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☆ A flying car prototype just got an airworthiness certificate from the FAA
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Alef Automotive said that its vehicle/aircraft, dubbed the “Model A,” is the first flying vehicle that is drivable on public roads and able to park like a normal car. The FAA confirmed that it has issued the company a special airworthiness certificate, allowing for limited purposes that include exhibition, research and development. The FAA said that Alef is “not the first aircraft of its kind” to get a special airworthiness certificate. Alef Aeronautics' flying Car unveiling on October 19, 2022. But Alef said that it needed the FAA’s special airworthiness certificate to continue conducting the necessary research and development.

Persons: Alef Aeronautics Inc “, ”, Jim Dukhovny, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, Oleg Petrov, Dukhovny Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Aviation Administration, Automotive, FAA, Alef, Alef Aeronautics, Alef Aeronautics Inc, National, Traffic, Administration Locations: New York, California

☆ U.S. Pedestrian Deaths Are at Highest Level in 41 Years, Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Amanda Holpuch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent years, other comparable developed countries have done more to reduce pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist deaths, researchers say. Those safety measures have included lowering speed limits, building more protected bike lanes and requiring vehicle design safety measures that better protect people outside of a vehicle. The report’s analysis of pedestrian deaths in 2021 used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is not directly comparable to the state data sets because they use different criteria for pedestrian deaths. Some states, for example, may include deaths that occurred 30 days after the crash in their count, while the federal government numbers do not. The federal data included specific information about crashes, such as light conditions, driving speeds and road types.

Persons: ”, Angie Schmitt Organizations: National, Traffic Safety Administration Locations: America, United States

☆ Elon Musk says self-driving technology is 'profound' but not as big a deal as the human-like AI that may emerge in the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk thinks artificial general intelligence is a bigger deal than driverless-car technology. The billionaire tweeted that autonomous cars were profound, but not as profound as human-like AI. Musk has sounded the alarm on the rapid advancement of AI in recent months. Elon Musk says Tesla's self-driving technology is profound but not as big a deal as the future prospect of human-like AI. Musk tweeted that the technology was "certainly profound," but not as much as AGI, short for artificial general intelligence, which advocates said could be as powerful as the human brain.

Persons: Elon, Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla Organizations: Twitter, Google, WSJ, Summit, National, Traffic Safety Administration, The Washington Post

☆ Tesla on Autopilot crashes into stopped truck in Pennsylvania -police
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Hyunjoo Jin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 26 (Reuters) - A Tesla (TSLA.O) vehicle that was operating on its Autopilot software crashed into a stationary truck on a highway in Pennsylvania on Friday night, police said, adding to scrutiny of the automaker's driver assistance system. The police said the car lost control due to being on Autopilot, adding that the 18-year-old male driver was charged with "careless driving." U.S. regulators have been investigating a series of accidents where Tesla vehicles on Autopilot collided with parked emergency vehicles. In February, a Tesla Model S crashed into a stationary fire truck in Walnut Creek, California, killing the car's driver and triggering an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla says Autopilot enables a car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane, but those features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.

Persons: Tesla, Hyunjoo Jin, Jamie Freed Organizations: Freightliner, Pennsylvania State Police, Tesla, National, Traffic Safety, Thomson Locations: Pennsylvania, Walnut Creek , California

☆ US opens probe into Ford Explorer recalls over power loss reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators said on Saturday they are investigating Ford Motor's (F.N) prior recalls of 710,000 Explorer SUVs over power loss reports to determine if the fix is adequate. 2 U.S. automaker issued recalls in April 2022 and March on Ford Explorer SUVs from the 2020-2022 model years to address a rear axle horizontal mounting bolt that may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect. Ford said earlier its recalls were to address a disconnected driveshaft that could result in the vehicle rolling away placed in 'Park' without the parking brake applied, increasing the risk of a crash. NHTSA said it has received two complaints alleging a loss of power or transmission torque of the rear wheels in Explorer vehicles that had received the recall fix. One complaint told NHTSA that after getting the software update "the vehicle would randomly slam to a complete stop while driving.

Persons: Ford Motor's, Ford, David Shepardson, Marguerita Choy, Diane Craft Organizations: Traffic Safety Administration, Ford, NHTSA, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Honda recalling 1.3 million vehicles worldwide for rear camera issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Honda Motor Co Ltd FollowWASHINGTON June 23 (Reuters) - Honda Motor (7267.T) is recalling 1.3 million vehicles worldwide due to a potential issue with the rearview camera image, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday. Due to a faulty communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display. The recall includes 1.2 million U.S. vehicles, 88,000 in Canada and 16,000 in Mexico, Honda said. Honda previously extended the warranty to vehicles affected by the issue in 2021. Dealers will install an improved cable harness between the existing display audio and vehicle terminal connections and a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector to properly connect the audio display unit.

