Category Archives: safety

Tony Stewart Driver Death Case to go to a Grand Jury

NASCAR, with the growing list of NFL female abuse (Ray Rice) and child abuse (Adrian Stewart, no relation to Tony) cases as a backdrop, said, “We are aware of the completed investigation and the announced next steps. Continue reading

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GM Throws Technology Gauntlet – V2V Cadillacs in 2 Years

GM’s CEO Mary Barra said yesterday that GM would offer vehicle-to-vehicle communication, V2V in that awful techie jargon, as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and ultimately, fully autonomous driving starting two years from now in a 2017 model Cadillac CTS. Continue reading

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Voice Recognition Growing Problem in New Cars

Automakers continue to struggle with the growing demand for automotive electronics in the so-called connected car. It turns out the car is not always connected to the web or phone or is linked in an ineffective way that is turning customers off. As a result, there is a growing case of, well, Bluetooth blues among drivers. More than half (52%) of these owners use an iPhone and 41% use an Android phone. Continue reading

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Legal Woes at Porsche Continue

The so-called Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart will try two former executive board members of Porsche Automobil Holding SE in the aborted takeover caper where Porsche attempted to win control of the Volkswagen Group. Continue reading

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Chinese Junk – Two Dead from Ace Beanbag Chairs

Two American children are dead from suffocating in beanbag chairs from Ace Bayou Corp., of New Orleans, La. As a result, about 2.2 million beanbag chairs are now recalled in the U.S. It appears that the zippers on the Chinese-made beanbag chairs can be opened and children can then crawl inside, are trapped and suffocate or choke on the beanbag chair’s foam beads. Continue reading

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Court of Appeals Rules against Hedge Funds in Porsche Caper

Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart has won another legal round in a fight with U.S. hedge funds over Porsche’s aborted attempt to take over Volkswagen, which resulted in exact opposite effect of VW Group swallowing Porsche whole. Continue reading

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FAA Warning on Syria as US remains Ensnared in Conflict

There is no question the ongoing armed conflict and volatile security environment in Syria poses a serious threat to civil aviation. Continue reading

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Volkswagen, Chrysler Recall Defective Ignition Switches, Airbags

Chrysler Group and Volkswagen are the latest automakers to be affected by defective ignition switches that make airbags inoperative. Only in this recall the supplier is not Delphi, which supplied GM, but a company called Methode Electronics of Golden, IL. … Continue reading

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FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Sites in Place

The unmanned planes represent the latest government and/or private industry assault on personal privacy. If you think speeding cameras are bad, wait a couple of years. They also pose a real safety threat to other aircraft, and depending on how you cut the statistics they are up to 300 times more likely to crash than small, manned aircraft that are currently used for surveillance and traffic enforcement. Continue reading

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Chinese Junk Watch – ESL Smoke Detectors that Sleep

The latest Chinese Junk recall involves thirty-three models of the 400 and 500 series Edwards branded – ESL and Interlogix – smoke detectors Continue reading

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Hyundai Fined $17.35 Million in Genesis Recall Delay

The Korean scofflaw will also accept additional NHTSA oversight requirements as outlined in a Consent Order because of the manufacturer failing to report a safety defect affecting 2009-2012 Hyundai Genesis vehicles. The Genesis safety defect causes corrosion in brake system components, leading to reduced braking effectiveness and increasing the risk of a crash. Continue reading

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More GM Recalls Including Ignition Switches, Airbags, Brakes

The recall crisis at GM continued today with the announcement of six more serious safety defects covering a quarter of a million vehicles. This follows the revelation this week that almost 190,000 GM vehicles will have to be parked outside because they can self-immolate. The catch here is that redesigned power window switches that can prevent fires will not be available until October. Continue reading

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More GM Recalls on 717,950 Newer Vehicles

GM has today recalled almost three quarters of a million late-model vehicles for various safety defects. If there is any good news in the latest safety defects, it is they do not involve deadly ignition switches. Instead, seats, turn signals, and power steering, suspension failures leading to steering loss, and defective airbags are the latest safety defects. Continue reading

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BMW Caught in Takata Airbag Recall as 574,000 Bimmers Affected in an Expanded Campaign

BMW of North America is recalling 574,000 3-series  cars with Takata airbags. Affected are model-year 2000 323i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sports Wagons; 2000 328i sedans and coupes; 2001-2005 325i sedans, coupes, convertibles, and Sport Wagons; 2001-2005 325xi sedans and … Continue reading

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Delphi Ducks Senate Bullet over GM Ignition Tragedy. Part Number Red Herring as Industry doesn’t Always Change Them

Normally, suppliers are resentful over the credit original equipment automakers take for all the work they do. Not in the case of the deadly GM ignition switch, where Delphi – the supplier of the switch – was finally called upon to testify in front of the Senate last week. Continue reading

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