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 →
Summer is a great time for a road trip. While travel was limited last year due to the covid-19 pandemic, many states are opening up now. This summer, more than two-thirds of Americans plan to take a vacation, and 59 percent say they are more likely to drive than fly. Read more →
In the past 10 years, nearly 300 million vehicles have been recalled for potential safety defects. Only 75 percent of those recalls have been addressed, leaving more than 72 million vehicles on the road with unrepaired recalls. As consumers go back into the car market, used cars are the most popular choice. Read more →
Memorial Day honors Americans who have died in service to their country. Ceremonies are held, and people visit cemeteries and decorate graves with flowers. Memorial Day also is seen as the beginning summer, and barbecues abound. Also, some people shop at Memorial Day sales for bargains. Read more →
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Maxtrade are warning consumers to immediately stop using Maxtrade’s Coolster youth ATV-3050-C and ATV-3050-B models to avoid serious injury or death. These youth ATVs don’t meet CPSC’s mandatory safety standards. Read more →
Polaris is recalling about 15,800 Ranger recreational off-highway vehicles and ProXD utility vehicles in the United States and 711 in Canada. The throttle pedal can return to the idle position more slowly than anticipated when the pedal is released or stuck in the depressed position, posing a crash hazard. Read more →
Consumer Reports is launching Green Choice, an initiative to make information about auto emissions more accessible to consumers. It will use a green leaf icon to designate cars and trucks in its ratings that produce among the lowest amount of greenhouse gases and smog-forming emissions. Read more →
As huge winter storms continue to rage across the U.S., millions of consumers are without power in dangerously low temperatures. If you use portable generators or other combustion devices for power and heat, you're at increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire. Read more →