Product Safety News

Every day developments in the area of product safety occur. Whether it be recalls, the launch of defect investigations by NHTSA, or national or regional news about advancements in automotive safety technologies, news and information in this area is constantly changing.

To assist consumers and attorneys, some of the more notable developments are noted herein for easy reference. If you have any questions about any of these topics or desire more information do not hesitate to call us.

IIHS Questions the Effectiveness of Five New Safety Features

April 17, 2008: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) studied the effectiveness of blind-spot detection systems, adaptive headlamps, lane-departure warning systems, forward-collision warning systems with automatic braking and emergency brake assist, and found that despite the hype, some of them may not be as useful as automakers make them out to be. Of the 2.3 million frontal crashes that take place annually, 7,200 result in a fatality. The proliferation of systems that can detect an imminent frontal collision, sound a warning and if the drive doesn't react, preload all the safety systems and begin applying the brakes may prove useful. The same goes for lane departure warning systems, which notify the driver with a tone if they begin veering out of their lane. Others, like blind-spot detection systems won't have as much affect on road fatalities since they don't account for a substantial amount of fatal crashes, but they'll certainly make people more aware of their surroundings. Source: IIHS via Detroit News

Crash Avoidance Technology Improving

April 16, 2008: Tests show that one out of three drivers hit the brakes hard enough to stop in an emergency, according to Robert Bosch LLC. Accidents are also unavoidable due to drivers' decision-making processes that take crucial milliseconds needed to brake in time to stop their vehicles. Bosch’s predictive brake assist function is Europe's first system that detects an accident and reacts accordingly, the company said. The system comes at a time when the industry has reached a plateau in decreasing vehicle fatalities. Vehicle deaths have remained stagnant at 40,000 a year for over a decade, according to a company spokesperson. The system constantly monitors the vehicles surroundings and makes calculations as to whether the vehicle will have the ability to stop in an accident. The hydraulic brake is prepared for full force breaking once the vehicle detects a probable impact. Source: Automotive News

SUV Roll-Over Test Results

March 12, 2008: Researchers say the stronger the roof, the greater the chance you’ll survive a rollover wreck; and they want the government to raise the standards on roofs. When an SUV rolls over in a wreck, more than half the time, somebody inside dies. Some highway safety experts say flimsy roofs should share the blame. But a new study from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety offers a simple solution. The study shows that stronger roofs reduced the risk of serious injury in rollover crashes. The institute provided video of its tests of eleven SUV’s from the mid-90’s to the mid-point of this decade. It found the strongest roof was on the 2000 to 2004 Nissan Xterra. But more importantly the Institute wants the government to raise the roof-standards on all SUV’s. The 11 SUV designs in the study include the 1996-2004 Chevrolet Blazer, 2002-05 Chevrolet Trailblazer, 1998-2003 Dodge Durango, 1996-2001 Ford Explorer, 2002-04 Ford Explorer, 1996-98 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1999-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2002-05 Jeep Liberty, 1997-2004 Mitsubishi Montero Sport, 2000-04 Nissan Xterra, and 1996-2000 Toyota 4Runner. Source: NBC News

Rollover Study Latest Proof that Feds Failing to Protect Public - Statement of Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen

March 12, 2008: The study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety adds to the mountain of evidence that the federal government is not doing enough to protect the public from deadly rollover crashes. The Institute's study exposes the junk science that the auto industry has been circulating for years. The automakers have tried to pass off the laughable claim that roof strength has zero relationship to the risks vehicle occupants face in rollover crashes. This study is the last nail in the coffin for that bogus argument. Additionally, the Institute's study - which closely follows the methodology used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in its performance tests - underscores what safety experts and consumer advocates have been saying for years: NHTSA's proposed revision to the 40-year-old roof strength standard is insufficient. Congress instructed NHTSA in the 2005 highways bill to "upgrade" the decades-old standard. NHTSA has chosen to fiddle around at the margins instead of overhauling its outdated safety standard to reflect the best protection possible for the public. The Institute's study echoes our urgent warnings to the agency that its proposed increase of the roof strength standard from 1.5 to 2.5 times gross vehicle weight will not meet the public's need for safety.