Persons: Honda, Baranjot Kaur, David Shepardson, Shailesh Kuber, Kirsten Donovan, Sandra Maler Organizations: Honda Motor, WASHINGTON, Honda, U.S . National, Traffic Safety Administration, Thomson Locations: Canada, Mexico, Bengaluru, Washington

☆ Honda recalling 1.2 million US vehicles for rear camera issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Honda Motor Co Ltd FollowWASHINGTON June 23 (Reuters) - Honda Motor (7267.T) is recalling 1.2 million vehicles in the United States due to a potential issue with the rearview camera image, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday. Due to a faulty communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display. Honda previously extended the warranty to vehicles affected by the issue in 2021. The automaker said in a filing with NHTSA it has received 273,870 warranty claims related to the issue between May 2017 and June this year, and no reports of injuries or deaths related to the recall issue. Dealers will install an improved cable harness between the existing display audio and vehicle terminal connections and a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector to properly connect the audio display unit.

Persons: Baranjot Kaur, David Shepardson, Shailesh Kuber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Honda Motor, WASHINGTON, Honda, Traffic Safety Administration, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru, Washington

☆ Honda recalling 1.2 mln US vehicles for rear camera issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Tesla secret configuration allows select drivers to use Autopilot, FSD without a nag to take the wheel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

When a Tesla vehicle has this mode enabled, it eliminates what owners of the cars refer to as the "nag." The researcher has nicknamed the feature "Elon Mode," but that is not the company's internal nomenclature for it, he said. Instead, Tesla driver assistance systems require a human driver to remain attentive and ready to brake or steer at any moment. Typically, when a Tesla driver is using Autopilot or FSD (or their variations), a visual symbol blinks on the car's touchscreen to prompt drivers to apply resistance to the steering wheel at frequent intervals. If the driver does not grasp the steering wheel, the nag escalates to a beeping noise.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Musk, Elon, GreentheOnly Organizations: Tesla, CNBC, FSD Beta, National, Traffic Safety, NHTSA Locations: Austin , Texas, United States, U.S

☆ US opens safety probe into Hyundai Ioniq 5 EVs over power loss reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Hyundai Motor Co FollowWASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating nearly 40,000 Hyundai (005380.KS) Ioniq 5 electric vehicles over reports of power loss that may be tied to a battery charging issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's preliminary investigation covers 2022 model year vehicles after it received 30 consumer complaints alleging a loss of acceleration. The agency said many consumers reported a loud popping noise followed by a warning displayed in their dashboard and immediately experienced a loss of power that ranged from a reduction in acceleration to a complete loss. NHTSA said it learned from Hyundai that the failure is related to the Integrated Charging Control Unit responsible for powering both vehicle batteries. Hyundai did not immediately comment.

Persons: David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Hyundai, NHTSA, Control, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, KS

☆ There's been a whopping 736 Tesla crashes involving Autopilot mode and 17 deaths since 2019, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Leslie J. Allen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

736 crashes of Teslas with Autopilot have occurred since 2019, a Washington Post analysis found. One safety expert says the increase is likely related to the expanded rollout of "Full Self Driving" technology. A new analysis has discovered a high number of crashes involving Tesla vehicles in Autopilot mode. The Washington Post says it analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and found that 736 US crashes of vehicles using the driver-assistance technology had occurred since 2019, a lot more than previously reported. The automaker has said that its automation technology requires that the human driver monitor the vehicle and remain in control at all times.

Persons: Missy Cummings, Tesla Organizations: Washington Post, National, Traffic Safety Administration, Mason Autonomy, Robotics Center, George Mason University, Post Locations: Washington

☆ 'Public nuisance': New York sues Hyundai and Kia, alleging their cars are easy to steal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hyundai Motor Co. vehicles are displayed at the company's Motorstudio showroom in Goyang, South Korea, on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are being sued for causing a "public nuisance," according to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. A viral TikTok challenge started in 2021 and spurred a rise in thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars. New York accused the two companies of enabling "this spiraling epidemic" of car thefts. "Making sure cars are not easy to steal protects both property and the public by keeping dangerous drivers in stolen vehicles off the roads," it said.

Organizations: Hyundai, Co, South Korean, Kia, Chicago, CNBC, of, National, Traffic, Administration Locations: Goyang, South Korea, Manhattan, New York City, Angeles, U.S, Southern, of New York . New York

☆ Ford recalls 125,000 vehicles over engine failures that can cause fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Ford Motor Co FollowWASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Tuesday it is expanding and issuing a new recall for 125,000 sport utility vehicles and trucks because engine failures may cause a fire. Ford said isolated engine manufacturing issues can cause the engine to fail prematurely and in that event engine oil or fuel vapor may be released, increasing the risk of fire and injury. Ford said on Tuesday it had reports of at least three vehicles that suffered fires after getting the 2022 recall fix. Ford and NHTSA advised owners to park and shut off the engine if they hear unexpected engine noises, notice a reduction in vehicle power, or see smoke. Ford said last week that dealers will add an in-line fuse to the battery monitor sensor power circuit.

