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Category Archives: engineering
GM Recalls Chevrolet Bolt EVs for Fires Again
In the required safety defect report just made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM said that Bolts with recall 22V-930 completed by dealerships other than Simpson Chevrolet of Irvine are not affected by this new recall. A GM employee submitted this issue to GM’s Speak Up For Safety (SUFS) program on 29 August 2023, following a dealer report that 66 vehicles that received the recall remedy in GM recall 22V930 at Simpson Chevrolet of Irvine were in fact not repaired. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, engineering, manufacturing, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Chevrolet Bolt EV fire recalls, Ken Zino, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA 22V-930, Simpson Chevrolet of Irvine
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Ford Recalls Maverick Pickups for Defective Software
In the required recall documents just made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford said the Mexican built Mavericks contain rear tail-lamps with two turn signal lamp bulbs on each side. The body control module will not provide an outage notification to the driver if only one of the two rear turn signal lamp bulbs has failed. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, FMVSS 108, Ford Maverick recalls, Ford recall 23C41, Ford Safety Recalls, Ken Zino, NHTSA recall 23V848, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Porsche Fires – Cayenne, Panamera, Taycan Charging Cables
Porsche Cars North America is recalling various models and model years of its Cayenne, Panamera and Taycan hybrid models because the 220V/240V compact/portable charging cable can overheat causing the risk of fires. More than 41,000 Porsches are involved. According to documents just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Porsche is blaming the home wiring of affected customers for the safety defect. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, engineering, quality, recalls
Tagged Audi recalls 93U6 and 93U8, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cayenne Panamera Taycan Recharging Cable fire recalls, Ken Zino, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA 23V841, NHTSA 23V842, porsche recalls
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Tesla Model S and X Recalls for Failed Side Impact Protection
Tesla is recalling more than 120,000 model year 2021-2023 Model S and X vehicles, according to documents just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The cabin doors can unlock during a crash. These Tesla models fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214 “Side Impact Protection.” Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, recalls
Tagged 23V862, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, FMVSS 214, Ken Zino, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nhtsa, Tesla recall SB-23-00-009
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Honda, Mitsubishi, Tokuyama Studying Fuel Cell Recycling
Honda Motor, Tokuyama Corp., and Mitsubishi Corp. will run a joint demonstration to operate a data center using by-product hydrogen and a stationary fuel cell (FC) power station. It will reuse FC systems from fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Project Members will explore the potential of reusing automotive FC systems in a stationary application. The objective of the Demonstration Project is to reduce the economic liability on customers installing and operating stationary FC systems, which will contribute to the decarbonization of electric power. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, autonomous vehicles, economy, electric vehicles, engineering, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, milestones, news analysis, public health, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automated driving, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, FCEVs, Generative AI, honda, Ken Zino, large-volume data processing, NEDO, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, recycling fuel cell systems, Tokuyama Mitsubishi
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New Toyota, Lexus Airbag Recall ~1 Million US Vehicles
The recalled cars, SUVs and vans have the so-called Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors in the front passenger seat that could have been improperly manufactured, causing a short circuit. This would prevent the airbag system from properly classify the occupant’s weight, and the airbag may not deploy as designed in certain crashes, increasing the risk of injury. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, blog, customer satisfaction, electronics, manufacturing, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, New Toyota and Lexus Airbag Recall, nhtsa, Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors
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Mercedes-Benz – Turquoise Autonomous Driving Marker Lights
Mercedes-Benz said today that it has approvals for turquoise-colored automated driving marker lights in California and Nevada. The exemption permit for California is for testing vehicles and initially limited to two years. The Nevada permit applies to Mercedes-Benz Model Year 2026 production vehicles. Thus a marketing component – styling with lights – is now part of the ongoing debate about the effect of autonomous vehicles on the safety of other road users and pedestrians. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, autonomous cars, autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, electronics, milestones, mobility company, news analysis, public health, safety, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, DRIVE PILOT, Ken Zino, Markus Schäfer, SAE J3134, SAE-Level 3 automated driving
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Preorders Open for Acura 2024 ZDX Performance EV
The 2024 ZDX A-Spec is forecast to start in the $60,000 range with a single-motor (rear-wheel-drive) powertrain. A more powerful dual-motor (all-wheel-drive) configuration is also available. ZDX Type S has a performance tuned dual-motor AWD powertrain producing ~ 500 horsepower and is expected to start in the $70,000 range. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, electric vehicles, electronics, environment, global warming, marketing, mobility company, new vehicle
Tagged 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, 2024 Sundance Film Festival, 2024 ZDX Performance SUV, Acura Energy Key Card, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino
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Tesla Recalls 2,031,220 Autopilot Equipped Vehicles
Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) is recalling 2,031,220 vehicles with Autopilot. Included are 2012-2023 Model S, 2016-2023 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer leading up to the versions that contain the recall remedy, according to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration yesterday.
