Hertz and safety advocacy group, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, have reached a landmark agreement that calls for Congress to give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) authority over the car rental companies’ recall-related practices as well as prohibit them from renting or selling these recalled vehicles until they have been repaired. According to a news report in USA Today, this historic agreement adds momentum to an amendment with the same provisions backed by Senators Barbara Boxer and Charles Schumer. The amendment is likely to be included in a surface transportation bill, which the Senate is expected to take up later this month.

More

Nissan has joined several automakers who have recently issued auto defect recalls in connection with faulty airbags that were made with initiators containing an incorrect mixture of propellants. According to Consumer Reports the 2012 Nissan Altima and Nissan Versa sedans that have been recalled could have issues with their side curtain airbags that may not inflate during a collision. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified similar issues with other vehicle models.

More

David Bartlett, 42, was killed in a Ventura car accident after he lost control of his pickup truck and crashed, the morning of February 15, 2012. According to a news report in The Ventura County Star, the fatal car accident occurred on Highway 126 in Ventura near Victoria Avenue. California Highway Patrol officials say Bartlett’s pickup truck drifted to the right and went off the highway, striking a large eucalyptus tree. The pickup then hit a chain-link fence and ended up in an avocado orchard. Bartlett was wearing a seatbelt. He died at the scene. Officials are still investigating the cause of this fatal crash.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of David Bartlett for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

More

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has reached a settlement with BMW regarding their failure to report auto defects, which is required under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. According to a news report in Motorcycle-USA, the February 10, 2012 agreement will result in BMW paying $3 million in civil penalties for failing to provide adequate information quickly and in a forthright manner. NHTSA says that BMW did not report a number of safety defects to the agency, when they issued 16 different recalls in 2010. Under the Safety Act, auto manufacturers have five days to report known safety defects. In many cases, BMW did not report their findings for over 30 days.

More

Subaru has issued an auto defect recall for a number of its 2012 Legacys and Outbacks due to potential airbag defects. According to Consumer Reports, the approximately 381 vehicles may have defective side curtain airbags that could fail to deploy during an accident. The vehicles involved in this recall were manufactured this past December with defective side air bag components. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that this auto defect may increase the risk of injury to drivers and passengers involved in a collision. When the recall begins in April, Subaru dealers will replace one or more of the defective side curtain air bag initiators at no cost to consumers.

More

Investigators are looking into a potential auto defect that is causing a number of Chevy Trailblazers from the 2006 and 2007 model years to catch fire. According to a news report in The Washington Post, more than 309,000 of these vehicles may have faulty power window switches or related electrical parts that cause fires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already received 12 complaints of smoke or fires in Trailblazers. While no injuries have been reported yet, there have been reports of door parts melting and singed seats as a result of these fires. Some of the fires occurred while the vehicle was moving, while others involved engines that were turned off and cars that were unattended or left parked.

More

Ford has issued an auto defect recall for more than 500 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles because of faulty welds in the head restraint support brackets for the second-row right hand seats. According to a report in Torque News, the automaker is recalling 569 of the 2012 model vehicles, which were manufactured from November 19, 2011 through December 2, 20122.

More

A bill introduced by House Democrats this month, if passed, will allow federal regulators to block medical devices tied to safety recalls such as the transvaginal mesh implants that are manufactured by companies including C.R. Bard Inc. and Johnson & Johnson. According to a Bloomberg news report, the bill would close a loophole that allows medical devices to get the stamp of approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even when they are similar to an unsafe product that has been already pulled from the market.

More

BSH Home Appliances has issued a defective product recall for nearly 2 million Tassimo coffeemakers because of potential burn hazards. According to Consumer Reports, the Tassimo Single-Cup Brewers from BSH Home Appliances can burst during brewing and spray hot water and coffee grounds or tea leaves on to consumers. So far, there have been 140 reports of cases where the Tassimo machines have caused serious burn injuries to consumers. In 37 of the incidents victims received second-degree burns. In one case, a 10-year-old Minnesota girl had to be hospitalized after suffering second-degree burns on her face and neck.

More

York International is re-announcing a defective product recall involving 226,000 Coleman, Coleman Evcon and Red T gas furnaces after more than 300 additional incident reports, since the 2004 recall involving these furnaces. According to Consumer Reports, the company has received reports of 393 incidents, including several involving extensive property damage. Also, 366 of those reports were received after the November 2004 recall announcement. So far, no injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of these defective gas furnaces.

More