Auto Defects
Nader and Ditlow ask GM to stop misleading OnStar ads and disable dangerous OnStar features
May 15, 2006
Richard Wagoner
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
General Motors Corporation
300 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48226
Chet Huber
President
OnStar
400 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48226
Dear Mssrs. Wagoner and Huber:
Ventilation system suggested to save kids in hot cars
By RALPH VARTABEDIAN , Los Angeles Times
An urgent federal government warning solved one crisis for children in the mid-1990s, but laid the groundwork for another tragic problem a decade later.
After small children were killed by powerful air bags in the early 1990s, the federal government issued a recommendation put all babies in rear-facing carriers in the rear seat and put young children in the rear seat, as well.
High-tech car keys causing low-tech hassles
Consumer study shows replacing an electronic key can cost a bundle
By Roland JonesBusiness editorMSNBC
Phil Nebe is a busy man. His mobile locksmith company, Autolox, has its work cut out for it helping drivers locked out of their cars in the Richmond, Va., area, such as the tourist passing through the Southern town one Saturday evening who managed to accidentally flush his car keys down a restaurant toilet.
2000-2005 Ford Focus Ignition Lock Cylinder
Click below for copies of the Service Bulletins.
Hyundai Transmission Fluid Leaks
Hyundai dealers warned of possible fluid leak
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Columnist
Hyundai has informed its dealers of a possible fluid leak from the automatic transmission on its four- and six-cylinder vehicles from the 1999 to 2006 model years.
The information was contained in a technical service bulletin sent recently to dealers. Such bulletins are not recalls but simply tell dealers how to detect and fix a problem.
Volvo to Extend Warranty on Stalling Cars
November 15, 2005
New York Times
Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo subsidiary has quietly reached a deal with California regulators to extend the warranty of defective throttles in about 356,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada that are prone to stalling, the company said Tuesday. The car maker will extend the warranty of the ETM throttle, which can become corroded and force the car to stall or slowdown, according to internal memos obtained by The Associated Press and later confirmed by the company.
Toyota Sienna Run-Flat Tire Class Action
KEMNITZER, ANDERSON, BARRON & OGILVIE, LLP
Mark F. Anderson (SBN 44787)
Kan Tung Donohoe (SBN 197785)
445 Bush Street, Sixth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
Telephone: (415) 861-2265
Fax: (415) 861-3151
Attorney for Plaintiff Mark R Ciabattari and all others
similarly situated
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
ALAMEDA COUNTY
Mark R Ciabattari, and all other persons similarly situated,
Plaintiffs,
vs.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., a California corporation;
When is a call worth a life?
By Dan Carney
Washington Post
February 9, 2005
Phone driving is the drunken driving of the new millennium. Seemingly everyone does it, and all of them seem to believe that they are skilled in a way that prevents their powers of perception from being clouded by the fog of isolation that envelops drivers who talk on the phone.
Groups applaud auto safety provisions in highway bill
WASHINGTON — Auto safety groups said Friday a highway and transit bill approved by Congress would help deter drunken driving, encourage states to pass primary seat belt laws and lead to safer vehicles.
The safety provisions, part of a massive $286.4 billion transportation bill, offers an assortment of incentives and new requirements aimed at reducing crashes along the nation’s highways at a time when more than 42,000 people are killed on the road every year.
IIHS Press Release: Cell Phone Use
July 12 , 2005
1ST EVIDENCE OF EFFECTS OF CELL PHONE USE ON INJURY CRASHES:
CRASH RISK IS FOUR TIMES HIGHER WHEN DRIVER IS USING A HAND-HELD CELL PHONE