The majority of the cars in the top 10 of Consumer Reports’ 2022 Brand Report Card rankings are made by Japanese automakers. Six Japanese brands are among the top-10 in the rankings that shows which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on Consumer Report’s testing and member surveys. Read more →

The Super Bowl ads for 2022 were mostly disappointing. Although a few had a good message, the overall feel of the game show was dystopian. A QR code drifting across the screen, ads for apps and betting websites I’d never heard of, and supposedly clever ads featuring stars from TV series I’ve never seen. Read more →

Harbor Freight Tools is recalling about 478,800 Pittsburgh Automotive pneumatic roller seats. The connection from the seat to the seat post can break, posing a fall hazard. Harbor Freight Tools has received 96 reports of the seat weld breaking, including 10 reports of minor injuries. Read more →

Maxtrade is recalling about 141,000 Youth Coolster Mountopz all-terrain vehicles. The ATVs don’t comply with the federal ATV safety standard. The youth ATVs fail to meet the speed limitations for vehicles for kids ages 6, 10, and 12 years and older, or for teenagers, depending on the model. Read more →

Since I wrote an article recently on the top consumer and personal finance stories of 2021, I was interested in a list offered by U.S. PIRG on the progress made in health, climate, and consumer issues in 2021. U.S. PIRG, a public interest research group, and its state partners worked on or supported many of these issues. Read more →

Kubota is recalling about 48,875 utility vehicles. The floor mats on the recalled utility vehicles can warp or degrade and interfere with the throttle pedal, posing crash and injury hazards. Kubota has received one report of a loss of control that resulted in black eyes and minor bruising. Read more →

Will you be able to get a deal on a new or used car at the Labor Day car sales this year? Maybe. About 87 million Americans will be shopping for cars this Labor Day weekend, that’s 23 percent more than Labor Day weekend 2019. Read more →

What are your plans for Labor Day this year? Americans are more confident about celebrating Labor Day in 2021, with 48 percent more people planning to travel and 24 percent more planning to go shopping, according to a survey conducted for WalletHub, a personal finance website. Read more →

Auto insurance companies reaped windfall profits of at least $29 billion in 2020 as miles driven, vehicle crashes, and auto insurance claims dropped due to the pandemic and related government actions, according to two consumer organizations. Read more →

Pandemic-related problems are among the top 10 complaints made to state and local consumer agencies in 2020, according to an annual survey by Consumer Federation of America. They also topped the lists of worst, fastest-growing, and new complaints. “COVID-19 generated complaints about everything from appliance repairs to childcare, trash pick-up... Read more →