BMW recalling 136,000 U.S. vehicles over fuel pump: regulators

BMW (BMWG.DE) is recalling about 136,000 vehicles registered in the United States for a fuel pump problem that could cause stalling, according to a filing with U.S. safety regulators.

BMW told regulators that no injuries have been reported from the issue. Since 2014, the German-based company has conducted safety recall campaigns in China, Japan and South Korea for the same issue, according to a filing posted on Friday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

BMW officials in the United States and Germany did not respond to calls seeking comment.

BMW is recalling certain vehicles in the United States model year 2007-2011. Among them in the United States are the X5 3.0si, X5 4.8i, X5 M, X5 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive35i, X5 xDrive48i and X5 xDrive50i, 2008-2011 X6 x Drive35i, X6 xDrive50i and X6 M, 2010-2011 X6 ActiveHybrid, according to the filing. read more »

Comma.ai shelves self-driving device after regulatory warning

San Francisco startup Comma.ai on Friday said it is abandoning a high-profile effort to develop an aftermarket device to enable vehicles to drive themselves, after U.S. regulators said they could prohibit sale of the product.

The intervention, by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came before Comma.ai began marketing its device. It is the latest signal that regulators want more control over the development and deployment of self-driving vehicle systems by vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, after a period in which they took a largely hands-off approach.

The NHTSA on Friday disclosed an Oct. 27 letter to Comma.ai stating that the agency is investigating whether the company's device, called Comma One, complies with federal regulations. The letter and an accompanying special order demanded that Comma.ai provide the agency with information about the device and warned that the agency could prohibit the sale of the system if it were found to be defective. read more »

Feds Reject Recall Petition for Older Nissan Trucks, SUVs

This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rejected a petition demanding a recall for 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, Xterra and Frontier vehicles.

The petition argued that the affected vehicles are prone to transmission failure due to a breach in the radiator assembly, which allowed engine coolant to leak into the transmission line. Drivers reported loss of engine power, stalling, hard shifts, slipping and excess vibration.

According to NHTSA findings, many of the vehicles tested showed transmission fluid had indeed mixed with engine coolant, so they did not dispute the petition’s allegations regarding transmission problems. Findings showed that the mixture eventually caused clutch linings in the vehicle to delaminnate from the clutch bands and plates. read more »