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Report: NHTSA expected to mandate black boxes in all cars next month

Filed under: Technology

electronic data recorder Are you ready for a black box to be installed in your car? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration apparently is. According to a new report from Wired, NHTSA is expected to rule next month that all new cars will need to carry just such a device.

Now, before you get all “Screw the Gubment!” in the comments, you should know that many modern cars already have black box systems installed – you might have one and not even know it. General Motors, for instance, has been installed the electronic data recorders since the 1990s, on almost all vehicles fitted with airbags.

The concern for most drivers, however, lies with what type of information is captured, and who has access to it. Also, different automakers use different Electronic Data Recorder devices. A black box standard needs to be developed, which would allow for the data retrieved from an EDR to be consistent regardless of the vehicle make it’s pulled from.

Some view this mandate as an invasion of motorists’ privacy. However, the data recovered from the black box systems can provide crucial insight into crash dynamics. Exactly who’s allowed to view that information varies by state, of course, and only 13 states currently have legislation in place regulating the release of EDR data.

What do you think, is this a good idea, or a bad one? Have your say in Comments.

NHTSA expected to mandate black boxes in all cars next month originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 May 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NHTSA updating motorcycle helmet laws

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Motorcycle

novelty helmet

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has updated the motorcycle helmet law in an attempt to stop people from wearing improperly certified helmets and novelty helmets. The law doesn’t change the construction of helmets directly, but changes the way they’re labeled, to make it more difficult to mimic DOT compliance certifications.

Now, helmets that conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 will carry a sticker with the manufacturer’s name, the helmet model and the words “DOT FMVSS No. 218 Certified.” The move to make helmets safer comes after the number of riders sporting unsafe and novelty brain buckets increased dramatically in 2010 over 2009.

According to NHTSA statistics, in 2010, only 54 percent of motorcyclists wore a DOT-approved lid. Around 14 percent wore a novelty helmet, and 32 percent went without a helmet altogether. In 2009, those numbers were 67 percent, 9 percent and 24 percent. In 2010, 75 percent of riders who did elect to wear a helmet wore a DOT-compliant one. In 2009, that number was 86 percent.

NHTSA updating motorcycle helmet laws originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 May 2011 14:35:00 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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2011 Scion tC earns NHTSA five-star crash rating

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Safety, Scion

2011 Scion tC – Click above for high-res image gallery

The redesigned 2011 Scion tC coupe has officially earned a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Thanks in part to no fewer than eight airbags, the little Scion managed to ace the government’s collision and rollover tests.

The tC features driver and passenger airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, driver and passenger knee airbags and side-curtain airbags.

In addition to its impressive airbag tally, the car also packs ABS, traction control, stability control, brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution and Smart Stop technology to help prevent the airbags from ever having to deploy. Click past the jump to see the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 Scion tC: Review

2011 Scion tC

[Source: Toyota]

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2011 Scion tC earns NHTSA five-star crash rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Probe finds no evidence of misconduct among ex-NHTSA employees

Filed under: Government/Legal

nhtsa logo

Would you raise an eyebrow if you knew that former NHTSA workers took jobs with automakers after their tenure with the Feds? A few senators experience vertical eyebrow movement, and decided they’d like a few questions answered. Was it possible that misconduct was underfoot related to automaker recalls, and did current NHTSA employees provide special treatment for their former co-workers?

A probe was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, and over the past 10 years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has seen 15 employees move on to jobs with automakers or their respective law firms.

The investigation found that all parties were compliant and adhered to the rules established by the US Office of Government Ethics. So employees of NHTSA, both current and former, are supposedly playing by the rules.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: Probe finds no evidence of misconduct among ex-NHTSA employees originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA issues new child seat guidelines

Filed under: Safety

NHTSA child car seat guidlines

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released new guidelines today to help parents decide on a safety seat for their child and the best use of that seat. According to the new guidelines, kids should stay in rear-facing child seats until they’re two years old, or have reached the height and weight limits advised by the seat’s manufacturer.

Whether kids are kept in a rear- or forward-facing seat, NHTSA says it is important children always ride in the back. If the back seat is unavailable, passenger air bags should be turned off when car seats are in front of them.

After kids reach two, NHTSA recommends leaving them in a child or booster seat appropriate for their weight and height until they properly fit in an adult seatbelt. Further, NHTSA recommends keeping kids in the back seat at all times until they hit those magical teen years.

Click past the break for the full press release from NHTSA.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Image: visualthinker – CC 2.0]

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NHTSA issues new child seat guidelines originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Seat Heaters

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into whether or not seat heaters pose an “unreasonable risk to safety,” according to USA Today. The government agency is currently shuffling through dozens of reports of burns associated with overactive heaters, and Johnson Clifton Larson & Schaler, an Oregon law firm, says that it knows of at least 150 people injured by the convenience feature.

According to the report, those with lower-body sensory defects are in danger of being burnt by the seat heaters without their knowledge, and doctors have petitioned the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to disconnect the feature on vehicles owned by those with the sensory issues.

In one case, a paraplegic man was severely burnt after sitting in a Chevrolet Silverado with the seat warmers on high for two and a half hours. He accidentally turned on the heaters while attempting to roll down the window.

General Motors, meanwhile, says that it began printing warnings on seat-heater operation in its owners manuals in 2010, and all 2011 vehicle manuals now have the warning.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Damon Lavrinc/AOL]

Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Kia Optima receives five-star NHTSA crash rating

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Safety, Crossover, Kia, Mini

2011 Kia Optima – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Kia Optima set the mark as the first Korean-built car to be officially five-star certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The all-new Optima recieved five-star ratings in the frontal, side-impact and rollover tests.

The Optima sports six airbags, active front headrests, side-impact door bars and height adjustable three-point seat belts for each seat. This five-star rating is indeed something worthy of bragging rights, as NHTSA imposed significantly stricter testing standards for 2011 models. Follow the jump for Kia’s press release.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T: First Drive

2011 Kia Optima 2.0T

[Source: Kia]

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2011 Kia Optima receives five-star NHTSA crash rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA probing 44,000 Toyota Highlander Hybrid crossovers over stall risk

Filed under: Hybrid, SUV, Government/Legal, Toyota

2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

According to The Detroit News, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has opened an investigation into almost 44,000 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles from the 2006 model year over stalling concerns. The agency has received a total of 32 complaints, with 21 of those incidents involving engine stalling at speeds of over 40 mph. A total of 26 of the reports said that the engine then could not be started again afterward. NHTSA says that the problem represents a growing trend, and that all but one of the incidents have occurred during the last year.

Toyota, meanwhile, says that the company will do everything in its power to cooperate with the government’s investigation. As The Detroit News reports, Toyota recently recalled 1.33 million Corolla and Matrix vehicles for stalling engines. That recall also included certain Pontiac Vibe models as well.

Toyota is just now beginning to recover from a rash of recalls associated with unintended acceleration. The Japanese automaker was recently vindicated by research conducted by NASA engineers who determined that there was nothing electronically wrong with the company’s throttle system.

[Source: The Detroit News]

NHTSA probing 44,000 Toyota Highlander Hybrid crossovers over stall risk originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:29:00 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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