Auto Safety News
U.S. Traffic Fatalities Hit Lowest Level In Six Decades Across-the-board declines were registered in 2009 despite a slight increase in road travel.
Ford Settles Case Alleging Wrongful Death of Former Met Second settlement this year where plaintiff alleged defective seat belt.
Important Things You Should Know About Tire Shopping There's more than price to consider when the rubber meets the road.
House Bill Mandates 'Black Boxes' For All Cars Wide-ranging measure also includes mandatory emergency braking system.
Suit Claims BMW Airbags Defective Class action seeks damages for drivers injured when bags deploy for no reason.
Toyota Recalls 2010 Lexus SUVs Company says it has fix for flaw highlighted by Consumer Reports.
Toyota Denies Prius Recall is in the Works Denial comes day after out-of-control Prius incident on San Diego Freeway.
New Jersey Drivers Ignoring Cell Phone Ban Poll shows texting while driving increasing.
Consumers Say Sudden Acceleration Problems Nothing New Toyota, Ford, Chrysler all figure in consumer complaints of unintended acceleration.
Two Toyota Models Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Award Scion xB and Corolla get high marks in battery of tests.
Feds Unveil Sample Bill Banning Texting While Driving Prototype draws wide support.
Toyota Memo Bragged About Limiting 2007 Recall Document cites savings to company in recalling only floor mats.
Toyota Issues Recall To Fix Prius Brake Problem But only 2010 models are included in recall.
Toyota Suspends Sales of Popular Models Plagued by Sticking Accelerators Unprecedented sales hiatus leaves dealers with little to offer customers.
Toyota Recalls 2.3 Million More Vehicles to Fix Runaway Acceleration 4.2 million Toyotas and Lexuses were recalled late last year for a similar problem.
Toyota, Lexus Lead The Pack For Sudden Acceleration Problems Analysis of complaints database finds Ford close behind.
NHTSA Scolds Toyota's 'Misleading' Statements Just removing floor mats doesn't fix the problem, agency says.
Minicars Perform Poorly in Insurance Institute Crash Tests Safety tests show safety trade-off when consumers choose the very smallest car.
IIHS Adopts Its Own Roof Safety Standards Subaru and Honda brands among high scorers in new test.
Three Big Pickups Look Wimpy in Side Tests Silverado, Ram, Titan do poor job of protecting passengers.
Feds Propose New Safety Rules for Motorcycle Helmets DOT requires labels for certified helmets, certification for novelty helmets.
Court Upholds Public Access to Crash Data Taxpayer-owned tire safety data has been hidden from the public.
Feds Study Hyundai Airbag Failures Several Hyundai models the focus of safety probes.
Feds Investigate Suspension Failure in Hyundai Santa Fe Some failures occurred at high speeds.
Feds Delay New Roof-Crush Rule til October Safety agency bows to protests from consumer leaders, safety advocates, Congress.
NHTSA Probes Saturn Timing Chain Again More than 400,000 L-Series cars could be affected.
NHTSA to Hear 'Silent Killer' Complaints Hybrids pose risk to visually impaired.
Golf Cart Injuries Increasing Adolescent, elderly males have high injury rates.
Nader Protests Feds' Roof Crush Plan Bush 'doesn't give a darn about it.'
Treacherous Treads Still Taking Lives Firestone tires on a Ford Explorer can still be a lethal combination.
Ford Class Action Settlement Leaves Consumers in the Dust Explorer rollover case among the 'very worst' settlements.
Midsize Side Impact Tests Show Safety Improvements Seven models get highest rating for occupant protection.
High-Speed Steering Shimmy in Ford F-250, F-350 Probed Some big haulers 'out of control.'
Drivers Impaired Just by Listening to Cell Phone Listening drivers make mistakes similar to drunken drivers.
Ford Fires Continue Despite Long-Delayed Federal Warning Feds waited years to issue 'urgent' advisory about fire danger.
VW New Beetle Air Bags May Fail Ice formation in engine can cause problems.
Hazards of Rent-A-Car Child Safety Seats Consumer makes noise about illegal, unsafe seats; gets results.
1 Million Evenflo Infant Car Seats Recalled Seats pose 'serious risk' of death or injury.
Feds Revise Child Safety Seat Ratings New guideliness measure ease of use, installation procedures.
Winter Weather Warning for Prius Drivers Traction control shuts down engine on slippery surface.
Feds Delay Roof Strength Rule Again Safety advocates say latest proposal is inadequate.
Lexus EX35, Cadillac CTS Named Top Safety Picks Insurance Institute picks state-of-the-art vehicles.
Feds Probe Airbag Failures in BMWs Inquiry could lead to a recall.
Obesity Linked to Decreased Seatbelt Use Researchers suggest greater availability of seat belt extenders.
