Category Archives: safety

IIHS – Driver Death Rates and Vehicles That Kill other Drivers

Posted on 31 July 2026 by Ken Zino

More than half of the model 2023 vehicles with the highest driver death rates are small cars, sports cars or muscle cars, according to a  new report released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.* IIHS has been calculating driver death rates about every three years since 1989. This year marks the second time IIHS also analyzed the “other-driver death rate” – the number of drivers in other vehicles killed in crashes with each model. Size and power largely describe the worst models that are deadly to other vehicle drivers and occupants. Ten of the top 20 are large or very large pickups, including several heavy-duty variants with more powerful engines.[Given the laws of physics (start with F=MA – AutoCrat) it’s not surprising that the biggest vehicles are most dangerous to others. However, the age of vehicles on the road; where and when they are driven are among the many variables in play here -AutoCrat.] Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Recalls ~566,000 Broncos for Wiring Harness Fires

Posted on 27 July 2026 by Ken Zino

“The problem is caused by insufficient protection on the wiring harness which can lead to exposed wires and short circuiting. In the event of a short, drivers may notice smoke in the air vents or a warning message on their dashboard followed by flames coming from the passenger’s side of the engine compartment,” Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the mandatory safety defect recall filing made public by NHTSA today. Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls ~288,000 Explorers for Flying Roof Rail Covers

Posted on 20 July 2026 by Ken Zino

“Affected vehicles are equipped with roof rail covers that may loosen over time, exhibiting a visible gap, developing a rattle, or detaching from the vehicle while in motion,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing made public by NHTSA this morning.

“Vehicles with this condition may exhibit increased wind noise and/or squeaks and rattles as the roof rail cover begins to loosen. A visible gap or misalignment between the roof rail cover and the roofline may develop,” Ford said. Continue reading →

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Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer L Brake Recalls

Posted on 14 July 2026 by Ken Zino

Chrysler* (FCA US) is recalling ~120,000 2026 model year Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Jeep Grand Wagoneer L SUVs. The brake system control module software may cause a loss of electronic stability control and a loss of electronic brake assist. These SUVs go not comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 126, “Electronic Stability Control Systems” and 135, “Light Vehicle Brake Systems.” The supplier is ZF group. Continue reading →

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Ford Mustang Recalls – Sudden Power Loss, Washer/Wipers

Posted on 13 July 2026 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)) is recalling ~43,000 2021-2023 model-year Mustang Mach E vehicles for powertrain [primary drive unit or PDU- AutoCrat] failures. It is also recalling 2024-2026 Mustang and 2025-2026 Mustang GTD models for defective wiper and washer systems. All told ~111,000 Mustangs are affected. The most serious safety defect is a powertrain failure (NHTSA recall 26V417 or 26V-417, Ford 26S50) that results from Mexican supplied Borg Warner PDU for the 2021-2023 Mustang Mach E. The rear-wheel drive vehicles a rear differential pinion shaft may fracture without warning. Continue reading →

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Park Outside! Kia Recalls ~463,000 Telluride Models for Fires

Posted on 13 July 2026 by Ken Zino

“Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete,” Kia said in the mandatory safety defect filing that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made public this morning. Continue reading →

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Honda Recalls ~326,000 Odysseys for Bad Rearview Cameras

Posted on 8 July 2026 by Ken Zino

“The defect was caused by two contributing factors. First, the specification for the rearview camera housing boss hole was inadequate for the mounting screw. Second, due to variations in the positioning of the housing on the assembly jig, the mounting screw is susceptible to being misaligned during assembly. As a result, the stress generated during screw fastening exceeded the material strength of the boss, causing it to crack. Through environmental exposure (thermal expansion/freezing of trapped water), these cracks can expand, allowing water to penetrate the interior of the assembly,” Honda told NHTSA. [This causes the printed circuit board (PCB) to corrode and fail – AutoCrat.] Continue reading →

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Regulatory Reform! CPSC Starts Mandatory eFiling for Imports

Posted on 8 July 2026 by Ken Zino

“America faces an unprecedented surge in imported consumer products entering through increasingly complex global supply chains, including millions of direct-to-consumer shipments that often bypass traditional retail distribution. CPSC faces significant enforcement challenges, particularly where products originate from countries that do not comply with U.S. safety laws,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman. Continue reading →

