road conditions 5 months ago on Autoblog

What would you think to be the leading contributor to fatalities in car crashes here in the States? Failure to use seat belts? Speeding? Drunk driving? Think again. According to a new study commissioned by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), the leading cause of highway fatalities ...

Some airlines adding airbags to first-class seats 5 months ago on Autoblog

Beginning October 27, many planes could be quite a bit safer in the event of a crash. New government regulations are forcing all planes to have sturdier "16G" seats that will stay bolted to the floor in the event of an impact 16-times the force of gravity. The seats have been present in all planes ...

NHTSA introduces new tire labels 5 months ago on Autoblog

You will soon have more ways to choose which tire is right for you: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a new tire label that ranks rubber based on fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas rating, safety (wet traction), and durability. According to NHTSA's calculations, ...

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz ESF S400 Concept's "Braking Bag" in action 5 months ago on Autoblog

Mercedes-Benz has built an S400 Hybrid called the Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF in German) as a rolling jack-in-the-box of the company's safety technology. One of those tech highlights is the braking bag -- the panel under the car in the picture above -- which operates both as an air ...

Ironic Twist: Renault reportedly banned from selling in China over "serious safety risks" 5 months ago on Autoblog

The Renault Laguna, Scenic, Megane and Megane Coupe-Cabriolet were designed by Renault, built by Renault factories in France, and have all earned five stars in European NCAP tests. They have also all been banned by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine for ...

Kia recalling 2001-2004 Optima sedans in rust-prone states over subframe corrosion 5 months ago on Autoblog

The 2001-2004 Kia Optima is being recalled in several states for corrosion of the front subframe. The recall covers some 36,538 examples sold in the U.S. in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New ...

Mercedes set to debut S-Class ESF safety concept with more airbags than a balloon shop 5 months ago on Autoblog

An inordinate number of the safety features that we now find commonplace in roadgoing automobiles made their debut in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. So where better to look for the next generation of safety technology? You guessed it. To that end, Mercedes is slated to unveil a concept S-Class to ...

BMW working on system that stops vehicles during a medical emergency 6 months ago on Autoblog

Senior citizens who are at heightened risk for heart attack and strokes or those with diabetes often stop driving to keep both themselves and other motorists safe in the event that they have a medical issue while behind the wheel. Others ignore the risk factors and continue to drive until ...

Volvo's new Safe + Sound Coverage Plan covers everything but the kitchen sink 6 months ago on Autoblog

Lost in the bevy of numbers that is the Autoblog monthly sales report is the fact that Volvo just isn't selling very many cars in the U.S. any more. The Swedish automaker only sold 5577 units in May, and the downward trend started way before the automotive market hit the crapper. Given the sad ...

VIDEO: Kia Soul aces Euro NCAP crash tests 6 months ago on Autoblog

There is no rating yet for the Kia Soul in the U.S., but in Europe the car did the business: the Soul scored five stars on the NCAP frontal offset, side impact and pole crash tests, doing no worse than "marginal" in just two areas. In the frontal offset test the windshield doesn't crack and ...

VIDEO: GM crash-test footage from the Sixties proves we've come a long way, baby 6 months ago on Autoblog

Back in the Sixties, cars were huge. Some equated the size of their boats-on-wheels with safety, and even if their vehicle actually had seat belts, many didn't bother to use them. Fast forward to today, and we have three-point safety belts for all occupants, crumple zones, and air bags in just ...

VIDEO: 2010 Ford Mustang nets five-star safety rating 6 months ago on Autoblog

The 2010 Ford Mustang is quicker and more refined than the model it replaces, and it has also been upgraded in ways you can't see or feel – unless you're in an accident. The new 'Stang has received a five-star rating for front and side collisions by National Highway Traffic Safety ...

Vauxhall unveils new police package Insignia 6 months ago on Autoblog

GM UK Special Vehicles has just introduced its take-no-prisoners Police-specification Vauxhall Insignia. Available to police fleets throughout the UK, the car is available in sedan or Sports Tourer body styles (shown above). Powertrain choices include a 220 PS (216 hp) 2.0-liter turbo or a 260 ...

GM recalls Camaro, Traverse, SUVs/pickups for various issues 6 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced a suite of recalls for the Chevrolet Camaro, Traverse and various body-on-frame SUVs and pickups (Cadillac's Escalade, Chevrolet's Avalanche, Colorado, Suburban and Tahoe, along with GMC's Canyon and Yukon). The ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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