Safety


Ready, Set, Go! Clever stoplight concept counts down to green

We've got the stoplights in our neighborhood timed pretty well, but it's pretty painful when you're at a foreign intersection and have absolutely no idea when the light will turn green. We shift our vehicle into Neutral and give our left foot a break at a stoplight that we know is long, but at uncharted lights, we occasionally keep our clutch foot to the floor. One designer by the name of Damjan Stankovic decided we should wait no longer, so he designed an innovative-looking "Eko" stoplight that offers an easy to read indicator that shows ... Read more →

REPORT: NHTSA proposing new side airbag standards expected to cost $54 per car Jeremy Korzeniewski

Naturally, safety is a top priority for both automakers and consumers alike. It's also of paramount concern to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, which is the government body ...

REPORT: Ford loses appeal in rollover case, must pay $55M Chris Shunk

According to The Detroit News, the Supreme Court has let stand a ruling that Ford Motor Company is at fault for a 2002 rollover crash involving a 1997 Ford Explorer and the Dearborn, MI-based ...

REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall Chris Shunk

Last week Toyota publicly announced that it was recalling 3.8 million Avalon, Camry and Lexus ES 350 models on account of fears over unintended acceleration. The fix for Toyota's sudden ...

BREAKING: Toyota to recall 3.8M vehicles to reshape and replace pedals Chris Paukert

Toyota has announced that it will recall some 3.8 million cars and trucks to reshape and/or replace their accelerator pedals. The action is the result of fears that loose floormats may cause the ...

NHTSA opening probe into Ford Freestar/Mercury Monterey transmission defect 12 days ago on Autoblog

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating hundreds of reports that 2004-2005 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans are fitted with defective transmissions that could dangerously fail without warning. Most alarming is that many of the transmissions ...

Toyota extends Tundra rust recall to include 2000-03 models, totalling 110,000 trucks 12 days ago on Autoblog

If you've been following the Toyota Tundra rust saga, you're aware that NHSTA recently requested data from Toyota about the purported frame corrosion affecting 2000 and 2001 models. Today, Toyota has extended that recall to include the 2002-03 model years, saying that a small number of trucks ...

Dodge recalling nearly 85k 2007 Nitro models over failing wiper concern 12 days ago on Autoblog

Roughly 85,000 2007 Dodge Nitros are being recalled for a windshield wiper issue. Use of the delay settings could lead to the wiper not working at all in any setting. The recall is expected to begin this month, and dealers will repair the wiper mechanism and software for free. For further ...

REPORT: Toyota forced to submit data on Tundra frame rust to NHTSA 13 days ago on Autoblog

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a preliminary evaluation last month of rusting Tundra frames from the 2000 and 2001 model years. Around 200 complaints had been registered before the NHTSA commenced its investigation, with upwards of seventy more complaints coming ...

Jeep recalling over 161k 2007-2008 Wrangler AT models due to tranny temp. sensor absence 16 days ago on Autoblog

Owners of model year 2007-2008 Jeep Wranglers with automatic transmissions may have to visit their local dealers as Chrysler is recalling 161,450 of the SUVs over potential transmission overheating problems. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), Wrangler ...

REPORT: Toyota may 'shorten' gas pedals to fix unintended acceleration issue 17 days ago on Autoblog

The Toyota "unintended acceleration" issue has been a hot-button topic for nearly two months, with the Japanese automaker working closely with the National Highway Traffic Safety Association to come up with a permanent solution to the growing problem. Toyota recently published a statement to ...

Pole Dance: NHTSA to add new side-impact crash test? [w/VIDEO] 18 days ago on Autoblog

Not satisfied with cars that manage crash forces well enough to avoid spilling your drink, and engines that run so clean they'll barely asphyxiate ants, a new crash test is reportedly coming in the works from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Along with the test will come new ...

