Nissan, safety agency looking into auto-braking miscues in SUVs

A system designed to help prevent accidents in some new SUVs is undergoing changes. Drivers alerted Nissan that the Rogue was stopping without warning.

The Nissan Rogue uses radar to detect obstacles directly ahead of it. The technology is supposed to detect a potential collision and brake in time if the driver doesn’t.

The automaker admits things like railroad crossings, low-handing lights, or a metal overpass may cause the auto-braking to activate without warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said there have been nearly 850 complaints involving the automatic braking systems of 2017 and 2018 Rouges. That includes reports of 14 crashes and five injuries. read more »

Out of Gear: Follow the full Ford investigation

In April 2019, Ford Motor Co., in the last paragraph of a 70-page filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosed that it could face significant liability in lawsuits over the transmission used in Focus and Fiesta cars for nearly a decade. read more »

Tesla’s pop-out handles blamed for death after accident

The futuristic door handles on the Tesla Model S are being faulted in the traffic death of 48-year-old anesthesiologist Dr. Omar Awan in Davie, Florida. According to the accident report, Awan was traveling on a Florida Parkway when he lost control of his leased Tesla and it crashed into a palm tree. The family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit with Broward County State Court faulting the hide-a-way door handles.

According to the lawsuit, a police officer couldn’t open the doors because the handles were retracted and bystanders watched as the car filled with smoke and flames. The suit further alleges that the fire originated with the car’s battery.

The handles have a dubious history going back to a Consumer Reports article showing that door handles breaking was the number one complaint about the car, followed by not being able to access the car when the handles were frozen over with ice. A 2018 Wired article reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk insisted on them even though it “was unanimous among the executive staff that the complex door handle idea was crazy.” Top safety advocates have also gone on record attacking the door handles as a safety issue for first responders. read more »

Fiat Chrysler recalls 108,000 diesel Ram 1500 pickup trucks for coolant leaks

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said on Friday it is recalling 108,000 Ram 1500 diesel-powered pickup trucks in the United States for coolant leaks tied to reports of some fires and four minor injuries.

The Italian-American automaker said the recall covers trucks from the 2014 through 2019 model years after finding microscopic cracks in some Exhaust Gas Recirculation coolers. The injuries occurred when customers attempted to manually extinguish engine compartment fires. read more »