investigation Archives

Followup: NHTSA upgrades Corvette headlight investigation

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Recalls, Safety, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Corvette front three-quarter

It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll be seeing a recall of certain sixth-generation Corvettes, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded its initial investigation to an engineering analysis, the final stage before the Feds can request a full-on recall. The problems, which we first reported on back in May, had to do with headlights that would randomly cut out for some 2005 to 2007 Chevrolet Corvette models. NHTSA has received 95 complaints from owners of random headlight failures, while The Detroit News states that there have also been four reports from owners of 2008 Vettes.

The issue, which affects 103,374 cars, is believed to be caused by a fuse block in the engine bay. Located in a high-heat area, it can short out when exposed to increased temperatures, leading to the headlight failure. It’s not entirely clear if the issues extend to the Corvette’s Z06 and ZR1 variants.

General Motors is cooperating with NHTSA throughout the investigation, a spokesperson told The News.

NHTSA upgrades Corvette headlight investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Aug 2013 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo CEO to shell out nearly $700k to settle MAN corruption investigation

Filed under: Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Work, Specialty

Hakan Samuelsson, CEO of the MAN AG, Europe's third largest truck maker, attends the annual shareholders' meeting in Munich on Friday, April 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Uwe Lein)

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson will be making a rather large charitable donation – 500,000 Euros ($668,000), according to Bloomberg. This is not, however, a move out of the goodness of his heart. It’s part of an agreement the exec made after a court case in Germany. Samuelsson spent nine years at truck manufacturer MAN, with his last four years as the boss. During his tenure, though, MAN was accused of illegal conduct, now understood to be bribes, in its Slovenian operations.

The agreement stems from a desire to avoid a lengthy trial for Volvo’s new CEO. As Samuelsson himself points out to Bloomberg, “I would have preferred to go through with the trial as I don’t have any doubt about my innocence. But this wouldn’t have been compatible with my role as Volvo CEO, and I want to leave Germany with passably positive impressions.”

It’s important to note that Samuelsson was not directly accused of bribery, unlike a certain elderly racing executive. Instead, the former head of MAN’s auditing department testified that Samuelsson was merely aware of “possible corrupt practices.” MAN as a whole was fined 150 million Euros in a 2009 inquiry, while several blue and white-collar workers were indicted, according to Bloomberg. Samuelsson will also pay 1.2 million Euros ($1.6 million) to MAN, which the company says will be “in recognition of his corporate-governance responsibility as the former CEO.”

Volvo CEO to shell out nearly $700k to settle MAN corruption investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mercedes under investigation by feds over faulty, possibly flaming taillights

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport

According to The Detroit News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans over the possibility of faulty taillamps that, in some situations, may even catch fire. Some 218,000 C-Class vehicles are being investigated, all of which are from the 2008 and 2009 model years.

NHTSA has reportedly received 21 statements from owners citing the brake lights or turn signals dimming or failing to light. In some cases, drivers reported a burning smell, a few noting that some of the vehicle’s electrical parts had melted. What’s even more alarming is that some drivers reported smelling smoke or seeing burn marks in the trunk. One driver even reportedly saw small flames coming from the rear lamp connector when the trunk was open.

Scary stuff, to be sure, though NHTSA says that this problem hasn’t caused any injuries. Still, the government agency will investigate the problem further to see if this actually warrants a recall.

Mercedes under investigation by feds over faulty, possibly flaming taillights originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feds expand F-150 fuel tank strap investigation to 2.7 million pickups

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling truck in America for decades. That’s a very big feather in the Blue Oval’s cap, but when the truck line is bit by the recall bug, its massive volume can be a very bad thing.

The Detroit News is reporting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it has upgraded its investigation into 2.7 million 1997-2001 F-150 pickups for fuel tank straps that have rusted and failed. If the straps rust and fail, NHTSA says there is a chance that the tank could drop and hit the road, causing a fuel leak. Back in September, NHTSA’s initial investigation included 1.4 million vehicles.

Of the 339 complaints NHTSA and Ford have received so far, one has resulted in a brief fire that quickly flamed out, while a second complaint lead to a fire that actually destroyed the vehicle. According to the report, there have been a total of nine documented incidents in which fuel has leaked from the tank as a result of a failed tank strap, though there have no injuries linked to these incidents.

For its part, Ford says it is continuing to support NHTSA’s investigation. The government safety agency says its investigation has “yielded information that strongly suggests the subject defect as the cause of the reported problem,” suggesting a recall may be on the horizon.

Feds expand F-150 fuel tank strap investigation to 2.7 million pickups originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA opens investigation into Jeep Liberty over rust-related suspension failures

Filed under: SUV, Safety, Crossover, Chrysler, Jeep

2005 jeep liberty

Does the Jeep Liberty have an addiction to rust? Back in 2003, approximately 326,000 2002-2003 Liberty SUVs were recalled because their lower control arm ball joints could corrode excessively. Just three years later in 2006, the issue popped up again, which prompted a recall of 826,000 potentially rust-happy 2002-2006 Jeep models. Another three years passed when, in 2009, Chrysler sent out a recall notice to 42,469 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty owners located in cold-weather states. This time, the problem was related to the upper ball joints.