Persons: Ford, David Shepardson, Mrinmay Dey, Nathan Gomes, Shailesh Kuber, Jason Neely Organizations: Ford, Ford Motor, Lincoln Corsair, National, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, United States, U.S, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Ford recalls 125,000 SUVs, trucks that could catch fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ford is recalling more than 125,000 Escape SUVs, Maverick pickups and Lincoln Corsair luxury SUVs because their engines could leak fluids and catch fire. There have been a total of 28 fires apparently linked to this issue, according to Ford, including five since last year’s recall. Owners with questions can contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 or Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. This recall is unrelated to another recently announced recall of Lincoln MKC SUVs, essentially an earlier version of the Corsair, that could catch fire while parked. Ford also recently had to recall the Bronco off-road SUV because NHTSA found the seatbelts too difficult to reach.

Persons: CNN — Ford, Ford, Lincoln Organizations: CNN, Lincoln Corsair, National, Traffic Safety Administration, Lincoln, Ford, NHTSA Locations: Louisville , Kentucky, Hermosillo , Mexico

☆ Exclusive: Stellantis, GM pay $363 million in US fuel economy penalties
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Stellantis said the penalties "reflects past performance recorded before the formation of Stellantis, and is not indicative of the Company’s direction." Stellantis previously paid a total of $156.6 million in penalties for the 2016 and 2017 model years. The GM and Stellantis penalties were paid between December and May, according to the records and this is the first time in three years the agency has collected fuel economy penalties. The disclosure comes ahead of NHTSA's plan to soon propose new more stringent fuel economy standards for 2027 and beyond. Automakers whose vehicles achieve higher fuel economy than required can sell credits to automakers that do not meet CAFE rules.

Persons: Stellantis, Tesla, David Shepardson, Frances Kerry Organizations: Chrysler, General Motors, Reuters, GM, National, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Thomson

☆ Lincoln MKC owners asked to park outside due to fire risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Ford, the parent company of Lincoln, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are warning owners of nearly 143,000 Lincoln MKC compact SUVs to park them outside and away from buildings and other vehicles because they could potentially catch fire, even when not running. A Lincoln MKC at the North American International Auto Show in 2014. Stan Honda/AFP/Getty ImagesThe vehicles involved are model year 2015 through 2019 Lincoln MKC SUVs. Owners will be advised by mail to park their vehicles outside and away from other vehicles. Owners can also visit NHTSA’s SaferCar.gov website and enter their vehicles Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see if it’s involved in the recall.

Persons: CNN — Ford, it’s, Lincoln, Stan Honda, NHTSA’s Organizations: CNN, National, Traffic, Lincoln, North American, Getty, Ford Locations: Lincoln, AFP, MKCs, North America

☆ G.M. and Stellantis Paid $364 Million in Fuel Economy Fines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Neal E. Boudette | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

General Motors and Stellantis paid a combined $363.8 million in penalties for failing to meet federal fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks they produced in previous years, according to federal government documents posted on Friday. paid $128.2 million for failing to meet the targets with the light trucks it sold in 2018 and 2019, according to documents published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. Stellantis, the company created when Fiat Chrysler merged with the French automaker Peugeot, paid $235.6 million for cars it sold in 2016 and 2017. paid its fine in December, the documents showed, and Stellantis made payments in December and May. The penalties were levied under the corporate average fuel-economy standards that the safety agency oversees.

Persons: Stellantis, G.M Organizations: Motors, Fiat Chrysler, French, Peugeot, Reuters

DETROIT, June 2 (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) Chief Executive Mary Barra had a message on Friday for investors and rivals who see no profitable future in autonomous vehicles: You're wrong. That target assumes deployment of Cruise technology and services outside the United States - Dubai and Japan are among the future markets - as well as expansion into goods delivery and personal autonomous vehicles, Barra said. Rivals, including Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE), have pulled the plug on autonomous vehicle efforts as losses mounted. Barra said those states have a more welcoming regulatory environment for self-driving vehicles. GM has petitioned U.S. vehicle safety regulators to deploy up to 2,500 of its Origin vehicles, which have subway-like doors and no steering wheel.

