Nissan is conducting a safety campaign on a small number of 2014 Nissan Leaf EV’s after a routine quality inspection found a vehicle that was missing several front member welds. Vehicles with several structure welds out of specification fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 208; Occupant Crash Protection, and FMVSS No. 305; Electric-powered vehicles: electrolyte spillage and electrical shock protection. Continue reading

Certain 2011-2014 Hyundai Tucson vehicle may be affected by a manufacturing problem that could lead to the drivers side airbag inadvertently deploying or not deploy at all during an accident.

According to reports filed with the NHTSA, during assembly, it is possible that the bolts attaching the driver’s airbag module to the steering wheel assembly were not properly torqued. Over time, the bolts could loosen causing a rattling noise and could eventually detach from the steering wheel completely. There have been no reports of accidents or injury because of the problem. Continue reading

A record fine of $35 million U.S. will be paid out by GM after a government investigation into how GM handled the recall of 2.59 million vehicles over faulty ignition switches. GM’s agreement with regulators also includes significant changes into how the automobile manufacturer reviews safety problems and decides when to issue a recall.

  • G.M. will be required to meet monthly with regulators and provide a list of every safety problem under consideration, as well as report on any new communications with their dealers.
  • The company must also improve information sharing across its different units, make recall decisions more quickly and revise its analysis practices to improve the ability to identify safety issues.

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Caring for your tires is essential in keeping you safe, saving you money, and reducing your vehicles environmental impact. Most newer vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system, but by the time the warning goes off, your tires are already significantly under inflated.

The above video is a great resource put out by the NHTSA during their TireWise campaign, as a way to help consumers make smart decisions when buying and maintaining tires. For more information, visit NHTSA’s TireWise website.

Owners of certain 2013 Ford Escape sport utility vehicles are questioning whether their vehicles are lemons after receiving repeated recall notices and Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs). Nine notices have been issued within the past year for assorted problems involving fluid leaks, overheating engines, and potential engine fires. The most recent problem involves certain 2013-2014 Ford C-Max, Escape, and Fusion vehicles as well as certain 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. Continue reading

BMW will be issuing notices to approximately 156,137 BMW car and SUV owners regarding a problem that could increase the chance of an accident due to unexpected engine stalls. Owners of approximately 170,172 model year 2010-2012 BMW vehicles equipped with inline 6 cylinder engines are not covered by this recall, but will receive extended warranties to address this condition. Continue reading