ARC Automotive Under NHTSA Investigation for Possibly Faulty Airbags, Refuses to Cooperate
I'm sure by now most people are familiar with the word "Takata." If they don't recognize the name, the controversy that popularized it is even more familiar; the Japanese auto-parts manufacturer is responsible for one of the largest worldwide vehicle recalls of all time. American and Japanese automakers contracted with Takata to provide airbag assemblies...
Tesla Model S Crashes, Battery Cells Ignite in Pyrotechnic Display
Does anybody else like retro-futurism? You may have seen examples of it without knowing its name, but the label applies to what people of previous periods in history thought the future would look like. For instance, concept art generated in the fifties depicts smiling people in silvery jumpsuits strolling across a gleaming Martian city toward...
Hyundai Recalls Sonata for Ejecting Sunroof
In what had to be an embarrassing press release, Hyundai Motors announced the recall of certain 2015 and 2016 Sonata models with panoramic sunroofs. An estimated 62,811 "potentially affected" vehicles are believed to on the road at this time. It appears the affected Sonatas have problems keeping the sunroofs' tempered glass sheets secured to the...
Hyundai Genesis Coupes Recalled for Airbag System Error
Hyundai Motors has announced a recall of over 84,000 Genesis Coupe vehicles, effective December 2. It appears that once again, airbags are the central issue of an automotive recall. According to Hyundai, Genesis Coupes sold from 2010 through 2016 may suffer from electrical problems that affect airbag deployment. Given that the 2010 model was the...
How Many People Could Be Hurt By Jeep Wrangler Airbags?
News broke today that Fiat-Chrysler is recalling 220,000 2016 and 2017 Jeep Wranglers due to a wiring issue, which could cause airbags not to inflate and seat pretensioners not to engage during an accident. At this time there have been no reported injuries or fatalities due to this product defect, but that may simply be...
Fiat Chrysler Recalls Late-Model Jeep Wranglers for Airbag Wiring Fault
Another day, another auto recall for airbags that blow up, burst out randomly, or fail entirely. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has announced a recall of approximately 224,000 vehicles with potentially-faulty airbag sensors. The worldwide recall affects certain 2016 and 2017 models of the Jeep Wrangler SUV. In information released to the NHTSA, Fiat Chrysler notes...
Musnuff v. Haeger: Large Companies Hiding Evidence
One of the less discussed cases on the 2016 Supreme Court docket is Musnuff v. Haeger. The case is fascinating on a couple of levels. First, it is more confirmation that in civil litigation, large defendants and their attorneys will often go to great lengths to hide and obscure vital, potentially damaging evidence. Secondly, the...
The Electric GM Battery Test: Lithium and the Law
As circumstances have forced us to report several times recently, lithium-ion battery technology is far from perfect. A fully-depleted lithium-ion battery cannot be conventionally disposed of, as it required specialized recycling or hazardous-waste disposal. More than that, the composition of the battery can make it prone to thermal runaway events, which cause the battery to...
NHTSA Launches Investigation of 2012 Nissan Versa Airbag Sensors
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (or NHTSA, for brevity fans) has released information about a new investigation into approximately 155,000 Nissan Versa vehicles from the 2012 line. According to the report, three complaints have thus far been filed by motorists who have experienced allegedly-spontaneous side airbag deployment from forcefully closing their car doors....
Bug in the Bag: GM Recalls Vehicles for Software Defect
General Motors is in trouble again. I'd tell you to buckle up, but because of poorly written computer code, even that might not be enough. GM issued a recall of approximately 4.3 million cars, trucks, and vans worldwide after chasing down a bug in their software that can prevent the vehicles' airbags from deploying during...
Big-Rig Explosion in Quemado, Texas and the Law
If you pay attention to the news at all, or you have an interest in feeling safe in your own car, you've probably heard the name "Takata" coming up occasionally over the past year or two. A truck accident and explosion this past week in Quemado, Texas, which killed 69-year-old Lucila Robles, has thrust Takata...
5th-Wheel Hatchbacks Trailers: Some Ideas Should Stay Dead
One of the more interesting parts of American history is that so much of what we take for granted started with someone saying, "Wouldn't it be neat if...?" Then that person either invents something that can do the task they were thinking of, or sparks an idea in another who solves that problem. Of course,...
Stop Me if You’ve Heard This Before: Honda Airbag Recall…
It is getting pretty hard to come up with new Honda Airbag recall headlines. Honda has announced an airbag-related recall for 25,367 2015-2016 Fit LXs. Apparently, poorly manufactured rear grab handle brackets can puncture the side curtain airbags when they deploy. In short, you get hit, the side curtain airbags are supposed to protect you,...
110,000 Ford Edge Vehicles Recalled Due to Fire Hazard
Despite being based in Michigan, it appears that Ford did not get the memo that during winter, northern states coat their roadways with salt to melt the snow and ice. If Ford had known this carefully hidden secret of "northern culture," they would not need to recall 110,000 2009-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX cars,...
Another ‘Nother Honda Airbag Recall?
Last Thursday, October 29, was a really rough for Honda. As we wrote about earlier, Honda already announced one airbag related recall, involving an issue with the driver's side airbags in a little over 500 Honda CR-Vs. Later the same day, they announced the recall of 304,000 2008-2009 Honda Accords, due to a malfunctioning side...
Another Honda Airbag Recall?
Last Thursday, October 29, Honda announced another airbag recall related to malfunctioning Takata airbags that can potentially rupture and shoot metal fragments into a driver. The recall affects 515 2016 Honda CR-V's. While absolutely tiny compared to the massive recall of over 19 million vehicles earlier in the year, it appears that the problem is...
18-Wheeler Rollover Accidents Shouldn’t Be Fatal
There is a huge problem that has been claiming the lives of truck drivers for years, yet most people are completely unaware that it's even a problem: minor rollover incidents that crush truckers to death. At certain high speeds a rollover accident is simply unsurvivable, and I'm not suggesting that manufacturers build indestructible cars that...
18-Wheelers Have Unprotected Fuel Tanks and That’s a Problem
Each year, somewhere between several dozen and one hundred truck drivers burn to death. These incidents get reported, the news basically implies that the truck drivers killed themselves, and no one seems to care beyond that. Then it happens again, and again, and again. But let's get one thing perfectly clear. The majority of these...