Now it seems the Jeep Liberty is ready to jump the gun on its next every-three-years recall because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 370,000 vehicles… for the same issue. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA has opened up an investigation that involves 2002-2005 Jeep Liberty sport utility vehicles. It’s still just an investigation at this point, but given the round-eyed CUV’s track record, we’ll be keeping an eye out for more on this situation.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: NHTSA opens investigation into Jeep Liberty over rust-related suspension failures originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA investigation into 100,000 VW and Audi diesels intensifies

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Audi, Volkswagen, Diesel

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI (MkVI) – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to The Detroit News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is turning up the heat on its investigation into faulty Volkswagen fuel pumps. The administration has announced that it is currently looking into 97,272 diesel Volkswagen and Audi vehicles after receiving a total of 160 complaints about the issue. NHTSA says that in roughly half of those complaints, the bad pumps resulted in an engine stall on the highway or in traffic that prevented the engine from being restarted. Even so, no major accidents have been attributed to the faulty pumps, though one minor fender-bender has been reported as a result of the issue.

The investigation covers 2010 Golf hatchbacks, 2009-2010 Jetta sedans and certain 2010 Audi A3 models as well.

Volkswagen says that the fuel pump issues that it has encountered have resulted from diesel fuel that has been contaminated with gasoline. The company says that even a small amount of gas mixed in with diesel fuel can cause the pumps to shut down. Unfortunately for thusly affected owners, fuel system damage due to using the wrong fuel won’t be covered under warranty.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen has informed NHTSA about 120 separate fuel slip-ups, some of which came courtesy of dealers and service personnel using the wrong fuel.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: NHTSA investigation into 100,000 VW and Audi diesels intensifies originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cash for Clunkers fraud investigation begins

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal

Where there’s money, there’s fraud, and that appears to have been true with last year’s Cash for Clunkers program. According to a report from USA Today, the federal government is investigating around 20 dealers that may have violated the terms of the car-swapping scheme. So far, a total of nine dealerships have paid $71,500 in fines as a result of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s findings.

In some cases, NHTSA suspects that vehicles meant for the scrap heap were actually shipped overseas and resold. Unsubstantiated reports claim that around 24 vehicles slipped out of the country in this fashion. Meanwhile, some junkyards have still yet to provide proof that other vehicles were in fact destroyed – a key piece of the process.

USA Today says that of all of the Cash for Clunkers claims, around 3.3 percent of the group have some sort of problem with their paperwork that may impact around $94 million in rebates. Even so, NHTSA says that there is no widespread fraud issue with the Cash for Clunkers program, and that the issues it has turned up are due to a few bad dealerships trying to work the system.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Cash for Clunkers fraud investigation begins originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. intensifies investigation into Toyota Corolla stalling

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Government/Legal, Recalls, Hatchback, Toyota

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is intensifying its investigation into stalling Toyota Corolla models. According to the Associated Press, the agency has opened what it calls an engineering analysis into 1.8 million Corolla and Matrix models sold between 2005 and 2007. So far, NHTSA has received around 163 complaints about stalling in those vehicles, and the government seems to believe the problem may be due to a faulty coating on the vehicle’s circuit boards. It’s also possible that a crack could develop in a particular glass coating in the vehicle.

NHTSA hasn’t gone so far as to issue a recall in this particular case as its research into the problem is ongoing. Previously, investigators were only looking into Corolla and Matrix models produced in 2006, though the recent expansion indicates that the issue may be more widespread than previously believed.

Last we heard, Toyota was considering a voluntary fix for the problem, though since then nothing has come up in terms of a proposed solution from the carmaker. Back in March, NHTSA said that the problem doesn’t pose any danger to drivers.

[Source: Associated Press]

U.S. intensifies investigation into Toyota Corolla stalling originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA reportedly opens Kia Soul investigation after steering shaft failure

Filed under: Budget, Safety, Hatchback, Kia

2010 Kia Soul – Click above for high-res image gallery

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a potential problem with the Kia Soul. According to the Los Angeles Times, the government safety watchdog is looking into an incident where the steering shaft in one vehicle separated from the steering wheel and then blocked the brake mechanism. The problem resulted in a total loss of control. It’s unclear as to whether or not anyone was harmed in the incident from the LAT report. Typically, the federal government doesn’t investigate single incidents, but in the case of the Soul, the problem presented itself on a fairly new vehicle and was so serious that NHTSA has elected to investigate. The hatch in question is a 2010 model and had just 4,300 miles on the clock when the problem occurred.

Kia hasn’t commented on the situation other than saying that it is waiting for NHTSA’s findings. The 2010 Kia Soul has been one of the Korean automaker’s best-selling vehicles, with over 37,000 of the boxy econocars sold so far.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

NHTSA reportedly opens Kia Soul investigation after steering shaft failure originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo XC90 reportedly under NHTSA investigation for intermittent lighting failures

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Safety, Volvo, Luxury

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating older Volvo XC90 models for potential faulty electronics that could cause the headlights and turn signals to fail. So far, the government isn’t aware of any crashes resulting from the fault, but 21 owners have filed a complaint. The defect manifests itself on 2004-2005 XC90 SUVs, and NHTSA says that 93,487 vehicles are potentially impacted by the problem.

Fortunately, should the NHTSA issue a recall, the problem is a relatively easy fix. Regulators say that simply replacing a bad control module is enough to set everything working again. So far, there are no reports of similar problems occurring in any other Volvo models of similar vintage, but you can bet your eyes that the NHTSA will be taking a closer look at the company’s line up from four years ago just to make sure.

[Source: Bloomberg via San Francisco Chronicle]

Volvo XC90 reportedly under NHTSA investigation for intermittent lighting failures originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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