Black Boxes On Automobiles

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David Strickland the administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that the agency is considering mandatory installation of “black boxes” on all cars and trucks. These “black boxes” similar to flight recorders in aircraft will record critical automobile information leading up to an accident. The NHTSA had first encouraged black box technology in 2006, but because of Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems, the NHTSA hopes to make this technology mandatory and the information from these “black boxes” readily available.

Some feel the addition of this technology will only drive up the price of automobiles which will be passed down to the consumer. Others feel it will reduce our privacy rights by allowing our vehicles to be so closely monitored resulting in benefits for the insurance companies and auto makers but not necessarily the drivers of the automobiles. Even today, with technology such as “On star”, the consumer does not have the choice whether they want it on their vehicle and though it can be deactivated, consumers still wonder what information is being transmitted, and how can this information be used against us.

Distracted Driving When Saving Lives

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It has happened to everyone, you become distracted while driving and miss your turn off, almost cause an accident or even worse got into an accident. Distractions during driving has always been a problem and with todays computers on dashboards, sophisticated radios, navigation systems and cell phones it has become even worse. Many states have made it illegal to use these devices while driving in an attempt to keep people safe on the roads.

There are a few people who have no choice. This technology on police cruisers and ambulances helps the police and paramedics get instant access to essential information. Police can check license plate data, find information about a suspect and exchange messages with dispatchers. Ambulances receive directions to accident scenes and can use the computers to send information about the patient before they arrive at the hospital. Usually this is done before they start driving or by the drivers partner but often the partner is dealing with other issues and the driver ends up using these devices at high speeds in traffic.

Researchers are working to reduce the risks. At the University of New Hampshire they have been developing hands-free technology for police cars. The systems let officers use voice commands to operate the radio, lights and sirens and even speak a license-plate numbers into the on-board computer which comes back with basic information about the car. This voice command can be easily activated by a button on the steering wheel.

The solutions are not cheap though, especially for struggling states and local governments. “We can barely get patrol cars and motorcycles,” said Shawn Chase of the California Highway Patrol. “We would love to get this technology, but there are trade-offs.”

Data does not exist about crashes caused by police officers or medics distracted by their devices, but the combination of distraction and high speeds is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.

CAS Urges NHTSA To Recall Grand Cherokees

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In early October 2009, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) filed a petition with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). In the petition, they asked the NHTSA to issue a recall for 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees because of defective fuel tanks that are prone to fires during accidents. CAS says that the fuel tank of the Grand Cherokee is plastic and extends below the rear bumper so there is nothing to protect the tank from a direct hit in a rollover or by a vehicle with a low front profile. The CAS claims that the 1993-2004 Grand Cherokee has a fatal crash fire occurrence rate that is about four times higher than SUV’s made by other companies. Chrysler says the Grand Cherokee meets and exceeds standards. The Center for Auto Safety continues to pressure the NHTSA, but a resolution still hasn’t been met.

2009 Was A Year Of High Auto Recalls

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced 2009 as the highest for auto recalls since 2005. Although the number of campaigns was the lowest in five years, the number of automobiles recalled in each campaign was high. 2008 brought about 10.5 million vehicles recalled in 684 campaigns while there were 16.4 million vehicles recalled in 2009 in 492 campaigns. Only Honda reported a decline in recalled vehicles in 2009.

Below is a list of how the recalls were distributed amongst auto makers in 2009:

  • The leader with nine campaigns adding up to 4.26 million vehicles recalled was the automaker Toyota and their unintended acceleration problems. This is the first time a Japanese automaker has led the industry total.
  • Ford recalled 4.5 million vehicles in eight campaigns. The largest being a defective cruise control switch which was linked to vehicle fires.
  • General Motors had 2.2 million vehicles recalled in 16 campaigns. The possibility of engine fires in passenger sedans accounted for 1.5 million vehicles recalled.
  • Chrysler had 15 campaigns, recalling almost 600,000 vehicles. Chrysler’s popular minivans the Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan accounted for over 350,000 of these recalls for defective crash sensors.
  • Honda had four campaigns recalling 454,000 vehicles. Almost all these vehicles were recalled due to an airbag defect.
  • Nissan Motor Co. had six campaigns, recalling 706,000 vehicles in 2009. Almost 550,000 of these recalls were due to a brake pedal pin becoming partially disengaged causing a loss of normal braking power.
  • Hyundai Motor Co. and its Kia unit recalled 1.3 million vehicles in eight campaigns. Over 530,000 recalls were due to a malfunctioning stop lamp switch that could prevent the brake lights from illuminating or cause them to stay lit after the brakes were released.
  • Volkswagen had eights campaigns and 100,000 vehicles recalled. Almost 17,000 sport-utility vehicles were recalled to fix a software program that could lead to passenger air bag failure.