2010 Top Safety Picks announced by IIHS, new roof strength rule shakes things up 18 days ago on Autoblog

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has once again announced the winners of its Top Safety Pick award – all 27 of them. This time out, 19 cars and eight SUVs made the all-important grade. To break it down a bit for you, Subaru is the only make to earn top marks in each of the ...

Mercedes-Benz and Hughes release app-based "mbrace" telematics for iPhone, Blackberry 19 days ago on Autoblog

Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with Hughes Telematics to begin offering a new system that allows drivers to enable dozens of their vehicles features with their Apple iPhone or Blackberry. Dubbed "mbrace," the telematics setup covers everything from locking and unlocking doors to contacting roadside ...

Mitsubishi recalls nearly 30k 2008-2009 Lancer/Lancer EVO models over airbag sensors 19 days ago on Autoblog

Potential corrosion of the front impact airbag sensor has prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall up to 29,353 2008-2009 Mitsubishi Lancer and Lancer Evolution models. NHTSA is concerned that long-term exposure to a mixture of melted snow and salt thrown up by ...

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG crash-test video shows off exploding door hinges 19 days ago on Autoblog

It's a sad fact that incredibly expensive, highly desirable cars have to be smashed to bits in the name of safety, but we have to admit we quietly enjoy watching the carnage. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG had to endure its time with the crash barrier, and the video proves that the $200,000 supercar ...

REPORT: Michigan legislature pondering eco-friendly motoring tips in driving school 20 days ago on Autoblog

There's always a mouthful of teeth gnashing whenever lax US driver's ed standards are brought up. Yes, we need sixteen-year-olds on the road so they can get to their part time jobs at Taco Bell, but most are really lousy drivers. Or are they just uneducated drivers? Remember, even though 9 and 3 ...

REPORT: Toyota may offer to fix 4 million accelerator pedals 21 days ago on Autoblog

While Toyota maintains its position that recent accelerator issues have only to do with floor mats, the company has reportedly agreed to "make changes to gas pedals in certain U.S. models under an agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration." That means that 3.8 million ...

VIDEO: Low-flying pelican results in Bugatti Veyron Hydro Edition [*UPDATE: Now with actual crash footage!] 24 days ago on Autoblog

This is one of the saddest, yet most amusing sights we've ever seen. A $1.6 million Bugatti Veyron sitting in a salt water lagoon, door open, in two feet of nasty, corrosion-inducing muddy water. While the sight is sad, how the event allegedly transpired is downright hilarious. The unnamed owner ...

NHTSA to investigate 3 million 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee over gas tank fires? 24 days ago on Autoblog

The position of the plastic fuel tanks in 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees makes them potential fireballs, argues the Center for Auto Safety. The nonprofit organization says that the fuel tank's location makes the pre-2005 Grand Cherokees prone to catching on fire when involved in an accident. ...

REPORT: More than 25% of US bridges are "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete" 25 days ago on Autoblog

Here's some bad news for all of us: Over 150,000 bridges in the U.S. have been judged to be "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." And get this, there are less than 598,000 bridges in America. That means 25.7% aren't in very good shape. It turns out that the state with the most ...

REPORT: NHTSA probe opened into Honda airbag recall timing 27 days ago on Autoblog

Over the last year, Honda has recalled roughly 444,000 vehicles to repair overpressurized airbag inflators in certain 2001-2002 Honda Accord, 2001 Civic and 2002-2003 Acura TL models. According to the automaker, there has been one death and multiple injuries stemming from the defect, which can ...

Class action suit filed against Toyota over sudden acceleration claims 27 days ago on Autoblog

Following a statement from the DOT and NHTSA asserting that the unintended acceleration issue potentially involving millions of Toyota vehicles is "not closed," McCuneWright, LLP, a law firm in Southern California, has filed a national class action lawsuit on behalf of all Toyota and Lexus ...

NHTSA study indicates hybrids have higher pedestrian crash rates 28 days ago on Autoblog

A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that hybrid vehicles are more likely to be involved in accidents with pedestrians and bicyclists under certain scenarios. According to state-level accident data, 77 of 8,387 hybrid vehicles (that's .9 percent) were ...