“In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature,” Tesla said in the required NHTSA filing. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, electronics, engineering, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, autosteer, Ken Zino, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838, NHTSA PE21-020, NHTSA Tesla Engineering Analysis EA22-002, SAE Level 2 autonomous vehicles, Tesla recalls Model S Model X Model 3 Model Y, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
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Cadillac VISTIQ Three Row SUV to Join EV Lineup
“VISTIQ adds another compelling EV to the Cadillac lineup, reinforcing our commitment to an electric future,” said John Roth, vice president of Global Cadillac. “Our brand now has an EV entry in most luxury segments, offering customers a range of choices, and Cadillac EVs will cover most luxury SUV segments across critical global markets in the next two years.” Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, electric vehicles, electronics, global warming, marketing, mobility company, new vehicle, news analysis
Tagged 2025 OPTIQ, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Cadillac VISTIQ EV, Escalade IQ, John Roth, Ken Zino, luxury SUV EVs
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Ford Recalls F-150s, Mustangs for Software, Hardware Defects
Ford Motor Company is recalling late model F-150s, F-150 Lightnings and Mustangs for various safety defects that involve bad programing and improper assembly, according to documents made public this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ford does not publicly release its safety recalls. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, quality, recalls
Tagged 23V800, 23V801, 23V802, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, F-150 recalls, ford recalls, Ken Zino, Mustang recalls, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nhtsa
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GM and Komatsu Deal on Fuel-Cell Powered Mining Truck
The companies will jointly design and validate the technology. Lightweight with fast refueling, hydrogen fuel cells are best for electrifying applications traditionally powered by diesel engines. Hydrogen provides an effective method to package large quantities of energy onboard the vehicle, without compromising payload carrying capacity, the companies said. Continue reading
Posted in electric vehicles, energy, engineering, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, milestones, news analysis, public health, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Charlie Freese, Dan Funcannon, Death of the diesel, hydrogen fuel cells, HYDROTEC-powered mining vehicle, Ken Zino, Komatsu Arizona Proving Grounds, TSE:6301
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CHIPS and Science Act Phase 2 – Growth and Defense
The project will replace aging tools and quadruple the production of chips necessary for critical defense programs, including the F-35 fighter jet program. This begins of the next phase of implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act, a critical part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda that supports a strong national defense and a growing American economy. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, economy, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, news analysis, people
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, BAE Systems, Biden-Harris Administration, CHIPS and Science Act, CHIPS Incentives, Ken Zino, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, semiconductors
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Japan Inc – Automakers Start Advanced SoC Research
ASRA aims to establish in-vehicle chiplet technology by 2028 and to install SoCs in mass-produced vehicles from 2030 onward. By combining Japan’s technological capabilities and experience in automotive, electrical components, and semiconductors, ASRA will work with industry, government, and academia to promote domestic and international collaboration as a world-leading technology research group, the socially and environmentally awakened firms said. Continue reading →