Autoblog

NHTSA delays backup camera rules... again

Chris Tutor — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has again delayed adoption of rear visibility rules that would require backup cameras in all passenger vehicles sold in the US. It's the fourth delay in a string of setbacks dating to 2007. That's the year Congress passed legislation intended to improve rear visibility in new vehicles.

NHTSA legislation had previously required automakers outfit at least 10 percent of their cars with backup cameras by 2012, 40 percent by 2013 and 100 percent by 2014. Those deadlines will likely be changed now. Delays have been blamed largely on automakers' arguments that the new requirements will be too costly. Estimates suggest that MSRPs on vehicles already outfitted with display screens would need to increase an estimated $58-88, while models without would see price bumps of between $159 and $203.

The agency estimates that the new regulations could have cost the industry between $700 million and $1.6 billion by 2014. According to The Detroit News, "NHTSA uses a statistical figure of $6.1 million as the value of a human life and says under a best-case scenario, the proposal will cost between $11.8 million and $19.7 million per life saved."

The government agency has not yet announced if or when a new deadline will be set.

NHTSA delays backup camera rules... again originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford recalls 150k Fiestas over airbag concern

Seyth Miersma — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:15:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Recalls, Safety, Ford

Ford has issued a recall for a segment of 2011 to 2013 model year Fiesta subcompacts that concerns improper deployment of the side curtain airbags. Cars recalled were manufactured between November 3, 2009 and September 21, 2012 - 154,604 units in total.

The Fiesta models affected by the recall will not deploy their side curtain airbags, which cover both front and rear passengers, during a side impact collision if the front passenger seat is empty. This means occupants in the rear on the passenger side won't be protected by the side airbag in a collision if the front passenger seat is empty. These side curtain airbags were actually designed not to deploy in a scenario where the front passenger seat was empty (why that is is unclear), but that information was not properly presented to Fiesta owners in the manual.

Ford is currently notifying Fiesta owners whose vehicles are covered under this recall, and reprogramming the vehicle software to allow the side curtain airbags to deploy during the aforementioned side impact situations.

Continue reading Ford recalls 150k Fiestas over airbag concern

Ford recalls 150k Fiestas over airbag concern originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Scion tC earns NHTSA five-star crash rating

Aaron Richardson — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Safety, Scion

2011 Scion tC - Click above for high-res image gallery

The redesigned 2011 Scion tC coupe has officially earned a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Thanks in part to no fewer than eight airbags, the little Scion managed to ace the government's collision and rollover tests.

The tC features driver and passenger airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, driver and passenger knee airbags and side-curtain airbags.

In addition to its impressive airbag tally, the car also packs ABS, traction control, stability control, brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution and Smart Stop technology to help prevent the airbags from ever having to deploy. Click past the jump to see the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 Scion tC: Review

Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeff Glucker / AOL

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading 2011 Scion tC earns NHTSA five-star crash rating

2011 Scion tC earns NHTSA five-star crash rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Rental companies drag heels repairing recalled cars

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

General Motors and Chrysler have informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that cars sold to rental companies aren't getting repairs done on recall for months at a time. NHTSA then started monitoring three million units from the two manufacturers in rental fleets to see how long they went unrepaired.

One month after a recall, NHTSA says that between 10 and 30 percent of cars had been repaired. By 90 days, the average was just 30 percent. According to the administration, it takes a year or more for rental companies to get more than 50 percent of their cars repaired.

According to The Detroit News, there aren't any laws on the books that say a rental company has to get a car repaired before it rents it to a customer. What's more, hundreds of recall notices go out a year, and rental cars move around a lot, making it difficult to nail them down for repairs.

According to Bob Barton, president of the American Car Rental Association, most companies place a hold on models that have been recalled, preventing them from being rented until repairs are made. The hitch, according to Barton, is that it can take months for the company to realize a recall has been issued.

NHTSA says its investigation is ongoing, and the administration noted a statement that dealerships aren't allowed to sell a recalled vehicle until repairs have been made. That said, NHTSA also doesn't have the authority to legally require that customers - including rental companies - have recall repairs made.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Hertz Rent-a-Car]

Report: Rental companies drag heels repairing recalled cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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