Safe Guards Protecting Children in and Around Vehicles Becomes Law

February 28, 2008: Parents, consumer and safety groups applauded the U.S. Congress and the President for passing a law helping to protect children in and around motor vehicles. The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Act, signed by the President yesterday, addresses three serious causes of preventable injuries and fatalities to young children in and around motor vehicles: getting caught in an automatically closing power window; being struck by a backing vehicle because of an unacceptable blindzone; and placing a vehicle in gear that results in an uncontrolled roll away without having to depress the brake. The law was named after 2-year-old Cameron Gulbransen who was killed when he was inadvertently backed over by an SUV because the blindzone behind the vehicle made it impossible to see him. Technology exists to solve the problems involving blindzones, power windows, and cars that slip out of gear. Now that we have a law in place the government will be compelled to take action on these issues and save the lives of children. Source: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

NHTSA Consumer Alert: Evenflo Recalls One Million Discovery Infant Car Seats

February 1, 2008: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging parents with Evenflo Discovery child safety seat Models 390, 391, 534 and 552 manufactured between April 2005 and January 29, 2008, to immediately check their seats. Evenflo is recalling approximately one million Discovery child safety seats that could fail to adequately protect children in a high impact side collision. The model numbers and date of manufacture are located on a white label at the bottom of the car seat. The Discovery car seat is designed with a convenience base that attaches to the vehicle's seat and allows the seat to be attached or removed from the vehicle without removing the base. Tests conducted by NHTSA and the Evenflo company have found that this car seat has the potential to separate from its base. Owners of the affected seats can contact Evenflo toll-free at 1-800-356-2229. Source: NHTSA

Electronic Stability Program

January 3, 2008: The Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is the trade name of the Mercedes Benz version of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or computer aided driving. Other car manufacturers have different names for it, Cadillac calls it StabiliTrak. It is a computer that takes over control of the vehicle when the vehicles path is not what the driver intended it to be. Computer aided driving is not new. ABS and Traction Control, which are forms of computer aided driving, have been around for a while and add a great deal to the safety of a vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration thinks enough of the device that it will require that all future passenger vehicles have ESC as standard equipment by 2012. Some car manufacturers, like Ford Motor Company, have announced they will have Electronic Stability Control standard on all consumer-version of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars and trucks by the end of 2009. It's no exaggeration to say that stability control is the biggest automotive safety advancement since ABS and airbags. The value of ESC is that it interprets information, in most cases, before the average driver or even the above average driver can sense the problem. Once the ESC computer reads the information it starts to set the car on the correct path before we can figure out what's going on. Source: Tony Scotti, Vehicle Dynamics Institute

GM recalls 313,000 Vehicles Worldwide

December 22, 2007: General Motors Corp. recalled more than 313,000 Saturn, Pontiac and Cadillac vehicles around the globe to fix a rear-axle seal that may leak and cause the cars to lose control and crash. In the United States, the recall covers 275,936 Saturn Sky, Pontiac Solstice and Cadillac CTS, CTS-V, SRX, STS and STS-V vehicles from the 2005-07 model years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site. It is GM's biggest domestic recall in 2007. A fluid leak in the rear-axle pinion seal may cause the vehicles rear differential to lock up, possibly causing a loss of control, GM said in a Dec. 19 letter to NHTSA. According to GM, two crashes were reported; one involved an injury. The recall stems from a preliminary inquiry that NHTSA began in July after receiving 20 reports from motorists of rear differential failures. Almost all the complaints cited the back wheels of the vehicles locking up, the agency said. Source: NHTSA

Secretary Peters Announces Tougher Vehicle Safety Standard To Protect Against Side-Impact Crashes

September 5, 2007: U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced new side impact safety requirements for all passenger vehicles. It is expected that the upgrade, developed by DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), will save hundreds of lives every year. The new standard requires auto manufacturers – for the first time ever – to provide head protection in side-impact crashes. It also would enhance other protections for passengers involved in such crashes. Side-impact passenger vehicle crashes are a serious – and frequently severe – safety problem on the nation’s roadways. Side impact crashes account for 28 percent of all fatalities, the majority of which involve a brain injury. NHTSA estimates that the new requirements will save over 300 lives and prevent nearly 400 serious injuries per year. Source: NHTSA

