U.S. government agency sued over sale of 'certified' used cars

The Center for Auto Safety and five other groups filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday for allowing used cars to be advertised as "certified" or safe despite being the target of an outstanding safety recall.

The FTC reached an agreement in January 2016 with General Motors Co and two dealership companies, Jim Koons Management and Lithia Motors Inc, that allows them to advertise cars as "certified pre-owned vehicles" even though they might have an issue related to a safety recall that still needs to be fixed. read more »

Three Maserati models face recalls for two different types of fire risk

Maserati is recalling 39,381 Quattroporte, Ghibli and Levante cars and SUVs for two issues that could pose a fire risk, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced.

The first issue affects all three vehicles from the 2014-17 model years and concerns a wiring harness under the front power seats, which can rub as a result of seat adjustment, creating the risk of a short-circuit and fire. Maserati says that these vehicles could have been produced with an incorrect seat wiring-harness layout.

"Through normal seat adjustment operation, and over time, this can lead to an inoperative seat adjustment system, and in rare cases, a potential risk of fire due to an electrical short to ground between the seat wiring harness and the seat adjustment motor assembly," Maserati said in a note to its dealers. read more »