Product Safety News

October 14, 2008 -

General Motors is recalling 79 model year 2009 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a passenger-side front air bag inflator that could fracture during a deployment.  During a passenger-side air bag deployment, pieces of the inflator tube could strike and injure vehicle occupants, also causing the air bag cushion to not inflate fully, reducing the capability of the bag to protect the passenger.  Dealers will install a new passenger-side front air bag. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438. 

October 1, 2008 -

Autoliv, a  global automotive safety systems supplier, has developed a new anti-sliding airbag that it says is 60 percent lighter than the existing anti-sliding airbag in order to help vehicle manufacturers meet the more stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements by reducing weight. In a crash the airbag, which is installed in the seat cushion, raises the front end of the cushion to prevent the occupant from sliding under the seatbelt. This reduces the risk for knee injuries and provides a softer deceleration of the occupant since the crash energy can be absorbed more evenly by the frontal airbag when the occupant remains in an upright position. The new airbag will be introduced in the new two-door version of the 2009 Renault Megane that will be launched at the upcoming Paris Auto Show. This vehicle will have anti-sliding airbags for both front-seat positions.

September 30, 2008 -

Toyota announced that it has developed the world's first rear-window curtain shield airbag to protect rear passengers' heads in the event of a rear-end collision. The new airbag will debut in the Japanese market iQ microcar, an ultra-compact four-seat vehicle.

July 22, 2008 -

The public and government officials will now have quick access to information about crashes resulting in death, injury and property damage under a new ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C.

July 17, 2008 -

General Motors Sent Out 1 Million Warning Letters but did not recall vehicles whose airbags could spontaneously trigger after getting wet. Two cases were reported this summer in the Midwest, but the problem dates back more than a decade, according to WISN-TV in Milwaukee. Both General Motors and the federal government investigated complaints about spontaneous airbag deployment caused by moisture as early as 1997. In one case, Wisconsin resident Lynda Schultz’s 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier flooded while in a parking lot. After the car dried out, Shultz used her vehicle, pulled into the driveway, put it in park and the airbag deployed in her face. “The letter said, ‘should your car ever become wet, the floor boards get soaked, don't drive your car, disconnect the battery and have it towed to a Chevrolet dealership,’” Schultz said. Water in the airbag electronics system located under the passenger seat can apparently cause the airbags to deploy, but not immediately. It can happen at any time after the electronics get wet. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed the airbag problem for certain 1996 and 1997 vehicles including the 1996 and 1997 Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac Grand Am, Pontiac Sunfire, Buick Skylark and Oldsmobile Achieva. According to General Motors, owners have been notified to get the electrical system checked if their vehicle has suffered flood damage.

July 14, 2008 -

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it will delay issuing a new roof crush rule until October 1, due to a number of new comments received and additional analysis required. The agency, which has not updated its rollover safety standards in over 35 years, was originally scheduled to send a new roof crush rule to Congress by July 1. The proposed revision would mandate a roof to be required to support 2.5 times the vehicle's weight, up from the current standard of 1.5 times the car's weight. The delay is said to be due to ongoing complaints from consumer advocates and members of Congress, who contend that the proposal is not strong enough. Critics assert that most new cars already conform to a 2.5 standard and that the standard should be raised even higher, to 3.5. A study released earlier this year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the stronger the roof, the lower the risk of injury to occupants of a vehicle.

May 27, 2008 -

Two Kentucky girls were killed in unrelated ATV accidents over the Memorial Day weekend. A 12-year-old girl was killed in an accident involving a 2008 Yamaha Rhino ATV. According to the police statement, the ATV got stuck in the gravel on railroad tracks then rolled on top of them into a nearby creek as they were trying to free the vehicle. The same weekend in another part of Kentucky, a 17-year-old girl was killed when the ATV on which she was riding as a passenger hit a bump in the road, causing it to overturn.

May 7, 2008 -

Ford Motor Company is now using child-size crash-test dummies equipped with sensors in the abdominal area to help carmakers invent seat belts to better protect children from sliding under seatbelts and sustaining stomach injuries. The new dummy will hopefully lead the way to better understanding of the pressure placed on a child’s abdomen in a crash. Children’s seat belts tend to ride up into their stomach area while seated or they scoot forward to bend their knees, placing them at greater risk for submarining, or sliding under the belt. Key to Ford's redesign are new abdominal sensors as well as the bone structure designed to mimic a child’s pelvic area and rounder hip bones.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

February 2, 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.

February 1, 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.