Tag: pay

Report: Ford to pay $17.35 million over Escape recall

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Ford, Earnings/Financials

First-Generation Ford Escape front three-quarter

Ford had a bit of a recall spree around this time last year, with a pair of issues on the then-new 2013 Escape, followed by a recall of 423,000 2001 to 2004 Escapes because they might accelerate of their own accord. Accordingly, Uncle Sam pasted Ford with a $17.35 million fine because it took too long to inform customers, according to a report from Automotive News.

Ford agreed to settle with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, accepting the fine but not admitting fault. The recall, which afflicted Escapes with the 3.0-liter V-6 along with 217,000 Mazda Tributes from 2001 to 2006 and 2008, was due to faulty gas pedals that could stay down after a driver removed their foot.

Ford issued a statement regarding the fine, saying, “We take the safety of our customers seriously and continuously evaluate our processes for improvements. While we are confident in our current processes for quickly identifying and addressing potential vehicle issues, Ford agreed to this settlement to avoid a lengthy dispute with the government.”

Ford to pay $17.35 million over Escape recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: East Coast states pay more for Check Engine light repairs

Filed under: Etc., Earnings/Financials

CarMD repair costs

Has it seemed like the cost to keep your older car on the road has gone up? Well, we have good news (you’re not going crazy) and bad news (repair costs are indeed going up all across the country). According to an annual study by CarMD, average repair costs have increased by 10 percent in 2012, with drivers in New Jersey paying the highest prices and those in Vermont paying the lowest.

Interestingly, states on the East Coast are paying more on average for common repairs, including diagnostic services when the dreaded Check Engine light comes on. Our nation’s capital saw the largest year-over-year increase at an alarming 20 percent, while Wyoming saw repair prices drop an average of 17 percent.

CarMD analyzed more than 160,000 individual repairs, targeting those that began with a Check Engine light. A full listing of the most- and least-expensive states can be found below, along with additional commentary from CarMD.

Continue reading East Coast states pay more for Check Engine light repairs

East Coast states pay more for Check Engine light repairs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Consumer Reports: Car buyers will pay for higher fuel economy, won’t compromise safety

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Safety

Toyota Prius models at a dealership

According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, new car buyers are factoring fuel economy as a larger concern in their purchases. That’s no real surprise given that prices at the pump remain high, but the study also revealed that those same consumers are unwilling to sacrifice safety just to net a few additional miles per gallon.

The research revealed that 62 percent of buyers say they are planning to buy a vehicle with much better or significantly better fuel economy than their current ride. On average, that translates to fuel economy of 29 mpg or better. Surprisingly enough, 10 percent of those questioned said that they expected 40 mpg or better from their next purchase. That means that buyers will need to be willing to make all sorts of concessions, including making compromises on purchase price, vehicle size and the number of options.

One factor those surveyed evidently won’t give up on, however, is safety. Only 11 percent of the total respondents said they would be willing to compromise safety for greater fuel economy. Read the complete summary over at Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports: Car buyers will pay for higher fuel economy, won’t compromise safety originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 May 2011 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mazda to pay $770k to parents of overworked employee who committed suicide

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Japan, Mazda

Mazda wing logoThe parents of a Mazda worker who killed himself in 2007 have reached a second settlement with the company worth $770,000. The latest settlement brings the parents’ total to just over $1.3 million from Mazda.

According to The Daily Mail, the auto company was found liable in the worker’s death because he killed himself after being chronically overworked. According to the parents’ suit, the employee was ridiculed publicly by his managers for, among other accusations taking “needless” overtime.

Mazda paid the young man’s parents a separate condolence settlement in 2009. Work-related suicide is becoming a real problem in Japan, where the culture favors a workaholic mentality. In addition, many chronic overworkers suffer stress-related heart attacks and strokes.

These sorts of deaths have become common enough that the Japanese have coined a term, “karoshi,” which means “exhaustion death” to describe the phenomenon. Courts have ruled that the employer can be held liable in karoshi cases, as has apparently happened with Mazda.

[Source: The Daily Mail]

Report: Mazda to pay $770k to parents of overworked employee who committed suicide originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota to pay out $10M in Lexus runaway lawsuit

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

Toyota SettlementAccording to The Detroit Free Press, Toyota has agreed to settle the case in which four people died in a runaway Lexus to the tune of $10 million. The crash, which occurred in August 2009, killed an off-duty police officer, his wife, brother-in-law and daughter and set off a torrent of recalls and investigations into just how long the Japanese automaker had known about unintended acceleration issues. In this case, the accelerator was trapped by the wrong-sized floor mat, but Toyota would later recall vehicles not only with similar issues, but with pedals that could stick as well.