The History OF Unintended Acceleration

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Toyota’s unintended acceleration problem has been flooding the media lately causing fear in anyone who drives on the roads. You hear stories of how someone’s car started speeding uncontrollably and the deaths and injuries that resulted. Drivers of these vehicles said they pressed the brakes, but the vehicle just didn’t respond.

You may be surprised to learn that this is a problem that has been around for quite a while, and is not limited to only Toyota vehicles. ConsumerAffairs.com has received sudden acceleration complaints over the years from a wide range of makes, including Kia, Jaguar, BMW and Ford. Ford coming in second after Toyota. In fact, during the 80’s, Audi went through the same legal and media problems that Toyota experiences now for unintended acceleration.

In 2005 there was an estimated 20,000 consumers who complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of sudden unintended acceleration. Some complaints as far back as the late 1980’s when vehicle first started to be controlled with electronic controls. The problem is difficult to recreate without tampering with the vehicles electronics, so in most cases there is no indication that the vehicle has malfunctioned.

According to engineers familiar with electronic technology any electronic interference could cause the accelerator to surge out of control. In these type of systems there are fail-safes that will reset the computer and will store an error code which can be read by a technician when brought in for repairs. So far, any vehicle that has experienced unintended acceleration has not brought up an error code indicating anything went wrong.

Toyota Disputes Electronics Problem In Web-cast

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Today at 1:00 p.m. EST Toyota will be holding a web-cast to show consumers that the problems with their vehicles is not electronics related.

During the Toyota Congressional hearings, David W. Gilbert, a professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, had told congress that he was able to recreate Toyota’s unintended acceleration by manipulating its vehicles electronics. Toyota will try to duplicate this scenario and debunk it.

Toyota is calling in the director of Stanford University’s Center for Automotive Research to try to argue the claims. Toyota said Stanford professor Chris Gerdes will show that the malfunctions Gilbert produced “are completely unrealistic under real-world conditions and can easily be reproduced on a wide range of vehicles made by other manufacturers.”

Toyota also has hired a consulting firm to study whether electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The firm, Exponent Inc., released a report saying that it has found no link between the two.

The webcast is part of a campaign by Toyota to discredit critics, repair its damaged reputation and begin restoring trust in its vehicles.

GM Dealerships To Stay Open

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Last year General Motors announced that they would be closing dealerships due to the low demand for cars and trucks. Many dealerships argued the decision saying the auto maker did not offer enough details explaining how they decided which ones would be closed. Complaints to congress lead to a bill giving dealerships a chance to dispute their closure depending on their past success. This week GM announced that it will be reinstating more than half of the dealerships that disputed the closures. GM executives said that more than 600 dealerships out of the 1,100 seeking to stay open with GM will receive letters giving them the option to remain with the auto maker.

Below is GM’s statement regarding the dealer arbitration:

General Motors is taking a major step toward its goal of creating positive, lasting relationships with its dealers.

GM carefully reviewed each of the approximately 1,100 dealer reinstatement claims that were filed with the American Arbitration Association. We conducted these individual reviews, keeping in mind our goal of moving quickly and effectively to complete the overall arbitration process, and determined that we would send more than 600 Letters of Intent to the involved dealers. The Letter of Intent contains our usual core business criteria. This action will allow these dealers to conduct normal dealership operations as soon as they comply with the terms of the Letter of Intent.

“We are eager to restore relationships with our dealers, and get back to doing what we do best – selling cars and taking care of customers,” said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. “The arbitration process creates uncertainty in the market. We believe issuing these Letters of Intent is good for our customers, our dealers and GM.”

Fords Electric Van The Transit Connect

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Fords “Transit Connect” all electric vehicle made its debut at the Los Angeles Petersen Automotive Museum this week. One of the first of four battery powered vehicles planned by Ford to hit markets by 2012. This electric powered version of a light duty cargo van has been available since 2003 on the global market and is a popular vehicle for government and corporate fleets. The vehicle can travel a maximum of 80 miles per charge, making it perfect for in town deliveries where there is a predetermined route. Both the brakes and the accelerator pedal incorporate regenerative technologies that extend the vehicle’s range by recharging the battery when the vehicle is slowing down. Production of the Transit Connect Electric will begin in the fourth quarter followed by the Ford Focus Electric passenger car next year.