Driving While Phoning Gums Up Traffic, Study Finds Distracted drivers slower to react.
Jumpin' Jeep Injures Two at Minneapolis Car Wash Jeep owners beware: Jeeps and car washes don't mix.
Ford Settles Explorer Rollover Lawsuits Consumers will get discounts on new Fords.
Feds Probe Ford F-250, F-350, Five Hundred, Freestyle Loss of control plagues trucks, cars have instrument problems.
Top Safety Awards Go to 34 Cars, SUVs and a Pickup Number of top awards more than doubles this year.
Jumpin' Jeeps Ruin Lives, Destroy Property Years of accidents, reports, complaints yield no action.
Midsize SUVs Perform Poorly in Side Impacts Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet TrailBlazer among the worst tested.
OnStar Goes in Pursuit of Bad Guys New service disables stolen cars.
Toyota Recalls Floor Mats, NHTSA Warns Prius Owners Not all Priuis owners buy the floor mat theory.
Feds "Aware Of" Prius Runaway Acceleration Car seems OK after a "reboot" but the problem often recurs later.
Feds Require Side Curtain Airbags by 2013 Smaller test dummies will provide more protection for petite females.
Groups Sue to Block Mexican Trucks from U.S. Highways Trucks could start to roll as early as Saturday under Bush program.
Honda's Immaculate Airbag Deployment 2006 Honda Civic wins "Lemon of the Week" award.
Red Hot Texas Car-B-Que Ford vehicles continue to burn as massive recall coasts along.
Saturn Astra Named Safest Car Under $25,000 The Astra is Saturn's latest rebadged Opel.
Prius Owners Report More Unintended Acceleration Incidents Toyota denies the problem exists, but consumers say otherwise.
Kerry Vows Action to Get Flaming Fords Off the Road Senator: "Unacceptable" that numerous recalls have not solved problem.
Massive Ford Recall to Fix Fire Hazard Despite Earlier Recalls, Fords Have Continued to Burn
States Recall Chinese Tires Feds have been unable to force a recall because the tire importer is running low on cash.
Runaway Acceleration Plagues Prius Owners Toyota blames driver error or claims the carpet was on top of the accelerator pedal.
Roof Crush Summit Highlights Safety Shortcomings U.S. automakers reluctant to improve roof strength of cars and SUVs.
Feds Recall Chinese Tires Blamed for Fatal Van Accident Two killed when cargo van crashes in Pennsylvania after alleged tread separation.
Chinese Tires Blamed for Fatal Van Accident Two killed when cargo van crashes in Pennsylvania after alleged tread separation.
Mexican Truck Program Endangers Motorists, Opponents Charge Poll finds majority of Americans oppose program.
Study Warns of Dangerous Chemicals in Child Car Seats Some seats better than others, environment group finds.
Study Calls for Stronger Seat Belt Law Enforcement States with tougher enforcement get results, study finds.
Spit Spark Plug Ignites Ford Truck Federal safety regulators look the other way. Ford mechanic complains Triton engines are "dropping like flies."
Congress Urged to Protect Children from Vehicle Deaths Federal safety regulators and automakers refuse to act, Public Citizen charges.
Motorcycle Death Rates Rising, Safety Chief Warns Wants helmets, driver education to be standard equipment.
Researcher Says Airbags Pose Threat To Hearing An airbag might save your life in an accident but it could also cost you your hearing.
NHTSA Gives Five Stars to 24 Passenger Vehicles But none earned five stars for front and side impact plus rollover resistance.
GM Buys Back 800 Problem Cars and Trucks Fleet vehicles were retrofitted with leather seats, possibly causing airbag sensor problems.
Feds Propose New Auto Safety Tests Too many cars getting five stars.
Infant Fatalities Illustrate Car Seats' Shortcomings Infants die when car seats fail as predicted in Consumer Reports' testing.
Child Car Seats Not Up to the Challenge Consumer Reports finds serious safety issues in most seats tested.
Toyota Says Sweat Detector Stops Drunk Drivers New system uses sweat from driver's hand to analyze blood alcohol content.
Parents Still Clueless About Child Safety Seats Feds find parents still don't know about LATCH system and rely instead on seat belts to anchor infant seats.
Consumers Choosing Tiny Cars Despite Safety Risks Subcompact sales up 42 percent as consumers seek fuel savings.
GM to Offer Rollover Airbags, Ford to Strengthen Roofs Automakers moving ahead of safety regulators, consumer advocates note.
Striking Union Questions Goodyear Tire Quality on YouTube Steelworkers use YouTube to raise doubts about tires produced during strike.
Safety Groups Want Earlier Stability Control Rule Safety device could save 10,000 lives per year, Public Citizen argues.
Honda, Subaru Top IIHS' Safety Picks List Less expensive cars beat out more expensive brands this year.