VIDEO: Mind the pole, please 28 days ago on Autoblog

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/comedy/Parking_Job_At_Its_Best'; Spending all day blogging from the comfort of our mothers' basements and/or top-secret Dr. No-style lairs, we sometimes forget that there's a world out there filled with people who engage in truly questionable things. And then we get ...

REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation 1 month ago on Autoblog

Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared in a statement that ...

Ford unveils industry's first* production inflatable seat belts [w/VIDEO] 1 month ago on Autoblog

They started out in our steering wheels before taking up residence across the dash. They then migrated to the side of our vehicles and grew to be full-sized curtains. Automakers seem to stick them everywhere, so where else can airbags go to protect our fleshy, organic bodies when metal meets ...

GM recalling 53,000 Chevy Cobalt, Saturn Ion, and Pontiac G5 models over fuel leak concern 1 month ago on Autoblog

General Motors may have shed itself of much of its pre-bankruptcy problems, but the automaker still has to tend to its warranty and recall duties. As such, GM is recalling 53,000 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion models for a potential fuel leak problem that the National Highway Traffic ...

STUDY: 30% of you are genetically predisposed to drive poorly 1 month ago on Autoblog

Well, this explains everything. Scientists scientifically studied the brains of 29 people. Of those, 22 had normal brains while the other seven had a genetic variant that stops their brain from secreting something called a neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Without the BDNF, new memories aren't formed ...

Mazda recalls nearly 40,000 B-Series pickups over cruise control issues 1 month ago on Autoblog

Last month, Ford widened its cruise control switch recall to 4.5 million vehicles. Included in the growing list of cars and trucks was the Ford Ranger pickup – the mechanical twin to the now-discontinued Mazda B-Series pickup. Not surprisingly, the National Highway Traffic Safety ...

Toyota plans to trim trucks, focus on hybrids, improve quality 1 month ago on Autoblog

Stick with what you know. That seems to be Toyota's new mantra going forward, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly diverted its attention away from large trucks like the largely unsuccessful and slow-selling Tundra pickup and back on hybrid vehicles – possibly all wearing the Prius ...

VIDEO: Seattle earthquake viaduct simulation released; timing politically motivated? 1 month ago on Autoblog

The Alaskan Way Viaduct (AWV) is an elevated roadway running along the Elliot Bay Waterway in Seattle. An earthquake in 2001 damaged the viaduct, and the structural degradation has only gotten worse over the years. To forestall the possibility of having the conduit collapse in another natural ...

Nissan recalls 163,000+ 2008-2009 Rogue crossovers over potential steering fault 1 month ago on Autoblog

On Sunday, we brought you word of a Nissan recall affecting 2009-2010 Altima sedans, and today, we bring you word of an even larger safety issue impacting its CUV lineup. The Japanese automaker is recalling 163,659 2008 and 2009 model year Rogue crossovers due to a potentially serious safety ...

REPORT: NHTSA upgrading investigation into Honda Odyssey brakes 1 month ago on Autoblog

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has upgraded their preliminary probe into an issue with the Honda Odyssey to an engineering analysis. The agency has received more than 500 complaints about a braking problem, with drivers saying the pedal gets soft or spongy. According ...

NHTSA releases new info about crash that prompted Toyota floormat recall 1 month ago on Autoblog

Contrary to previous reports, the death of a four people and the largest recall in Toyota's history was caused by a compound of errors. The initial buzz/word on the virtual street suggested that it was simply an improperly placed floor mat that doomed CHP officer Mark Saylor and three family ...

REPORT: Tata investigating as Nano owners report steering column fires 1 month ago on Autoblog

If we weren't car guys, we could understand the attraction of a bare-bones car with a sticker price coming in at a fraction of a conventional car's. Heck, we still do. But we know as well as you do that in order to get the pricing that low, corners probably have to be cut somewhere. And when ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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