Originally, both Toyota and the plaintiffs wanted to have the results of the settlement sealed, though Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr decided that the public had a right to know the details of the case, and that right outweighed arguments from both sides. As with the two civil penalties that Toyota has paid to the federal government for failing to notify safety officials of the problems in a timely manner, Toyota has not admitted any wrong doing by settling the case.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Report: Toyota to pay out $10M in Lexus runaway lawsuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Chrysler workers caught drinking during lunch suspended without pay

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler

Chrysler Workers Drinking

Chrysler has announced that all 15 of the employees who were apparently caught drinking and smoking pot during their lunch break by a Fox 2 News Detroit crew have been suspended indefinitely without pay. The workers from the company’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant were spotted drinking heavily during their lunch breaks over a ten-day period. Chrysler says that all of the individuals had been identified and relieved of their duty within 36 hours of the company learning of the problem.

The company also says that while the video seems pretty cut-and-dry, it must adhere to its protocol when it comes to removing those workers permanently. Chrysler also stressed that each of its vehicles goes through an extensive quality control system and that it doesn’t condone the behavior documented in the news report in any way. Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant employs a total 2,500 workers.

To see Chrysler’s official response, click past the jump. To read more about the story, head over to Fox 2 Detroit’s website.

[Sources: Chrysler, Fox 2 Detroit]

Continue reading Followup: Chrysler workers caught drinking during lunch suspended without pay

Followup: Chrysler workers caught drinking during lunch suspended without pay originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swedish man may pay largest speeding fine ever

Filed under: Government/Legal, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

Just because major portions of the German Autobahn have no speed limit doesn’t mean you can drive as fast as you want anywhere in Europe. Where there are posted restrictions, most European countries take speeding very seriously and levy hefty fines. The latest case in point is a 37-year-old Swedish man who was clocked at 180 miles per hour on a motorway between Bern and Lausanne in Switzerland.

Unfortunately for this driver of a new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Switzerland doesn’t have fixed fines for speeding. Instead they use a formula similar to that in Finland where the fine is calculated based on the vehicle’s speed and the driver’s income. Back in 2002, Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki had to pay a fine of $103,600 for going 47 mph in a 31 mph zone.

In this latest incident, the driver faces a penalty of just over $1 million for traveling at the highest speed ever recorded on a public road in Switzerland. Apparently the SLS escaped being clocked by several older cameras that are limited to 125 mph before finally being recorded by a new camera with a higher radar speed range. His excuse: The speedometer was faulty.

As far as we know, this is the most expensive speeding ticket ever issued, though there are reports of a kid who last April was caught speeding in his dad’s Bugatti Veyron, the punishment for which was permanent seizure of the vehicle.

Gallery: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_06mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_03mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_05mb-sls-amg-gullwing-large_02

[Source: The Telegraph]

Swedish man may pay largest speeding fine ever originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How the British Pay Homage to 50’s America: Chevrolet Spark woody

Filed under: Aftermarket, Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Chevrolet, UK, Design/Style

Chevrolet Spark Woody art car – Click above for high-res image gallery

At some point in history, the notion of having a wood-lined automobile went from the pinnacle of awesome to the depths of loathsome. We’re guessing that demarcation falls at about the same point in time when automakers stopped using real wood and started gluing vinyl recreations to the sides of vehicles that were an affront to cool to begin with. If you need proof, please direct your attention to any number of woody Chrysler PT Cruiser models or, if you’re of stouter stomach, the self-proclaimed Chevrolet Spark Woody Wagon art car pictured above.

Chevrolet UK decided to wrap one of the company’s diminutive people movers in wood-grained Di-Nocto harken back to the company’s American, youthful roots – or at least that’s what the press release says. If that’s not enough to send your head spinning, take a good close look at those tires. Yup, they’re wide whitewalls.

The company has rolled out a few different one-off art Sparks so far, and plans to keep it up with a new British Touring Car Championship inspired version set for an unveil later this month. We’re guessing that one will strike our fancy a bit more than the trans-generational pastiche above. Hit the jump for the press release and make sure to check out the large high-res gallery below – but perhaps you’ll want to pop a few Tums first.

Gallery: Chevrolet Europe Spark Woody Art Car

[Source: Chevrolet UK]

Continue reading How the British Pay Homage to 50’s America: Chevrolet Spark woody

How the British Pay Homage to 50’s America: Chevrolet Spark woody originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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