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Ford and Lincoln Recalls For Bad Pedestrian Backup Warnings

Posted on 6 July 2026 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling more than 66,000 2024-2027 model-year Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and 2025-2027 Explorer Hybrid vehicles. A software error may prevent the vehicle from making the pedestrian warning sound at certain speeds.* The Phoenix Audio System supplied by Harmon International has a software error in the Digital Signal Processing Module This is an expansion of NHTSA Recall 25V691. Any vehicles previously repaired under 25V691 must have the new remedy completed. Continue reading →

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Ford Leads All Manufacturers in NHTSA Recalls

Posted on 3 July 2026 by Ken Zino

The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show Ford Motor Company leads the safety defect recall parade. Ford Motor remains subject to a 2024 consent order from NHTSA. NHTSA retained an independent third party to oversee Ford Motor recall issues, required safety expenditures, and the cited Safety Act violations. The dataset includes recall information related to specific NHTSA campaigns. General Motors, Chrysler (FCAUS) Hyundai Motor and Toyota follow. Continue reading →

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Stellantis Pro One to Unveil an Autonomous Commercial Van

Posted on 2 July 2026 by Ken Zino

Stellantis (NYSE: STLA. STLAM.MI)* said today it will unveil a so-called “Box-on-Wheels,” a new autonomous concept that is part of its recovery plan* to becoming a provider of integrated logistics solutions. Stellantis Pro One debuts at IAA Hannover in September … Continue reading →

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More Ford Motor Recalls for Rollaways ~740,000 Affected

Posted on 30 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Vehicle rollaways continue to plague Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) vehicles according to the latest safety defect recall filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 740,00 vehicles have a software problem whereby the transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, severely damaging the park system. Affected vehicles were built from 8 January 2020, to 8 October 2021. All are equipped with the so-called with park-by-wire system and 10R80 automatic transmissions.

“In the event of transmission park system damage, the ability of the transmission park feature to hold the vehicle if the parking brake is not applied may be affected. Unintended movement in Park increases the risk of a crash or injury,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading →

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Sudden EV Power Loss – Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, Subaru Solterra Recalled

Posted on 29 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (NYSE: TM, 7203T) is recalling ~21,000 model-year 2026 Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, and Subaru Solterra battery electric vehicles. The Denso-supplied electronic control unit (Battery ECU) that controls the high-voltage battery may experience a fault, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power.

 “Toyota observed certain diagnostic data during development testing of a new Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) model. After investigation, Toyota found that the memory in the battery ECU can fail an operation check because a part of the memory address location utilized by the battery control IC overlaps with a part utilized by the monitoring IC. The monitoring IC could repeatedly overwrite data at the same memory address used by the battery control IC when the memory operational check cycle matches the monitoring IC’s write operation cycle,” Toyota said in the mandatory  safety defect recall filling made published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this morning. Continue reading →

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Connectivity Snags Haunt Improvements in New-Vehicle Quality

Posted on 25 June 2026 by Ken Zino

“As more technology is introduced into vehicles, keeping the experience simple matters more than ever,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. “The biggest gains in quality come from features that are easy to use—simple controls, less-intrusive driver assistance and software that works the way customers expect. When technology becomes too complicated, the likelihood of customers experiencing a problem rises considerably.” Continue reading →

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Ford Recalls Expand – Six More Covering ~172,000 Vehicles

Posted on 22 June 2026 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is conducting six more recalls according to data released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration taken from the mandatory safety defect recall filings with the division of the U.S. Department of Transportation (NHTSA recalls 26V373 or 26V-373 sequentially through to 26V378.) Ford is operating under a NHTSA consent decree. [The Ford NHTSA consent order is a binding agreement issued on 14 November 2024, resolving allegations that the automaker failed to comply with federal recall requirements regarding defective rearview cameras. It includes a $165 million civil penalty, marking the second-largest in the agency’s 54-year history – AutoCrat.]*

The latest safety defects are headlamps, power windows, gear selector indication, transmission failures, and the lane center assist system transmission downshifting unexpectedly into first gear. Approximately 172,000 vehicles are affected. Several of the recalls are the result of improperly repaired previous Ford Motor safety defect recalls. Continue reading →

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