Feds Find Backup Sensors Ineffective Automakers also claim the devices are expensive and would save few lives.
Automakers Lobby to Weaken Roof Strength Proposal Safety advocates say proposed rules are already too weak.
Simpler Dashboards Might Make Cars Safer Study finds distracted drivers need simpler instrument panel.
New Study: Side and Roof Airbags Save Lives Universal adoption could save thousands of lives yearly, insurance study finds.
Road Rage Common Among Commuters Study finds more than half of daily commuters regularly experience anger at other drivers.
Study: Aggressive Driving Negates Benefits of Safety Devices Researchers find drivers' behavior changes for the worse in cars equipped with the latest safety gear.
Certified Dangerous: Airbags and Used Cars A five-month ConsumerAffairs.com investigation finds widespread fraud by unscrupulous scam artists who rebuild wrecked cars and sell them as "certified."
Feds Order Electronic Stability Control on All Cars Automakers have until 2012 to comply.
Ford Makes Stability Control Standard for 2009 Trying to regain its own stability, Ford plans safety upgrades for 2009.
2006 Jeep Commander Named Worst "Blind Zone" Offender Children most frequent victims of "backover" accidents.
Sleepy Truck Drivers a Significant Safety Risk Study finds sleep apnea and chronic lack of sleep are big problems.
Feds Wind Up Ford Engine Fire Probe with Massive Recall Latest recall involves 1.2 million trucks still at risk of catching fire while parked.
Study: Drivers Using Cell Phones As Bad As Drunks Researchers find using both handheld and hands-free cell phones as dangerous as driving drunk.
Study: Car's Middle Back Seat is Safest Bigger "crush zone" protects occupants riding "on the hump."
NHTSA Releases 2006 Child Safety Seat Ratings Seats easier to use, survey finds.
Jeep Grand Cherokee May Suddenly Accelerate Incidents in Connecticut mirror those reported by consumers around the country.
NHTSA Gives 2006 SUVs High Marks Chevrolet HHR the highest-rated SUV, Nissan Xterra 4x4 the lowest-rated.
Survey: Outlaw Cell Phone Use While Driving Most people would support a state law that makes it illegal to use a cell phone while driving, a University of Michigan study finds.
Cell Phone No. 1 Driver Distraction Study finds distracted drivers three times more likely to have an accident.
Kia Sedona, Subaru Impreza Ace Crash Tests Prius rated poor without optional side airbags.
Kids Getting Too Fat For Safety Seats, Study Finds Seats need to be redesigned to accommodate bigger kids, study finds.
Feds Probe Airbag Problems in Chrysler Minivans Corrosion can cause airbags to fail, or to open improperly.
NTSA Probes Toyota Sienna Tire Pressure System Tire pressure and regulating system can fail.
Three States Consider Limits on Black Boxes Insurers, police increasingly see cars' black boxes as evidence.
Honolulu Leads in Motorcycle Thefts, NYC in Accidents Bikers beware! Some cities are a lot riskier than others.
Statistics Show Airbags Getting Safer Fewer airbag-related deaths and injuries reported.
A Wild Ride in a Prius Michigan man's cruise control switches to runaway mode as car accelerates at full throttle.
NHTSA Grants Airbag Exemption to Romanian SUV Company claims it would go out of business if it had to make a safe vehicle.
Study: SUVs No Safer Than Cars Children riding in SUVs have similar injury risks to children who ride in passenger cars, study finds.
New York Taxi Fire Puts Heat on Ford Sen. Schumer wants Ford to provide gas tank shields for Crown Victoria cabs.
More Drivers Talking On Cell Phones The number of drivers talking on a cell phone at any given daylight moment continued to increase in 2005, according to the latest research.
Consumer Advocates Challenge Regional Auto Recalls Suit challenges policy that allows automakers to limit recalls involving defects related to regional conditions such as snow or heat.
Mid-Size Cars Sweep Top Safety Pick Awards Winners are mostly mid- and fill-size sedans. No minivans made the cut.
NHTSA Investigating Dodge Dakota and Durango Steering problem can cause loss of control.
Toyota Recalls Scion tC to Fix Wind Deflector Deflector could shatter if hit by road debris.
Bridgestone Settles with Ford Companies settle long-standing suit over Explorer rollovers.
After Years of Stonewalling, Ford Recalls 4 Million Trucks to Fix Fire Risk F-150s and other popular trucks at high risk of bursting into flames while unattended.
Feds Say Tire Quality Has Improved Nearly 90 tire lines get "A" rating for safety and reliability.
NHTSA Proposes New Child Safety Seat Rules Booster seats for larger children would be more stringently tested.
Consumers Confounded by Sudden Acceleration Problems Despite 20,000 complaints, feds blame driver error.
