General Motors is recalling certain 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and 2012 GMC Terrain vehicles for inaccurate tire pressure warnings. The tire pressure monitoring system is designed to illuminate the tire pressure warning light when the pressure in a tire is 25% below the recommended cold tire pressure. On certain vehicles, the light will not illuminate until the tire pressure is 25% below the recommended cold tire pressure. The result of under inflated tires are premature wear, irregular handling and a possible blow out. Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
NHTSA To Address Distracting Auto Technology
The focus of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) is to set minimum safety performance requirements for motor vehicle equipment. They protect drivers against unreasonable risk of crashes due to the design, construction, and performance of a vehicle and they set minimum standards for protection in the event of an accident. But when it comes to the design of electronic systems, automobile manufacturers have historically been on their own.
Back when electronic systems were relatively simple automakers followed voluntary guidelines which called for displays to be high enough that drivers can scan the road while viewing displays, and that interfaces be simple enough so drivers don’t take their attention away from the road. But, today’s automobile interfaces have become considerably more complicated and even though car makers tell drivers to pay attention to the roads, they continue to pack their vehicles with infotainment systems that encourage multitasking. Today’s high tech features allow the driver to entertain and navigate as well as stay connected through their phones, e-mail and social media. According to automobile industry officials, “You can’t stop drivers from multitasking and becoming distracted. By giving motorists built-in connections that are simpler and less distracting than portable devices, we are making the roads safer.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood disagrees. He calls distracted driving “a deadly epidemic,” and feels federal authorities should set some safety standards. And they are. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is developing its own set of guidelines, to be released this fall. They will address visual and manual distractions and hope to eventually set guidelines for voice controls and portable devices.
Thailand Floods Affect Auto Production
Floods in Thailand are threatening to affect automotive production for auto makers and suppliers, such as Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mitsubishi, and Michelin. Work in many of Thailand facilities will be halted through to November 5th, affecting production in Japan, the U.S., Canada, South Africa, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. It is expected that it will take months before the water recedes and residents can start to rebuild. The disaster comes shortly after Japanese car makers return to full production after the March earthquake and Tsunami shut down factories in Japan.
BMW Mini Cooper Investigated For Engine Fires
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into some 2007-2008 BMW Mini Cooper S vehicles after receiving twelve complaints of engine fires, including five which resulted in a total vehicle loss. Eight of the complaints alleged the the fires started while the vehicles were parked with the ignition off. Because the complaints have significantly increased in the last year, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) has decided to open a preliminary evaluation to assess the cause, scope and frequency of the alleged defect.
Mercedes Benz Leaking Fuel Filter Problems
Mercedes Benz is recalling certain 2011-2012 vehicles for a diesel fuel filter leak in the area around the fuel heating component. According to reports filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) diesel fuel may be deposited onto the highway creating a potential for an accident, or the fuel could ignite in the presence of an ignition source. The vehicles recalled include:
- 2011 E-Class (212 platform)
- 2011 R-Class (251 platform)
- 2011 ML-Class (W164 platform)
- 2011 GL-Class (X164 platform)
- 2012 S-Class (221 platform)
Owners wanting more information can contact Mercedes-Benz USA at 1-800-367-6372.
Cadillac Luxury With iPad Technology
Cadillac hopes to distinguish its luxury brand from others, by offering an in car data, navigation and media system with a touch screen tablet computer. According to Micky Bly, GM’s executive director of global electric systems and infotainment, “The Cadillac User Experience (CUE) will offer a broad range of data and applications beyond what our competitors offer. People have become accustomed to iPhone, iPad and Droid device navigation, that it only makes sense to offer it in our vehicles.”
CUE will pair entertainment and information data from up to 10 Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, USBs, SD cards and MP3 players with the CUE system. The system reduces complexity through customized information, natural voice commands, fewer buttons and larger icons. Consumers can store those mobile devices as well as channel the information on those devices, along with your navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar, AM/FM and XM radio, instant messages and emails, through a central portal in your Cadillac. This system will allow the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
To improve simplicity and connectivity for consumers, CUE will feature several auto industry firsts:
- Proximity Sensing: As the user’s hand approaches the elegant, uncluttered LCD screen, command icons appear. Icons can be customized and arranged by consumers to improve ease of use.
- Haptic Feedback: Buttons on the fully capacitive faceplate pulse when pressed to acknowledge the driver’s commands and keeps the driver’s eyes on the road.
- Multi-Touch Hand Gestures: interactive motions (tap, flick, swipe and spread) popularized by smartphones and tablets allow tasks on the LCD screen, such as scrolling lists, zooming maps and searching favorites to be easily accomplished.
- 12.3 in. LCD reconfigurable gauge cluster (on select models) offers four selectable displays – Simple, Enhanced, Balanced and Performance – that can mix traditional vehicle data such as a speedometer and fuel gauge with navigation, entertainment and 3D vehicle image.
- Natural Speech Recognition: lets consumers speak logically with fewer specific commands to recall stored media or input navigation destinations. CUE’s text-to-speech feature will also allow consumers to receive text messages by system voice and to send recorded text messages in return.
- Linux operating system, “open source” software platform and ARM 11 3-core processor, each operating at 400 million of instructions (mips) per second. This efficient hardware setup offers 3.5 times more processing power; than current infotainment systems, and allow developers to write applications to CUE that be downloaded by consumers.
CUE will debut in 2012 in the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossover.
Carpool Lane Traffic Increases Congestion
On July 1, 2011 the state of California decided to revoked carpool privileges for hybrid and electric vehicles. They were hoping to decrease traffic congestion in these High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes as the amount of hybrid and electric vehicles on the roads increased. According to a study done by researchers at UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation, the additional vehicles in the regular traffic lanes has slowed all traffic substantially.
Using traffic flow theories and six months of data from roadway sensors measuring speed and congestion along all freeway carpool lanes in the San Francisco Bay Area, researchers found that the slower traffic in the regular lanes made it more difficult for the carpool drivers to migrate in and out of the HOV lanes. The result was an increase of traffic congestion in all lanes. The study suggests that the state should reconsider their decision, and allow the hybrid and electric vehicles back in the carpool lanes.
Corvette Rear Hatch Separation
General Motors (GM) has announced a recall for certain 2011-2012 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe sports cars for failing to comply with the federal motor vehicle safety standards for door locks and retention components. There have been no reports of incidents or customer complaints, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTA), the rear hatch hinges could separate from the vehicle during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Owners wanting more information about the recall can contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
