Category Archives: safety

Class Action Suit Filed Against F-150 EcoBoost Engines for Stalling

More than $500,000,000 in damages is requested by 100 plaintiffs in what could be a prolonged image-damaging class action lawsuit about Ford’s claimed fuel economy breakthrough. Ford has issued two service bulletins to dealers about the problem, before redesigning the intake system for the 2013 model year. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, litigation, safety | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

2014 Chevrolet Impala has Valet Mode to Protect Data

The revised Chevrolet Impala sedan with the optional infotainment system has a “valet mode” that locks up small personal items as well as protecting the addresses and contacts stored in MyLink. The password activated retractable faceplate covers a storage bin large enough to hold a wallet, MP3 player and smartphone. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, design and styling, distracted driving, marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BMW Recalls More than 500,000 Cars for Sudden Stalling

BMW is recalling more than 500,000 of its cars because a defective electrical connector can cause the vehicles to stall suddenly. Affected are 2008-2012 model 1-Series coupes and convertibles, 2007-2011 3-Series coupes, convertibles and wagons, as well as 2009-2011 Z4 sports cars. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, recalls | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

BMW Expands Braking Failure Recall to X5 SUVs

BMW is expanding an earlier recall for braking failure to more than 30,000 2007-2010 model X5 sport utility vehicles equipped with a V8 engine. The German automaker had previously recalled 5-, 6-, and 7- Series models in 2010 for the same problem. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Transocean Pleads Guilty of Environmental Crimes in Gulf Oil Spill. $400 Million in Penalties for its Role in Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Transocean Deepwater pleaded guilty today to a violation of the Clean Water Act for its illegal conduct leading to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The drilling company was sentenced to pay $400 million in criminal fines and penalties, Attorney General Holder announced today. Continue reading

Posted in energy, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More Spills in Gulf of Mexico as U.S. Files Suit against ATP Oil

Today the United States filed suit against ATP Oil & Gas Corporation and ATP Infrastructure Partners for civil penalties and injunctive relief under the Clean Water Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The complaint alleges unlawful discharges of oil and banned chemical dispersants from the defendants’ floating oil and gas production platform, the ATP Innovator, into the Gulf of Mexico. The drilling rig is operating 45 nautical miles offshore of southeastern Louisiana. Continue reading

Posted in energy, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EPA Banning D-Con Mouse and Rat Poisons Because of Children

About 10,000 children a year are accidentally exposed to mouse and rat baits, and EPA has worked with companies to ensure that products are both safe to use around children and effective for consumers, EPA said in a statement. Reckitt Benckiser, the British maker of D-Con brand products, is the only producer of poisons that has refused to adopt EPA’s safety standards for all of its consumer use products. Continue reading

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

Toyota Recalls More than 1 Million Corolla and Lexus IS Cars

Bad airbags and windshield wipers are forcing the recalls of 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix models and 270,000 Lexus IS cars by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S. The two separate safety recalls are the result of a defective airbag control module … Continue reading

Posted in auto news, engineering, quality, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BP Sentenced to Pay $4 Billion for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Crimes

Nevertheless, the penalty remains a small fraction of the actual damage caused by pumping at least 5 billion gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This means that BP is paying less than $1 a gallon for the criminal spill and destruction of the environment. Continue reading

Posted in fools 'n frauds, litigation, news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Court of Appeals Throws Out EPA Cellulosic Mandate for Refiners

While the enabling legislation was noble at least in its publicly stated intent – the U.S. sends over $1,000,000 a minute to oil exporting nations, many of whom are hostile to us – it was in the end a sordid tale of special interests feeding at the public trough. Worse, the legislation dictated the types and amounts of fuel to be used to gain energy independence – in effect a dreaded and ineffective design standard – instead of a performance standard that sets broad goals and lets industry and the marketplace work out the issues. Continue reading

Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, litigation, news | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honda Recalls 748,000 Pilot, Odyssey Models for Defective Airbags

Honda is recalling 2009-2013 Pilot crossover models and 2011-2013 Odyssey minivans built in Alabama because rivets that attach the airbag module to the airbag cover may be missing. The absence of more than one rivet could alter the performance of the driver’s airbag during deployment,increasing the risk of injury. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, manufacturing, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Second Alabama Cop to Serve Time for I-65 Motorist Thefts

A second Alabama police officer has been sentenced to serve time because of his thefts from motorists on I-65. Former Fort Deposit police officer Carlos Tyson Bennett, 37, was sentenced to 37 months in prison, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $500 in restitution. Bennett stole money from motorists during traffic stops with another ex Fort Deposit cop, Jessie Alan Fuller, on Interstate 65 in 2009. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, fools 'n frauds, insurance, litigation, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More Than 17.8 Million Safety Recalls During 2012 in U.S.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that manufacturers conducted 650 safety recalls, affecting more than 17.8 million vehicles, child seats and equipment during calendar year 2012. Toyota at 5.3 million vehicles recalled, Honda at 3.4 million, General Motors at 1.5 million, Ford at 1.4 million and Chrysler at 1.3 million have the dubious distinction of leading the recall list. The record year for recalls remains 2004 when almost 31 million safety actions were taken. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, news analysis, recalls, safety | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Used Motor Vehicle Dealers Indicted for Odometer Tampering

A federal grand jury in Philadelphia charged Kyle Novitsky, 45, and Judith Aloe, 52, both of North Miami Beach, Florida with making false odometer statements, securities fraud and conspiracy, the Justice Department announced today. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, fools 'n frauds, litigation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

FAA Finally Grounds Boeing 787. Reluctant Regulator Acts after Two Fires. De Havilland Comet like Tragedy Avoided – for the Moment

The FAA has finally grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after yet another life threatening incident, the apparent failure and fire of a lithium ion battery-pack during the flight of a Nippon Air 787. The reluctant safety regulator finally acted only days after the DOT head, Republican Ray La Hood, claimed that the so called Dreamliner was safe to fly in the face of a growing number of troubling incidents that included the fire on the ground of a 787 at Logan Airport in Boston. Continue reading

Posted in aviation, news, safety | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment