Quote Of The Day: What Clunker Fraud? Edition
Cash for Clunkers was set up very quickly, and there hasn’t been an accounting of the administrative costs of the program. There also hasn’t been publicly available information about how contractors...
View ArticleInspired By Quadrangle Scandal, Republicans Call For Investigation Into...
When former auto task force boss Steve Rattner’s former firm Quadrangle recently settled a “pay-to-play” corruption investigation, it threw Rattner under the bus, saying: We wholly disavow the conduct...
View ArticleNHTSA Triggers “Thermal Events” In Volt Batteries, Opens Formal Investigation
NHTSA has has opened a formal defect investigation into the Chevrolet Volt, on the grounds that Intrusion in a crash may damage the battery, which may result in a substantial thermal reaction and fire...
View ArticleVolt And Consequences: GM Responds To NHTSA Volt Investigation
With NHTSA opening a formal defect investigation into the Chevy Volt, GM is moving to defend its rolling lightning rod (no pun intended) and allay consumer fears about its safety. Yesterday I briefly...
View ArticleBREAKING: EPA Expands Emissions Investigation to Volkswagen 3.0-Liter V6 Diesels
Until now, the EPA’s investigation into NOx emissions has centered around Volkswagen’s four-cylinder diesel engines equipped in the Jetta, Golf, Golf/Jetta SportWagen, Beetle Coupe/Convertible, Passat...
View ArticleBREAKING: Investigators Raid Volkswagen Offices, Private Residences in Germany
Volkswagen offices and private residences were raided Thursday morning in Wolfsburg as part of the ongoing investigation into the company’s emission scheme that saw “defeat devices” used in its...
View ArticleCanada: We’re Going To Investigate Volkswagen and Also Hack Some Pickups
The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change in Ontario, Canada, has launched an official investigation into Volkswagen Canada and Audi Canada regarding their roles in the ongoing diesel...
View ArticleReport: Volkswagen Scandal Involved At Least 30 Managers, Not ‘Small Group’
German magazine Der Spiegel reported Wednesday that at least 30 Volkswagen insiders and managers had knowledge of the illegal “defeat device” and there may be more. The claim would somewhat refute to...
View ArticleVW Investigators: ‘If You Saw Something, And Didn’t Say Something, You’re...
Investigators at Volkswagen are not only looking for the culprits who installed illegal emissions cheating software into their cars, but they’re also looking for managers who didn’t immediately report...
View ArticleMerkel: ‘VW is Working On This With All of Its Power’– Including Asking...
On her weekly podcast, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel said Volkswagen’s scandal hasn’t harmed the German automobile industry’s image, but that the automaker would need to conduct its investigation...
View Article‘Weak Points’ Led To Widespread Volkswagen Cheating, Says Top Execs
Volkswagen announced Thursday that the automaker’s investigation had identified institutional breakdowns and individual misconduct that led to the installation of more than 11 million “defeat devices”...
View ArticleVolkswagen’s Woes Mount, Fraud Office Investigating Misuse of Money
The European Union’s anti-fraud office is investigating Volkswagen for misusing publicly funded loans to develop illegally cheating software in its cars, the New York Times reported Wednesday....
View ArticleReport: Volkswagen Withholding Documents from US States’ Lawsuits
The New York Times says U.S. states attorneys general are accusing Volkswagen from withholding critical documents from their investigations into the automaker’s admission that more than 500,000 cars...
View ArticleYour Investigation Isn’t Good Enough, Investors Tell Volkswagen
Do investors trust Volkswagen to investigate itself and lay the appropriate blame? Not these three groups. With the financial damage of the diesel emissions scandal now clear, three large investor...
View ArticleFormer Volkswagen CEO Under Investigation in Diesel Scandal
The first suspect identified by German prosecutors in their probe of the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal is none other than the company’s former CEO. Martin Winterkorn is under investigation for...
View ArticleNHTSA Investigating Another Airbag Death, but This Time It Isn’t Takata
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expanded its investigation into airbags manufactured by ARC Automotive following the July 8 death of a Hyundai driver in Canada. According to Reuters,...
View ArticleWorried About Exhaust in Your Ford Explorer’s Cabin? Ford Might Just Buy It Back
Well, it might if a news crew profiles your SUV. A Maryland couple’s 2016 Ford Explorer, one of many late-model Explorers suspected of emitting high levels of carbon monoxide into the cabin, turned out...
View ArticlePut ‘er in Low: Ford’s Crash-diving Transmission Earns Another Investigation
In 2016, Ford Motor Company’s stable of rear-drive vehicles came under scrutiny for six-speed transmissions that couldn’t decide whether to sprint or crawl. Owners reported that their 2011-2012 F-150s,...
View ArticleNHTSA Investigates Why Kia, Hyundai Airbags Didn’t Deploy in Fatal Crashes
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a probe into two older-model Kia and Hyundai vehicles in the wake of six head-on collisions, hoping to discover why the vehicles’ airbags...
View ArticleNTSB Irked by Release of Tesla Crash Details
The National Transportation Safety Board is one of two federal agencies probing the recent fatal Tesla Model X crash in Mountain View, California, and it isn’t too pleased with the automaker for...
View ArticleNTSB Report Says Tesla Was Accelerating at Time of Fatal Mountain View Crash
The March 23rd death of a Tesla Model X driver in Mountain View, California prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to probe why the vehicle, driving in Autopilot mode, left its lane and...
View ArticleAll the Press: Tesla the Target of Criminal Probe, Report Claims
What a week it’s shaping up to be for Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Interestingly, if this latest report proves true, we can pin the blame for all of Musk’s misfortune over the past 24 hours on the presence of...
View ArticleNHTSA Probes Ford Power Tailgates That Lower Themselves
In early August, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalled 1.1 million Ram pickups after owners reported losing their loads, the fault of a tailgate that wouldn’t stay latched. Ford now seems to have a...
View ArticleFBI Now Probing Lofty Tesla Production Promises
Given that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter account now has third-party oversight, it’s unlikely we’ll see angry missives about the Fun-Busting Interrogators this weekend. However, that won’t stop the FBI...
View ArticleDOJ Possibly Investigating Hyundai/Kia Recall Activity
Prosecutors may be looking into a vehicle recall affecting certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles equipped with the company’s turbocharged 2.0-liter and naturally-aspirated 2.4 liter engines. It’s not an...
View ArticleNHTSA Opens Probe Into 3 Million Hyundai and Kia Vehicles Over Fires;...
This isn’t an April Fools joke, sadly, for Hyundai and Kia Motors. After years of investigations and the recall of over 2.3 million models, Hyundai’s engine controversy has sparked a National Highway...
View ArticleNHTSA Probing Nissan Rogues That Brake for No Reason
Nissan added automatic emergency braking as standard equipment on eight popular models for the 2018 model year, looking to get a jump on the pact forged in 2016 that calls for mandatory AEB on all cars...
View ArticleNTSB: Autopilot Engaged at Time of Fatal Florida Tesla Crash
A fatal March collision between a Tesla and a semi trailer that bore a strong resemblance to a crash in the same state three year earlier was more similar than initially thought. Following the March...
View ArticleReport: UAW Probe Ramps Up As Feds Raid Union Boss’s Home
The long-running federal probe into dirty dealings between domestic automakers and the United Auto Workers cranked up a few notches on Wednesday, with federal agents reportedly raiding the home of UAW...
View ArticleNHTSA Investigates 12th Autopilot-related Crash
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it will investigate a 12th crash relating to Tesla Motors’ Autopilot system. The automaker has found itself under increased scrutiny as...
View ArticleNHTSA Investigating Another Tesla Crash
Barely two weeks after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last opened an investigation into a Tesla crash, the federal agency is once again probing a collision involving a Tesla vehicle...
View ArticleUAW Prez Rory Gamble, aka Mr. Clean, Under Federal Investigation
UAW President Rory Gamble, who took the helm of a scandal-rocked union following the resignation of former prez Gary Jones late last year, is reportedly under federal investigation himself. Gamble...
View ArticleThird in a Month: NHTSA Opens Probe Following Tesla Crash
Cars crash all the time, but vehicles believed to be piloted by an advanced driver-assist system at the time of the collision earn themselves an investigation from a federal agency. Such is the case...
View ArticleThe Chevy HHR, Cobalt Might Not Be Entirely Safe
Better clean up that spilled drink. It’s a safety hazard. Yes, two low-end, Recession-era Chevrolets have been singled out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for an investigation,...
View ArticleChariots of Fire? NHTSA Probes Chrysler Town & Country
A defunct minivan is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after three owners reported fires breaking out in the interior of their vehicles. The preliminary probe,...
View Article