National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed its investigation into the fatal Florida crash last May of a Tesla using the company's Autopilot driver-assist system. The Model S in question collided with a tractor trailer that turned left in front of it, killing the driver, who was the electric car's sole occupant. At the time, Tesla said that "neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the ... trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied." SEE ALSO: NHTSA to investigate Tesla Model S Autopilot crash that killed driver: UPDATED (Jul 2016)...
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Probe into Smart ForTwo engine fires started by NHTSA
The NHTSA is investigating eight reported engine fires in 2008 and 2009 Smart ForTwo city cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
NHTSA delays penalty rise for carmakers who miss CAFE levels
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will delay implementation of higher penalties for automakers that don't meet fuel-economy standards.
Stephen Edelstein -
How many different groups are investigating Tesla Autopilot crashes?
The NHTSA, NTSB, and SEC are investigating Tesla Autopilot crashes.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Autopilot crash probe highlights NHTSA weakness in electronic systems
The Tesla Autopilot investigation will bring U.S. regulators into uncharted territory.
Stephen Edelstein -
NHTSA To Alter Vehicle Code To Prevent 3-Wheelers Like Elio
A proposed rule change could prevent Elio Motors from selling its three-wheeled car.
Stephen Edelstein -
Regulators will delay finalization of "quiet car" rules until next year.
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Senator: NHTSA Should Rescind Fuel-Economy Credits For Illegal VW Diesels
A U.S. senator recently called on the NHTSA to rescind fuel-economy credits VW previously received for its diesel cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Quiet-Car Noise Rules For Hybrid, Electric Cars To Be Finalized This Fall
Long-delayed rules for electric cars, hybrids, and other "quiet cars" will be finalized by November.
Stephen Edelstein -
Bad Day For Tesla: Sales VP Blankenship Out, NHTSA Threat
There must be days where Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk feels his multiple burdens more acutely than others. Today may be one, because yesterday was not a good day for Tesla. First, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a new set of publicity rules for its crash-testing...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Fires: NHTSA Will Probe, Warranty To Cover Fire Damage, Ride-Height Tweak
It's been quite a month for Tesla Motors and its CEO, Elon Musk. In the wake of three fires in Model S electric luxury sedans, a tsunami of media coverage about those fires, and a falling stock price--which may or may not be directly related--the company went on the offensive yesterday. MORE: Tesla...
John Voelcker -
NHTSA: No Further Probe Of Tesla Model S Electric-Car Fire
The NHTSA said it will not formally investigate the fire that engulfed a Tesla Model S electric car in Washington state.
Stephen Edelstein -
The rear-view mirror has now been with us exactly 100 years, having first been introduced in 1914, and it hasn't changed much in all that time. It's a small area of mirrored glass--three of them now, actually--for the purpose of seeing through the rear window or along each side of the car without the driver having to turn his or her head more than slightly. For decades, concept cars have shown one or more of these mirrors replaced by video cameras that show real-time images on a small display screen the same size as the mirror. Tesla taking lead Now Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] appears to be one...
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2012 Coda Vehicles Recalled For Airbag Flaw
Coda is one of America's newest auto brands, and now, it's undergoing a time-honored rite of passage: its first official recall. According to a bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Coda recall stems from improperly installed side-curtain airbags. Although the...
Richard Read -
NHTSA Opens “Field Inquiry” Into Texas 2012 Fisker Karma Fire
Last week, we told you about a house fire in Texas on May 3 involving a 2012 Fisker Karma luxury Sedan, which fire investigators believed to be the cause of the blaze. Shortly after the story broke, Fisker Automotive released an official statement stating that it had “not ruled out possible...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
U.S. DoT Sued For Toyota Prius Unintended Acceleration Documents
Five days ago, when we told you the National Academy of Sciences was backing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s findings into unintended acceleration issues concerning Toyota Priuses, we speculated it wouldn’t be the last we’d hear on the matter. Now an American...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mercedes-Benz Recall Clean-Diesel Cars For Fuel Leak (Again)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just published details of a recall affecting 6,872 Mercedes-Benz clean-diesel cars. According to documents published on the NHTSA website, the recall is to addressfaulty fuel-filter seals which can cause diesel fuel to leak onto the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Renault Twizy Price Announced -- But Will It Ever Come To The U.S.?
A few years ago the idea that mainstream european automakers would be focusing so much effort on minuscule electric urban runabouts would have been met with derision. But a few weeks after it unveiled its third generation two-seat urban concept vehicle at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, Renault has...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Volkswagen's TDI diesel engines have long attracted fans and repeat buyers. But now a second investigation this year into the reliability of its TDI engines may cast a shadow over its newest fuel-efficient clean-diesel vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week launched an investigation into leaks between the fuel line and the engine fuel injectors on all-new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI sedan, as well as the carryover 2011 Jetta TDI SportWagen model. It will also likely extend to the 2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI model, which uses the same engine, based on a complaint...
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Pedestrian Alert Noises Coming To Hybrid And Electric Cars, Needed Or Not
If you like the idea of hybrid or electric cars that whir silently down the road without the noise of an engine exploding gasoline thousands of times each minute, you'd better act fast. The U.S. government is moving inexorably toward a rule requiring all hybrid and electric cars to make noise...
John Voelcker -
White House, Feds To Push For 56.2-MPG Fuel Economy In 2025
The two Federal agencies that set gas mileage and emissions standards for future cars may propose rules that require corporate average fuel economy to reach 56 miles per gallon by 2025. News reports out of Washington, D.C., indicate that the Obama Administration is urging the EPA and NHTSA to push...
John Voelcker -
NHTSA Gives 2011 Chevrolet Volt Five Star Overall Safety Ranking
Back in April we heard that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had awarded both the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt its highest possible award for safety - the IIHS Top Safety Pick. Now Chevrolet's plug-in hybrid has passed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Chevy Volt Gets Five Stars For Overall Safety From NHTSA
Well, log another notch in the bedpost: One more safety myth--that electric cars will be more dangerous than regular ones in a crash--has now been slain. Five weeks ago, the Insurance Industry for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave top ratings for crash safety to both the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011...
John Voelcker -
Feds To Mandate Up To 62 MPG By 2025; What Does It Mean For You?
Two days ago, the NHTSA said that it would require annual gas-mileage improvements of somewhere between 2 and 7 percent each year between 2017 and 2025. Corporate average fuel economy requirements have already been set through 2016, an action facilitated by the Obama Administration soon after...
John Voelcker