Are Used Tires A Safety Hazard? Bridgestone Instructs Retail Stores To Stop Selling Them

February 20, 2007: Amid growing safety concerns, one of the largest tire manufacturers has decided to stop selling used tires at company-owned stores. Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire recently told its 2,200 retail stores to stop selling used tires, while the Rubber Manufacturers Association for the first time sent a service bulletin warning that "used passenger and light truck tires that have an uncertain or unknown history pose a potential risk." Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, the Nashville-based subsidiary of the Japanese tiremaker, said Friday its chief operating officer, Bill Perdew, had told its outlets to stop selling used tires immediately. According to Bridgestone, it was a small percentage of the company’s business.

NHTSA has been conducting tests on new tires to determine their durability and may pursue a test this year to simulate aging. NHTSA rewrote its tire safety performance requirements in 2003, increasing the stringency of the existing high speed and endurance tests for tires. BMW AG, Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG have backed guidelines that tires should only be in service for six years. Source: David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

New Bill Focused on Child Safety Proposed

February 2007: Congress has been urged by numerous safety advocates and a distinguished list of Senators, including Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Sununu, to immediately pass the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007. The bill is notable as it asks the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to issues regulations to decrease the incident of child injuries and death. Since 2000, over 1,000 children have been killed in non-traffic accidents, and the bill seeks to address these hazards by seeking regulations to address safety issues such as children being backed over by vehicles, strangled by power windows, or injured when a vehicle inadvertently moves. The proposals include: ensuring power windows automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction to prevent children from being trapped and injured; providing drivers with a means of detecting the presence of a person or object behind their vehicle; providing for the vehicle service brake to be engaged to prevent vehicles from inadvertently moving or rolling; and establishing a child safety information program to collect non-traffic incident data and disseminate information to parents about the dangers that exist.

GM Recalls Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia

February 2007: GM has recalled its new 2007 Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia full-size CUVs for potentially faulty airbag sensors. The problem is reportedly software related, meaning it can be fixed with a trip to the dealer, and effects every unit sold since they went on sale in December. Letters went out February 22nd to owners of the Saturn Outlook and will be sent on February 28th for GMC Acadia owners. The recall was not mandated by NHTSA, rather it was initiated by GM after the problem was discovered internally. The potentially faulty sensor in question controls the front airbags; deployment.

Electronic Safety Control (ESC) Becoming More Prevalent

February 2007: Electronic Safety Control (ESC) is touted as one of the most significant safety advancement in years, and its addition as a safety feature on new vehicle increases with each passing year. ESC refers to vehicle technologies that help drivers maintain control of their vehicle during emergency steering maneuvers by keeping the vehicle headed in the driver's intended direction.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) technologies accomplish this by using automatic braking of individual wheels to prevent the vehicles direction from changing too quickly (spinning out) or not quickly enough (plowing out). ESC cannot increase the available traction of the vehicle on the road, but it helps to maximize the possibility for the driver to keep the vehicle under control and on the road. ESC systems exist under many trade names, including Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), and Vehicle Stability Enhancement (VSE). To see a list of those vehicles in 2007 which have ESC as standard or optional equipment visit NHTSA Safer Car at: www.safercar.gov.

Dangerous Used and Old Tires Subject of Call for Stricter Standards

February 2007: A leading auto safety group is calling for used tire dealers and wholesalers to adopt stricter standards to inspect the millions of tires they sell to motorists every year. The sale of used tires is largely unregulated, and each year worn, previously repaired or poorly maintained tires cause countless accidents, many of them ending in fatalities, safety advocates say. Used tires have been the subject of growing concern by automakers and safety advocates. In December, 2006, Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, submitted details about 108 accidents linked to tread separation of tires more than 6 years old to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those accidents resulted in 85 deaths. Unfortunately, nationwide statistics are not available, but NHTSA has been conducting tests on new tires to determine their durability and may pursue a test this year to simulate aging. The agency will begin requiring manufacturers to print the manufacture date on tires beginning in September 2009. To date, BMW AG, Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG have backed guidelines that tires should only be in service six years.