Automakers and auto dealerships are opposing a bill that would require rental car companies to prohibit renting of recalled vehicles until they are repaired.

The argument being made by both the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the National Automobile Dealers Association is that rental car companies will demand “front of the line” service, pushing normal consumers to the back of the line for recall repairs. Alliance president and CEO Mitch Bainwol believes “a broad federal mandate grounding all vehicles regardless of the nature of the recall triggers potential negative impacts that consumer notification would not.” Bainwol also believes that the bill opens the door to lawsuits from rental car companies for “loss of use” damages during recalls.

SEE ALSO: Reintroduced Bill Aims to End Renting of Recalled Cars

As a compromise, dealers and automakers believe rental car companies should inform the consumer that they are renting a vehicle that has been recalled but not repaired. Of course not all safety recalls cause a vehicle to dangerously operate, which is another side automakers and dealers are arguing. They do however, support the intent of the bill, but more noticeably for vehicles that are not mechanically sound or are unsafe to operate.

[Source: Detroit News]

The 2013 Ford Fusion Energi has been awarded a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

The Energi plug-in hybrid’s five-star rating is no real surprise considering the other Fusion models also received five-star safety ratings. NHTSA, however, has chosen to test plug-in vehicles separately since the market share of electrified vehicles continues to grow.

SEE ALSO: Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid Rated Up to 108 MPGe

The 2013 Ford Fusion was also named a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and is rated at 108 MPGe.

“The Fusion Energi combines the highest possible safety ratings from NHTSA and great fuel economy, two things we know customers are looking for in their vehicles,” said Steve Kenner, Global Director of the Ford Automotive Safety Office. “Our strategy is to provide our customers with a range of powertrain options in our vehicles, while still leading in fuel economy in every segment that we compete.”

GALLERY: 2013 Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid

Discuss this story at FordFusionClub.com

Will a “14-year-old from Indonesia” one day be able to hack into self-driving cars? It might sound outlandish, but Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee asked on Wednesday.

Further underscoring the concern, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety administrator David Strickland says he has asked for $2 million for a new office dedicated to electronic issues. One of those issues? Ensuring that self-driving cars can’t be hacked and remotely controlled.

“NHTSA recognizes the challenge and the growing onboard potential for remotely compromising vehicle security through software and increased onboard communications services,” Strickland said. “With electronics systems assuming safety critical roles in nearly all vehicle controls, we are facing the need to develop general requirements.”

Strickland said there haven’t been any reported cases of this happening so far, but then again there aren’t many self-driving cars on the road today. Currently, Nevada, California and Florida are the only states that allow autonomous cars on public roads.

“If there’s a chance of it happening, we have to address it,” Strickland said.

[Source: The Detroit News]

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) is growing closer to calling for laws making automatic braking systems in cars mandatory. 

Automatic braking systems use radar and cameras to monitor what is ahead of the vehicle, and will operate the brakes if a collision is deemed imminent.

Some companies, such as Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, already offer these types of systems, which NHTSA says save lives. In a study undertaken by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, people put in insurance claims 16 percent less often for S60 sedans equipped with the feature when compared to other mid-size luxury sedans.

In 2011, NHTSA ordered automakers to install electronic stability control on every single vehicle, and it looks as though automatic braking systems will be next.

[Source: Automotive News]

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), lowering the legal limit on drinking and driving could save hundreds of lives each year.

NTSB is pushing the proposal for approval by Congress and the states to lower the current limit of 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent or lower. A blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent means a small woman could have a single drink in an hour and be near the limit. A medium-sized man could have two drinks within an hour before hitting the level.

The recommendation isn’t expected to stick, considering it took nearly two decades to lower the limit from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. In fact, the Governors Highway Safety Association and Mothers Against Drunk Driving aren’t even endorsing the proposal.

The biggest problem being that many believe a 0.05 blood alcohol level doesn’t necessarily mean you’re driving impaired. NTSB on the other hand states that a person with a 0.05 percent blood alcohol level has a 38 percent higher chance of getting into an accident than someone who hasn’t been drinking. NTSB also reinforced its stance by saying more than 100 countries have reduced their legal limit to 0.05 percent or lower. The agency estimates that lowering the level to 0.05 percent would save 500-800 lives annually.

Japanese automaker Subaru is recalling almost 5,400 model year 2013 Outback and Legacy vehicles because the steering column might disengage.

The affected vehicles were built between February 15 and June 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the inner and outer shafts of the steering column assembly may become disengaged from one another. If that happens, the driver won’t be able to steer the car.

Subaru will notify affected owners, and replace the column assembly free of charge through its dealer network. Anyone with questions can call Subaru at (800) 782-2783. The recall campaign number is WQI-45.

Even after concerns about the Toyota FJ Cruisers blinding headlights, Toyota is pushing NHTSA to relax its stance about its high beam headlights.

While the FJ Cruiser’s blinding lights issues is being worked out, the Japanese automaker is referring to its  new automatic high beam headlight technology, which is currently banned for use in the US. The system allows automatic control of the high beam headlights, and even uses a shade to prevent blinding pedestrians and on-coming traffic. This is possible thanks to a camera and sensor which can detect traffic and pedestrians.

Currently Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus have sold 16,000 vehicles in Japan and Europe with this technology, and is unable to bring the potentially life-saving feature to the US market.

SEE ALSO: Toyota FJ Cruiser Recalled for Blinding Lights

Other automakers including Audi and Mercedes-Benz are also looking into automatic high-beam technology, but still face similar hurdles.

NHTSA issued a statement in response to the petition, claiming, that it will assess the regulations.

“The agency continues to look at ways in which the federal lighting standard can provide even better illumination for drivers,” NHTSA’s statement said. The regulation was last updated in 1999, and automakers claim that it is preventing change which can help improve driver and pedestrian safety.

According to Automotive News about 2,334 people die in the US due to dark road conditions. Toyota estimates that with its new technology it can help save at least 9 of those killed. A low percentage yes, but better than nothing.

Source: Automotive News

For the first time in seven years, the number of fatalities on U.S. roadways increased 5.3 percent last year to 34,080 deaths, according to preliminary data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Though it may be alarming, NHTSA expected a growth in deaths since there are more motorists on the road thanks to an improving economy. Unfortunately, traffic deaths increased in every category from regional to seasonal. More bicyclists were killed on U.S. roads last year as well, with that figure rising 9 percent to 677 deaths. Even pedestrians were in the crosshairs with 4,280 deaths last year – 4 percent more. Most alarming is that almost 5,000 motorcyclists died last year, making up 14.7 percent of overall traffic fatalities.

Distracted driving is another reason why traffic fatalities have increased last year. According to a Mortality and Morbidity Report compiled by the CDC, distracted-driving related deaths rose 1.92 percent, killing 3,331 people in the latest year data is available.

NHTSA is looking to propose some safety laws in hopes to curb traffic fatalities in America. You can view the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) here.

[Source: AOL Autos]

The 2013 Honda Civic sedan has been awarded a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Civic sedan scored four stars on the frontal crash test, five stars on the side impact test, and four stars for rollover protection, giving it a five-star overall rating. The coupe on the other hand, while it had the same scores on each individual test, was awarded a four-star rating since crash dummies received more significant injuries in side-impact crash tests.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Honda Civic vs 2013 Nissan Sentra

The 2013 Honda Civic sedan was also named a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and was the first small, compact car to meet the new standard.

Pricing for the Honda Civic sedan starts at $18,955 including a $790 destination charge.

Discuss this story at 9thGenCivic.com

Complaints that certain Chevrolet Corvette sports cars might suffer from headlights going dark without warning are prompting an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

Model years 2005 through 2007 are affected, with over 103,000 units. NHTSA reports having 30 complaints filed, although there haven’t been any injuries reported.

The complains say that even if the low beams die, the high beams and fog lights still work. Of course, driving with high beams constantly active poses a risk to other drivers.

NHTSA says it will investigate the defect and determine if a recall is necessary.

Crash test dummies help put our vehicles to the test to determine just how safe they are, but just how much work goes into a dummy to make it as close to a human being as possible?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is releasing a series of videos titled “Inside IIHS” that gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at its Vehicle Research Center. The first video of the series gives a look at crash test dummies at work, explaining the types of dummies that are used for testing, how they are calibrated, and the technology the feature to give IIHS the information it needs to keep us safe.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Almost every vehicle Honda builds can claim either a “Top Safety Pick Plus” or “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Every vehicle rated within the maker’s product portfolio gained one of the two ratings. Only the FCX Clarity hydrogen vehicle was excluded from the IIHS ratings. The ratings mean that Honda either tied or led the automotive industry in each of the segments rated by the IIHS.

Most notably, the 2013 Accord and Civic both earned the “Top Safety Pick Plus” rating in both sedan and coupe forms. As both a coupe and a sedan, the Civic earned the highest “good” rating in all tested categories including the newest small overlap test. The Accord did almost as well, scoring the same in all but the small overlap category as a coupe, where it earned an “acceptable” rating.

Discuss this story at 7thgenhonda.com