Persons: Mary Barra, Barra, Sanford Bernstein, Cruise, Joe White, Tiwary, David Shepardson, David Holmes Organizations: DETROIT, General Motors Co, Cruise, GM, Rivals, Ford Motor, Volkswagen AG, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Tesla Inc, EV, Thomson Locations: GM's, United States, Dubai, Japan, San Francisco, Arizona and Texas, Washington, U.S, China

☆ Auto safety regulators propose rules requiring automatic braking
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed new rules this week that would require that new cars be equipped with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Automatic emergency braking, or AEB, is already standard on most passenger vehicles sold in the United States. If the driver fails to respond in time or with enough braking force, AEB systems will apply the brakes automatically. A recent study by the IIHS found that AEB with pedestrian detection reduced the risk of injury to pedestrians by about 30%. And pedestrian detection systems would need to demonstrate effectiveness in low light.

Organizations: New, New York CNN, Traffic Safety Administration, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Vehicles, NHTSA Locations: New York, United States, America

☆ US proposes requiring automatic emergency braking in new vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed requiring automatic emergency braking on all new passenger cars and light trucks and set new performance requirements. The new requirements proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would require most vehicles to comply three years after being finalized and is expected to dramatically reduce crashes associated with pedestrians and rear-end crashes. The auto safety agency projects the rule would save at least 360 lives and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 annually. Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biden, David Shepardson Organizations: National, Traffic Safety Administration, Thomson

☆ U.S. Will Require All New Cars to Have Automatic Braking Systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Neal E. Boudette | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The top federal auto safety regulator on Wednesday proposed requiring all new cars and trucks to have automatic braking systems that reduce the likelihood of collisions. The plan from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would require car companies to expand the use of more advanced and powerful systems than those currently installed in some vehicles on the market. Vehicles would also have to brake and stop to avoid hitting stopped or slow-moving vehicles at higher speeds. “I know we’re throwing a challenge out here, but we also know this technology is pretty well developed,” she said. In some places, roads have been designed and lighted to keep traffic moving quickly rather than to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

Persons: Polly Trottenberg, ” Ms, Trottenberg, ” Organizations: National, Traffic

☆ The Ford Bronco is being recalled due to hard-to-reach seatbelts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

“The customer may experience some dissatisfaction or be discouraged if they are unable to easily access the seatbelt… in its stowed position. The recall involves only the five-door version of the Bronco. But in this case the problem only came up during a standard examination of the Bronco by NHTSA. “Ford is not aware of any customer warranty or field reports of seatbelt… accessibility concerns,” said the agency’s notice. Ford is aware of one case in which the wheel came off, although fortunately no one was injured in that case.

Persons: Ford, ”, Ford didn’t, “ Ford Organizations: New, New York CNN, Ford Bronco, Traffic Safety Administration, Bronco, NHTSA, Rangers Locations: New York

☆ Biden withdraws nomination of official to head US auto safety agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday that President Joe Biden is withdrawing the nomination of the acting head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to take the top job on a permanent basis. Ann Carlson, the agency's chief counsel, was named acting head of NHTSA in September and formally nominated for the top position in March. They told Carlson the standards were "consistent with your long career as an environmentalist without traffic safety experience." Jonathan Adkins, head of the nonprofit Governors Highway Safety Association representing state and territorial highway safety offices, said the group was deeply disappointed in the withdrawal of Carlson's nomination. During the Trump administration no nominee was ever confirmed to head NHTSA and there was no nominee for much of the four-year period.

Persons: Joe Biden, Ann Carlson, Pete Buttigieg, Carlson, Buttigieg, Jonathan Adkins, GHSA, Biden, Adkins, Steven Cliff, Cliff, Trump, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Matthew Lewis Organizations: National, Traffic Safety Administration, White, NHTSA, Tesla Inc, . Transportation, Republicans, Senate, Committee, Highway Safety Association, Biden Administration, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

☆ US agency closes investigation into Tesla game feature
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shortly after NHTSA opened its investigation into Tesla's "Passenger Play" in December 2021, Tesla agreed to stop allowing video games to be played on vehicle screens while its cars are moving. NHTSA said that a month after Tesla voluntarily disabled Passenger Play capability with an over-the-air software update it reported a 97% completion rate. NHTSA's investigation covered Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 that had the feature. NHTSA has an ongoing investigation into 830,000 Tesla vehicles with driver assistance system Autopilot and involving crashes with parked emergency vehicles. NHTSA said Tuesday in the Autopilot investigation it aims "to better understand human factors with respect to Tesla interfaces and the dynamic driving task."

☆ Ford recalls 422,000 SUVs because rear view camera display may fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new recall covers 2020 through 2023 Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair SUVs with a 360-degree camera. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the loss of the rear view camera image can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. Ford said Thursday it had 29 claims of vehicles exhibiting symptoms of malfunctioning screens after getting the 2023 recall repair. The NHTSA in August 2021 opened an investigation after Ford in 2020 recalled 620,246 vehicles for another rear camera issue. The investigation is reviewing if Ford had recalled the vehicles in a timely fashion and if it recalled enough vehicles.

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