Category Archives: safety

911 Safety Technology – OnStar Expands with RapidDeploy

“This latest milestone in our collaboration with RapidDeploy demonstrates OnStar’s commitment to keeping members and first responders safe during emergencies and supporting new innovations to advance Next Generation 911 initiatives,” said Catherine Bishop, senior manager, OnStar Emergency Services. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, customer satisfaction, people, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hyundai-Aptiv Startup Motional Expands on West Coast

This move comes as Motional accelerates towards mass commercialization, which includes a landmark agreement with Lyft to launch a multimarket fully driverless service starting in 2023. Motional claims to be one of the world’s key AV players. “We’ve had a presence in Los Angeles for more than five years and are now increasing our investment in California with a new operations facility and road testing in the Los Angeles area, a new San Francisco Bay Area office, and extensive hiring that will more than double the size of our California team,” Motional said in a release. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, mobility company, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Subaru of America Recalls for Sudden Stalling 165K Vehicles

Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge as required by US safety regulations. Owner notification letters are not expected to be mailed until September 13, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru’s number for this recall is WRG-21. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, quality, recalls | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mercedes-Benz USA Recalls Rear Seatbelts on 2021-22 Models

The rear seatbelt automatic locking retractors may “deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.” These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, quality, recalls | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Stellantis Posts Record H1 Results. Full-Year Guidance Upped

“While delivering this strong operational performance the Company also made significant progress on strategic matters related to electrification acceleration and software, which are fundamental pillars of our strategy,” claimed Carlos Tavares, CEO. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, economy, electric vehicles | 1 Comment

Daimler Boards Approve Spin Off of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Daimler Truck as Two companies. Shareholder Vote in October

In a high stakes move by the Daimler AG Board of Management and Supervisory Board (ticker symbol DAI) to separate two very different businesses and insulate the parent company from financial threats that Global Warming, connected and autonomous vehicles and automaker upheavals are causing, approved making Mercedes-Benz Cars and Daimler Truck independent companies. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, global warming, mobility company, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SEC Charges Nikola Founder Trevor Milton With Fraud

The SEC’s complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Milton founded Nikola in 2015 with the primary goal of manufacturing trucks that run on alternative fuels with low or zero emissions, and building an alternative fuel station infrastructure to support those vehicles. Milton allegedly helped Nikola raise more than $1 billion in private offerings and go public through a business combination conducted by a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Continue reading

Posted in electric vehicles, fools 'n frauds, litigation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

NHTSA – Urgent Fire Recall Again on 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolts

GM has issued a new recall affecting the 50,932 Model Year 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt vehicles covered under the original recall announced in November 2020 and revised in May 2021. NHTSA is aware of one fire with the interim remedy and two fires with the final remedy. Due to the risk of fire, vehicle owners should continue to park these vehicles outside, away from structures, and not charge them overnight. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

GM Adds New Hands-Free Super Cruise to 6 MY 2022 Vehicles

GM launched Super Cruise in 2017 with the Cadillac brand and has added capabilities, expanded Super Cruise-enabled routes and availability on more products since then. To date, approximately 10 million miles have been driven by customers using Super Cruise across the U.S. and Canada. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, electronics, mobility company | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Argo AI, Ford to Launch Self-Driving Vehicles on Lyft Network

Argo AI and Ford will deploy Ford self-driving cars, with safety drivers, on the Lyft network, as part of a network access agreement, with passenger rides beginning in Miami later this year and in Austin starting in 2022.  As vehicles are positioned, Lyft users within the defined service areas will be able to select a Ford self-driving vehicle to hail a ride. “This initial deployment phase will lay the groundwork for scaling operations, as the parties are now working to finalize agreements aiming to deploy at least 1,000 autonomous vehicles on the Lyft network, across multiple markets over the next five years,” the companies claimed. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, milestones, mobility company | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recalls – Roof Rail Air Bag Shrapnel on 410,019 GM Pickups

A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash from what is in effect shrapnel. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, quality, recalls | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Silverado, Sierra Pickups Recalled Again for Block Heater Fires

The customer may notice smoke or a burning smell and/or poor block-heater performance, tripped circuit breakers or blown vehicle fuses, damage to the block heater, the heater cable, or engine components as well as block-heater coolant pooling under the vehicle. Dealers will disable the block heater. GM will provide free replacement block heaters and cords under a separate customer satisfaction campaign. For vehicles previously included in recall 19V-328, the heater cord will be replaced and rerouted, free of charge as required by law. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three More Ford Recalls – 885,569 F-Series, Explorers, Aviators

The largest recall and the one with associated injury claims covers 2013-2017 Ford Explorer vehicles that may experience a seized cross-axis ball joint. Ford is issuing this safety recall for approximately 774,696 2013-2017 Ford Explorer vehicles that may experience a seized cross-axis ball joint that may cause a fractured rear suspension toe link. Affected vehicles may experience a clunk noise, unusual handling, or a misaligned rear wheel. Fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, litigation, recalls | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Automated Mapping – Toyota to Buy CARMERA

If the deal is closed, the CARMERA team will report into the Automated Mapping Platform (“AMP”) organization of Woven Alpha. Woven Alpha explores new strategic areas for business expansion and incubates several projects such as Woven City and Arene, which is Woven Planet’s open software platform. AMP is a connected crowd-sourced software platform that helps the creation, development and distribution of high-definition maps―a key aspect of so-called smart and safe automated mobility. Continue reading

Posted in autonomous vehicles, electronics, mobility company, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CARB Warns of Toxic Metal Contaminants in Smoke from Fires

Smoke produced from the Camp Fire exposed Californians to dangerous levels of particulate matter and contained concerning levels of toxic metal contaminants, including lead, which spiked for about 24 hours. Continue reading

Posted in environment, news analysis, safety | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment