Toyota is recalling 427 2011 RAV4 models because the side-curtain airbags that might not deploy.

According to the notice, a propellant with incorrect specifications was used in the airbag inflator. In certain instances that can cause one or both of the devices to fail.

The vehicles included in the recall were made between November 24 and December 11 of last year. As recalls go, this is a pretty small one but interestingly enough, Honda issued an almost-identical recall for the same issue in their Accords and Crosstours today.

It seems the same supplier, Autoliv Americas, does business with both Honda and Toyota. Owners can expect to be contacted by mail if their vehicle is among the affected group.

In the automotive industry, recalls are a bit like taxes, you just can’t get away from them. One of the most recent revolves around Maserati Gran Turismo coupes and convertibles manufactured between June 2008 and March 2010.

The problem, concerns the vehicles’ lighting system, specifically the tail lamps, which can unexpectedly fail, compromising visibility in dark or misty conditions, potentially leading to accidents.

Maserati says that approximately 1,768 cars in the US are affected by the issue and ask the owners of these vehicles to contact their nearest Maserati dealer, so the problem can be fixed; they can also contact Maserati at 201-816-2200

Additionally, affected owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) toll free at 1-888-327-4236, referencing recall campaign number 12V024000.

In the continued pursuit to make our roadways as safe as possible, several automakers, like BMW, have been researching vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology which could become mandatory in the future.

A decision will come next year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in whether or not it will mandate the technology for future vehicles.

While the technology itself isn’t new, the concept of vehicle-to-vehicle communication is still in its infancy stages and hasn’t proven itself to be a reliable method to reduce accidents. But even in its young stage, it has already shown its potential in what it can do by allowing vehicles to communicate with one another in order to avoid collisions.

NHTSA is currently wrapping up a study to determine the merits of vehicle-to-vehicle communication and should reach a conclusion soon on whether or not they’ll mandate the technology for future vehicles by 2013. That is, a decision will be made by 2013 but we shouldn’t expect the technology to really be fully integrated for another decade. It’s also safe to assume any mandate they pass won’t go into effect anytime soon either.

What is remarkable though is that NHTSA believes about 80-percent of crashes could be avoided through any use of vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

In September of 2011 we reported that 7 Jeep Liberty owners has apparently had their airbags deploy at seemingly random times causing injury to the vehicle occupants.

NHTSA said on Friday that there are now 87 reports of inadvertent airbag deployment, 50 of which have resulted in injury. NHTSA is upgrading their investigation to an engineering analysis of 386,873 Jeep Liberty 2002-2003 models to try and discover the cause of the problem. ”We are cooperating fully with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with this engineering analysis on 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty models to determine the root cause of this condition,”  said Chrysler spokesman Vince Muniga.

After almost a year since regulators closed Toyota’s unintended acceleration investigation, independent auto-safety firm Safety Research and Strategies announced Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed in federal court requesting for the government to release internal records of said investigation.

According to Safety Research and Strategies, there is reason to believe that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration withheld documents and videos that suggest unintended acceleration incidents were caused by electronics systems rather than floor mats or driver error.

Concerned that evidence of electrical defects in Toyota vehicles have been ignored or concealed, the lawsuit demands all transcripts, recordings, photographs, and videotapes generated from two federal investigators that went to visit the home of senior government official, Joseph H. McClelland, who has experienced unintended acceleration in his 2003 Toyota Prius hybrid.

According to a sworn statement from Mr. McClelland, investigators came to visit his home on May 17th, and documented evidence of sudden acceleration during an accompanied test drive. Mr. McClelland claimed the car over-accelerated in three distinct occasions as electronic displays began to blink wildly. The investigators videotaped the events and inspected floormats to determine the cause. After the drive, the two investigators even connected a computer to the car to read software codes.

Mr. McClelland said, “[The investigators] generally seemed excited. They said they hadn’t seen a vehicle display this type of behavior before, capturing the information in real time, and they said this could be an important vehicle for the sudden accelerations and it might help put some pieces together.”

Ultimately, NHTSA did not follow up with the investigation since the agency believes it’s possible the vehicle’s age and high mileage (280,000 miles) could have been the cause of any number of issues.

Upon learning about McClelland’s incident and inquiry, Safety Research and Strategies co-founder Sean Kane requested for the documents pertaining the McClelland investigation. However, photos and videos were denied and Sean Kane only received six pages of the 22 page case file.

In regards to the lawsuit, Sean Kane explained, “This is all about transparency. This is an agency that selectively releases data that fits its narrative that electronics are not at fault in sudden acceleration.”

NHTSA responded that the agency had already carefully reviewed more than 40,000 complaints each year. There are no plans to reopen the unintended acceleration investigation.

[Source: The New York Times]

For decades, the Volvo brand was the epitome of safety. Many perceived the Swedish automaker’s models to be bland and boring, but one thing was for sure: they were built like tanks.

Nowadays though, Volvo has developed a reputation for having sportier vehicles while maintaining the safety standards they established throughout the years. And now their 2012 S60 has joined the ranks of Chevrolet‘s Camaro in becoming the second vehicle ever to score perfect ratings in every category of NHTSA crash testing, since they changed the standards in 2011.

