#NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into basically every Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator from the 2021-2023 model years. The probe is looking into an estimated 781,459 vehicles over presumed electrical faults that could be causing fires. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, it makes sense why the company is so adamant about how its upcoming Wagoneer EV will be of “perfect quality.”

Stellantis is about to be on the hook for an enormous recall involving one of its most popular models.

An intoxicated woman driving a Ford “Mustang” Mach-E, who struck and killed two people in Philadelphia last March, is being charged with homicide. However, the vehicle’s suite of advanced driving aids have muddled the case and are apparently being used as part of the defense. Meanwhile, the technology itself is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for presumed operational failures.

If you’re still driving around with an unresolved Takata airbag recall, it’s time to stop being lazy and get it done. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported another death tied to the defective Takata airbag inflators, bringing the total to 28 so far in the United States.

The United States is planning to relaunch a program to normalize vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology that would allow all modern vehicles to communicate with each other and the surrounding infrastructure in real time. Government agencies are claiming the resulting network would drastically improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians. However, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about V2X. The U.S. attempted a similar program years earlier before it lost momentum.

Toyota has been forced to recall 33,848 vehicles located in North America because a Texas-based distributor applied the wrong load-carrying capacity labels. The problem impacts 22 individual models. Despite the mistake causing no physical defect, it does mean the impacted automobiles are out of compliance with U.S. regulations.

Remember the Dodge Journey? Pepperidge Farm, I mean, the NHTSA remembers. It recently upgraded its investigation into the much-maligned crossover to an engineering analysis. The evaluation is ongoing due to concerns that its door locks and windows could become inoperative.

Though not yet a recall, the action impacts almost one million Journeys built between 2009 and 2020. The defect could cause a malfunction of the power windows and door locks, preventing passengers from exiting if there’s an emergency.

Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Highway Safety Administration updated its rules on automatic emergency braking, opting to require that almost all new cars and trucks carry the feature by 2029. Now, a group representing most major automakers is pushing back, saying that the requirements are “practically impossible with available technology.”

With the HALT Act having passed in 2021, the United States is less than two years away from making driver-monitoring technologies standard equipment. While this issue has been downplayed by the legacy media for years, the main reason was because the Department of Transportation hadn’t yet decided what form the equipment would take.

At the same time, consumer advocacy groups and a smattering of automotive enthusiasts have been sounding alarm bells relating to user privacy. With the government suggesting that these systems not only be ubiquitous in all new vehicles by 2026, but likewise communicate with law enforcement and even remotely deactivate a vehicle, there are some serious concerns about how they may serve as a giant violation of our collective rights.

One thing you really want to work well in a powerful sports car is your seatbelt, but some Corvette owners might find theirs unusable. Chevy is recalling 13,464 of the cars for an issue that could cause the seatbelt to become locked in a stowed position.

A recall has been issued for just about every Karma Revero EV sold inside the United States over an intermittent issue with the turn signals that place the model out of compliance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). While the defect isn’t dangerous in itself, the fact that turn signals could fail can exacerbate the likelihood of a crash.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Revero, don’t feel bad. Most people have never seen one.

If you pursued the news over the weekend, you undoubtedly saw articles claiming that the Biden administration both relaxed and tightened U.S. vehicle emissions standards. While often framed as complex, the reality is that the White House has repeatedly stressed its desire to push Americans toward electric vehicles and has instituted regulatory goals to that aim. However, it has softened on earlier proposals that would have set the standards even higher.

Let’s dig into what happened and the possible implications of the updated standards.

Tesla, already under the NHTSA’s microscope, is facing more scrutiny over reports that some Model 3 and Model Y vehicles lost power steering. The agency posted a letter to its website earlier this week, asking for Tesla’s record on the vehicles by July 24.

Volkswagen is recalling over 80,000 ID.4 electric vehicles, from the 2021-2023 model years, over concerns that interior screens may turn off without warning. While not really much of an issue on older cars, this is a colossal problem for newer models that have integrated touchscreen technology as essential for vehicle controls.

No matter what you think of them, autonomous vehicles will bring a range of opportunities for drivers and public infrastructure. That said, one of the most critical aspects of AVs becoming a part of everyday life is public trust, and the major players in today’s AV development race have struggled to earn and keep people’s confidence. Last year, GM’s Cruise operations shut down after high-profile accidents raised serious questions, and now, it’s Waymo’s turn under the microscope.