Toyota is recalling 1.3 million vehicles in North America and Fiat Chrysler is recalling more than 1.6 million vehicles worldwide.
The air bag inflators can explode when deployed and scatter metal fragments, which can strike, injure, and even kill vehicle occupants.
Toyota’s announcement Wednesday includes 1.3 million vehicles in the United States.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Robert Bosch agreed Thursday to settle charges related to “defeat device” software intended to circumvent emissions standards for air pollutants. Bosch, a parts supplier, supplied and programed the software used by Fiat Chrysler and Volkswagen in diesel vehicles.
The two agreements, to be filed later this month, will provide compensation for consumers who purchased or leased Fiat Chrysler vehicles containing illegal defeat devices and more than $172.5 million to 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Fiat Chrysler and Bosch attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of American consumers, and pollute their way to the bank, said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Photo: IFCAR
Ford is recalling more than 953,000 vehicles throughout the world, with 782,000 of them in the United States, to replace air bag inflators that can explode when deployed and scatter metal fragments, which can strike, injure, and even kill vehicle occupants.
The maker of the air bags involved in the recall is Tokyo-based Takata, one of three major manufacturers of air bags. It provides air bags and other components to automakers around the world.
Included in the recall are the:
If you haven’t voted yet, be sure and do it. So much is at stake. Americans have the opportunity to tell a racist, sexist, anti-consumer, anti-environmental president that we don’t want his toxic policies any more.
I’m hoping for a Blue Wave. We must undo the harm that President Trump and his cronies are doing to the nation’s consumer and environmental laws. I’ve written article after article on this. Some examples of Trump’s terrible policies are:
See the Brookings Deregulatory Tracker for more information on the Trump administrations deregulatory program.
Photo: Ben P L
Exxon Mobile Corp. is being sued by the state of New York for allegedly misleading investors on the risk that climate change regulations posed to its finances.
For years, Exxon told investors that it was accounting for the likelihood of stronger regulation by applying an increasing cost of emissions to its business planning and investment decisions, according to the lawsuit. However, Exxon did less than it claimed, deceiving investors on the company’s true financial exposure to climate change regulations.
Exxon marketed the company as a secure long-term investment and sought long-term investors such as life insurance companies and pension funds.
Continue reading "New York sues Exxon Mobile for misleading investors on climate change costs" »
California drivers have saved at least $154 billion on auto insurance since voters approved Proposition 103 in 1988, according to an analysis by the Consumer Federation of America.
Since the vote, California has had the smallest increases in auto insurance cost, and at the same time is the nation’s second most competitive auto insurance market. For the liability insurance coverage that all drivers are required to purchase, Californian consumers have seen the average premium drop, while drivers throughout the nation pay significantly higher prices.
“We have been studying America’s auto insurance markets for years, and California has set the standard for savings, fairness, and real competition,” said J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the federation. “If anyone doubts that voters can make a difference, there is 150 billion dollars of proof in the wallets of Californians who enacted Prop 103 and reined in the insurance industry 30 years ago.”
Continue reading "California auto insurance reform saves consumers $154 billion in 27 years" »
Photo: order_242
General Motors is recalling about 1.2 million pickup trucks and SUVs due to a power-steering problem. The steering can fail momentarily because of a drop and sudden return in voltage, mainly during low-speed turns.
The company said 30 accidents and two injuries have been reported, but no deaths.
More than 1 million of the vehicles were sold in the United States, with 96,000 sold in Canada. A small number were sold in other countries.
It’s hard to believe we now speak of summer – not the official astronomical season but our human timetable – in the past tense.
In my community, the Harbor Day celebration on Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. This year, the weather was beautiful, as you can see from the photo above. Some years, I’m taking photos in the cold, wind, and rain.
Continue reading "Boomer bloggers inspired by end-of-summer activities and transitions" »
The Labor Day holiday weekend can be one of the best times of the year to shop for a new vehicle.
While you may be tempted by holiday incentives offered, you still need to do research so you make a well-informed decision.
“A used car might test-drive like a dream, only to be a clunker a few weeks later,” said Michelle Corey, Better Business Bureau president and CEO. “It’s important to know the vehicles history and your rights under a warranty.”
Continue reading "How to buy a used car on Labor Day weekend" »
The Trump administration proposed Tuesday to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, the nation’s first limits on climate change emissions from existing fossil-fuel power plants.
The plan is the result of efforts by states and cities, in cooperation with the federal government, to require cuts in the emissions of climate change pollution from fossil fuel-burning power plants under the Clean Air Act. The plan, along with a rule for new, modified, and reconstructed power plants, would control emissions by setting limits on the amount of climate change pollution that power plants can emit. The plan would eliminate as much climate change pollution as is emitted by more than 160 million cars a year – or 70 percent of the nation’s passenger cars.
“As we face another record-breaking year of punishing heat and violent storms, the Trump administration is seeking to gut crucial limits on emissions of climate change pollution from power plants – one of its largest sources,” said New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood. “Climate change is real, no matter how much this administration tries to deny it.”