The three tests that the S60 aced with no issues were a 35-mph frontal collision, a 38.5-mph side impact and a 20-mph simulation of a side crash into a pole. All three sound incredibly uncomfortable and hopefully no one ever has to put their vehicle to the test; but certainly it’s nice to know if you own an S60 that you’re more than protected if the circumstances does arise.

Check out a trio of crash videos after the break, because we always love watching cars get demolished on purpose.

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Calls for a recall of the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee have been redoubled after the release of a new report documenting the growing list of fatalities associated with the SUV.

The report, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has added 14 more deaths to the SUVs total, resulting from fires that occurred in rear end collisions. In total, the Jeep from that era has claimed 284 people in 198 accidents due to the vehicle catching fire, says the Center for Auto Safety (CAS).

Jeep Grand Cherokees are at an unusually high risk of catching fire during these types of crashes alleges the CAS, due to the gas tank being located behind the rear axle.

The Ford Pinto was made infamous for a similar design that resulted in fiery rear end collisions, and CAS points out in a letter to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne that at the time of its recall the number of deaths associated with that car were relatively small, totaling 28.

The rather sensational letter asks Marchionne to act on this news and says, “Your predecessor as CEO of Chrysler once said that part of his decision to install airbags at Chrysler was the prospect of St Peter at the gates of heaven asking him about airbags in cars. Just as surely, St. Peter will ask you about fuel tanks in Jeep Grand Cherokees.”

In response Chrysler says that, “…rear impacts resulting in a fire are extremely rare. Rear impacts resulting in a fire occur no more often in 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles than in peer vehicles, and the 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are at no greater risk of exposure to fire in rear-end collisions than peer vehicles. Accordingly, Chrysler Group has concluded that 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are neither defective nor do their fuel systems pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear impact collisions.”

The 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee is currently under investigation by NHTSA but no recall has been issues.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

After an extensive two-month investigation into the Chevrolet Volt’s fire related incidents, the U.S. safety regulators of the National Transportation Safety Administration have announced that the case is closed. The conclusion: the Volt’s plug-in hybrid battery pack does not pose a significant fire risk following a crash.

According to NHTSA’s statement, the organization “does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.” GM also added that NHTSA’s decision to close the case is, “consistent with the results of our internal testing and assessment.”

Even though there are no known real-world Volt crashes that resulted to a fire, NHTSA strongly believed an investigation was important and necessary in order to “ensure the safety of the driving public with emerging [electric vehicle] technology.”

Earlier this month, GM had already taken preemptive measures, enhancing structural reinforcements surrounding the Volt’s 435 lb. lithium-ion battery pack to reduce its risk of damage. Addressing the action, GM stated that the change simply “is intended to make a safe vehicle even safer.”

[Source: Autonews]

Kia Motors America has announced that it’s recalling 145,755 vehicles today. The two models affected are the 2006-08 Optima sedan, specifically those manufactured between September 29, 2005 and January 29, 2008, and Rondo MPVs (pictured above) built between September 13, 2006 and March 21, 2008, for issues with the cars’ supplementary restraint system.

The problem concerns the clock spring in the airbag assembly, which can apparently become damaged over time. Failure of the clock spring contact assembly, will result in high resistance in the airbag electrical circuit, meaning that in the event of an accident, the airbag will fail to deploy, likely resulting in greater risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

Kia says it will be notifying owners of the affected vehicles, suggesting them to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer who will replace the airbag clock spring assembly. Kia says the recall is expected to begin in March 2012 and concerned owners are encouraged to contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Alternatively they can also visit HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering at length the changes that could be made to its 5-star crash-assessment testing. Rather than concentrate only on crash-worthiness, the NHTSA is looking into new technologies that put an emphasis on accident-avoidance.

NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says, “Crash-worthiness has been the guiding star for NHTSA. But if there’s an opportunity to prevent a crash– that is the goal.” Holding a speech for the Society of Automotive Analysts the day before the North American International Auto Show, Strickland wants to raise consumer awareness towards these new technologies.

On top of accident-avoidance devices like lane departure warning sensors, Strickland says NHTSA is also working on a framework for in-vehicle electronics in order to minimize driver distraction. Strickland explains, “We don’t want to stifle innovation, but we recognize technology (can impact) safety, so we will be setting in-vehicle guidelines so auto makers can innovate within a zone of safety.”

In order to collect data on driver distraction, NHTSA’s research program will be conducted on 2,000 vehicles with cameras to monitor driver behavior over a 2 year period. “The goal is to make sure we have an accurate picture of what is happening in the vehicles so that we’re not creating something that is a risk for every driver.”

The holy grail for automotive safety would be through the development of vehicle-to-vehicle communications, which NHTSA is committed to turning to reality. Studies have proved that the V2V system could eliminate 80% of crashes involving non-impaired drivers. This effectively lowers the number of traffic fatalities by almost 33,000 a year.

While it is unknown exactly when the V2V systems will be ready for mass use, a 3-year test program is currently being conducted, with automakers GM, Ford, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen all taking part.

[Source: WardsAuto]