Honda to Stop Using Takata Air Bags
Posted on Nov 5, 2015 in Industry News | Comments Off on Honda to Stop Using Takata Air Bags
Honda decided that it will stop using Takata air bags in new vehicles after reviewing millions of pages of internal Takata documents and determining that test data for certain air bag inflators was misrepresented or manipulated. The decision by Honda follows a $200 million fine imposed on Takata by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”). Takata agreed to pay $70...
Auto Loans At All Time High
Posted on Nov 4, 2015 in Industry News | Comments Off on Auto Loans At All Time High
The amount borrowed by Americans to pay for vehicle purchases climbed to a record high of $968 billion in the third quarter. Higher vehicle prices and an increase in auto sales, up 5.8 percent from a year ago, have driven increased borrowing. The majority of money borrowed, 61.3 percent, is by drivers with prime or super prime credit ratings. Borrowing by drivers with shaky credit,...
Air Bag Defect Leads to Mercedes-Benz Recall of 126,000 Cars
Posted on Nov 4, 2015 in Industry News | Comments Off on Air Bag Defect Leads to Mercedes-Benz Recall of 126,000 Cars
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a defect in the air bags of certain Mercedes vehicles—which can cause the bags to deploy without impact—has led to a recall of approximately 126,000 cars. Mercedes became aware of a potential defect through three customer complaints in early 2014, but did not discover the root cause until summer 2015. An investigation...
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Recommend Automatic Brakes in All Vehicles
Posted on Nov 4, 2015 in Industry News, Technology Impacting Auto Insurance | Comments Off on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Recommend Automatic Brakes in All Vehicles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) stated that it plans to add automatic emergency breaking (AEB) to its 5-Star vehicle safety ratings as a way to encourage the spread of crash-avoidance technology. With this update to the NHTSA’s vehicle safety ratings, the AEB system would be recommended in all U.S. vehicles beginning with model year 2018. AEB reduces the...
U.S. Auto Manufacturers Report Best Sales in a Decade
Posted on Nov 3, 2015 in Industry News | Comments Off on U.S. Auto Manufacturers Report Best Sales in a Decade
The major American auto manufacturers reported double-digit increases in sales in the month of October. The increased sales, approaching 1.46 million vehicles, is a 13.6 percent increase from the same period a year ago, and accounts for the best October sales in ten years. Sport Utility Vehicles and Pick-up trucks drove sales, as low financing and cheap gasoline made these vehicles...
Europe Weakens Proposed On-The-Road Emissions Testing
Posted on Oct 28, 2015 in Industry News | Comments Off on Europe Weakens Proposed On-The-Road Emissions Testing
In the wake of recent emissions testing scandals, the European Union has proposed new regulations and standards that would require on-the-road emissions testing for all new cars by 2019. The proposed standards would require that all new cars emit nitrogen oxide levels no more than fifty percent above the current limits by 2021. Regulators faced criticism after relaxing the proposed cap...
