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 Nissan Pathfinder SUV’s, equipped with continuously variable transmissions (CVT), will be receiving notices from the automobile manufacturer regarding a problem that could result in the transmission to function improperly. Nissan began their investigation into the issue in September 2012 after a cooler hose separated from the radiator during a routine quality test drive. Continue reading

Certain model year 2014 Mazda3 and 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles equipped with 2.5L engines and a regenerative braking system, could experience a problem that results in an engine stall. Mazda will be contacting approximately 5,700 owners in the United States to take their vehicles in for repairs. (Mazda’s recall number is 7314D and the NHTSA campaign number is 14V-173.) Continue reading

An increase in warranty claims on certain 2012-2013 Volkswagen Passat cars has resulted in the automobile manufacturer identifying an issue with the headlights. They will notifying owners of the affected vehicles with instructions to make an appointment with an authorized dealer to have the problem repaired. Volkswagen’s recall number is 94G8/7V and the NHTSA campaign number is 14V-125. Continue reading

Drivers of certain Toyota and Pontiac vehicles could experience an airbag safety defect that could result in the airbag becoming inoperable. According to reports filed with the NHTSA, the steering column in these vehicles contain a spiral cable assembly which contains the electrical connections to the driver’s airbag module. When the steering wheel is turned, the cable could contact a small point of the retainer and become damaged. The airbag could become deactivated causing it not to deploy during an accident. Drivers of vehicles experiencing this problem will be alerted with an air bag warning lamp. Continue reading

We recently represented a client living in Livermore, CA, regarding his 2012 Mercedes Benz C250w. Nine months ago the car started leaking oil. He had given the Mercedes-Benz authorized dealership at least four opportunities to make the necessary repairs. In total the vehicle was in the dealer’s shop for more than 45 days and the oil leak still was not fixed! Continue reading