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Category Archives: safety
The Latest Safety Problem – Deferred Auto Maintenance?
The latest pernicious problem of the flagging U.S. economy comes in the guise of drivers who deferred auto maintenance at the potential cost of their safety. According to a new survey, 40% of respondents who are involved in repair decisions said they are postponing car maintenance or repairs on their primary vehicle. Continue reading
Posted in aftermarket, auto news, economy, news, news analysis, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto repair, autoinformed.com, automotive news, consumer reports, Ken Zino
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FAA Finally Alters Pilot Fatigue Rules after Colgan Air Deaths
The Federal Aviation Administration today announced a final rule that changes commercial passenger airline pilot scheduling two years after the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 killed 50 people where pilot fatigue and pilot distraction were responsible. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, news, news analysis, safety, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, aviation fatalities, colgan air 3407, faa, Ken Zino, pilot fatigue
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Ford Employees to Beta Test Latest My Ford Touch Patch
Ford Motor Company will beta test new software designed to ease myriad consumer complaints about the My Ford Touch infotainment system, which caused Ford and Lincoln vehicles to sink to below average in Consumer Reports quality ratings.
Ford’s overall reliability rank among 28 major car makes slipped from the 10th to the 20th spot this year—the biggest drop for any major nameplate in Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey. The badly needed software upgrade is coming for 2013 models – and to owners of existing My Ford Touch equipped vehicles. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, engineering, news, news analysis, people, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive electronics problems, automotive news, Ken Zino, lincoln my touch patch, microsoft software problems, My Ford Touch, my ford touch patch, my touch, my touch beta testing
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CMU Research Backs Ban for Cell Phones When Driving. NTSB Wants States to Prohibit All Non-Emergency Use of Cell Phones
Research by Carnegie Mellon University’s Marcel Just shows that simply listening to someone speak on the other end of a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%, compared to driving alone. The decrease in available brain resources can cause drivers using cell phones to commit the same type of driving errors that can occur under the influence of alcohol. Continue reading
Ford Recall Active for Wheels Falling off Fusion, Mercury Milan
NHTSA started the Ford wheel safety defect investigation in January of this year based on complaints from Ford owners, and upgraded it to an engineering analysis in July. It appears that NHTSA forced the Ford recall after a meeting early in November as complaints continued. Two root causes for the latest Ford recall for a safety defect were listed in the required NHTSA documentation: Hayes supplied steel wheels could be defective; and so could Mexican-built Brembo disc brakes. Continue reading
U.S. Auto Fatalities Drop to Lowest level in More than 60 Years
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA – today released 2010 fatality and injury data showing highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level for auto fatalities since 1949. What was termed a record-breaking decline in traffic deaths occurred as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year, an increase of 1.6% compared to 2009. Continue reading
Nissan Rogue Recall Active for Electric Power Steering
The latest safety defect caused by automotive electronics involves a Nissan Rogue recall for more than 7,000 of the popular crossover SUVs because of a defective circuit board for the power steering. A sudden loss of steering assist is possible, … Continue reading
Honda Recall for Goldwing Motorcycle Fires Active
This safety defect follows the admission by Honda last week that Honda is once again expanding a recall covering the driver’s side airbag installed on its most popular cars, crossovers and minivans built in 2001 and 2002. This ongoing global safety defect has resulted in recalls in North America, Japan, Australia and other regions. Continue reading
Posted in news, news analysis, recalls, safety
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, goldwing fires, honda goldwing recall, Ken Zino, nhtsa, recalls, safety recall
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Honda Airbag Recall Grows. More than 300,000 Vehicles Added
Initially, Honda only recalled 4200 vehicles three years ago and ignored the rest of the world. However, this Honda problem was ongoing as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was fining Toyota for safety defect cover-ups – ones that ultimately resulted in millions of dollars in fines and a shredded Toyota corporate and vehicle quality reputation. During the past year or so, Honda has issued more than 22 public statements about various safety defects and recalls in the U.S. Continue reading
Teaching Teens of Deadly Distracted Driving with Video Game?
The Department of Transportation has launched a new page on a redesigned website aimed at educating teenage drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, which is now responsible for about 5,500 deaths and 500,000 injures annually in the U.S. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, distracted driving, news, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, distracted driving, dot, Ken Zino, lahood, nhtsa, zino
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BP to Pay $426,500, Reserve $240 Million for EPA Violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that several subsidiaries of BP America Inc. have agreed to pay a $426,500 fine, and ensure that more than $240 million in funds are secured to resolve violations of hazardous waste, drinking water and Superfund financial assurance regulations. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, environment, litigation, news, results
Tagged atlantic richfield, auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bp, epa, hazardous waste, Ken Zino, oil spills, rcra, superfund, zino
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Chevrolet Volt Earns 5 Stars in Euro NCAP with No Battery Fires. GM Announces Volt Export Plans to China Next Year
At the same time the National Highway Traffic safety Administration was preparing to announce that a formal investigation had begun over Chevrolet Volt battery fires, the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) released its latest results, which gave the Opel Ampera a top 5-star rating. The Ampera is a virtual clone of the Chevrolet Volt.
Posted in auto news, economy, electric vehicles, engineering, environment, news, news analysis, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, chevrolet volt, euro ncap, gm china, iihs, Ken Zino, nhtsa, volt, volt exports, volt fires, zino
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NHTSA Opens a Formal Defect Investigation into Chevrolet Volt Battery Fires When a Second Fire Occurs After a Crash Test
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA – is opening a formal safety defect investigation to assess the risk posed by Chevrolet Volt battery fires after a serious accident. The formal investigation came after NHTSA observed two post-crash testing fires emanating from Volt’s lithium ion batteries, the latest occurring last Thursday. Since July, GM has implemented a post crash procedure that includes the depowering of the battery after a severe crash, returning the battery to what it calls a safe and low-powered state. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, news, news analysis, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, chevrolet volt, GM, jim Federico, Ken Zino, leaf, lithium ion batteries, lithium ion battery firs, news, nhtsa, nissan, volt fire, zino
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DOT Distracted Driving Rule Bans Hand-Held Phone use by Commercial Drivers, but Allows Hands-Free Cell Phones
The latest DOT rule falls far short of a recommendation in September from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to ban the use of all cell phones – hand-held and hands-free – by commercial drivers except in emergencies. NTSB made the recommendation after a horrific crash in Kentucky between an 18-wheeler and a van killed 11 people. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, distracted driving, news, news analysis, safety
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, cell phone ban, distracted driving, dot, Ken Zino, nhtsa, ntsb, ray lahood, zino
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