On the right side of this page is a link to articles about the NATIONAL CAR WASH ASSOCIATION that provides a list of DANGEROUS vehicles to their members to protect their employees. 

Consumers don't have access to that list.  




WHERE IS NHSTA? 

How many people need to be killed before NHTSA acts? 

[VIDEO ON LINK]

Local car wash not accepting Jeep Cherokee’s due to safety issue

POSTED 11:43 PM, OCTOBER 16, 2015, BY SANDRA JONES

MECHANICSVILLE -- A Mechanicsville man said a local car wash turned his vehicle away, due to safety concerns.

What are those concerns?

It's called sudden acceleration. The problem starts when the motor is running, the car is in neutral, and shifts into drive.

A concern Robert Butler said he found out after he bought his 2015 Jeep Cherokee.

"It's very nice, very comfortable.  It does everything well,” said Butler.

But what bothers Butler is the component in the vehicle that he believes is unsafe. “It wasn't discussed when we purchased the car.  I've never of heard of that happening,” said Butler.

Butler said Carpool recently declined to wash his vehicle saying it could take off while running and the gear shift is in neutral.

Butler said he considers this a big safety issue.

"The only place I've taken it since then was a manual car wash where they actually do all of the car washing by hand,” said Butler.

Butler told CBS 6 a service tech told him the sensors in the vehicle trigger IT to shift gears.

Carpools Chief Operating Officer Tyree Brown showed CBS 6 video of a Jeep Cherokee suddenly accelerating out of control.

"The biggest thing with Jeep is the history. The history and the manufacturer hasn't acknowledged it,” said Brown.

Which is why, Tyree Brown said Carpool is careful to not let this happen at their shops.

"Our policy we put the car in neutral.  We turn the motor off.  The vehicle tracks through the car wash.  It's not unusual to see us push Jeeps off the conveyor to a resting point in the exit,” said Brown.

As for Butler, he’s thinking twice about his new ride. He said he’s thinking about returning it.

“I would consider it yes.  Or I would request that Chrysler investigate a fix into this.  I don't think this is an option or a feature that anyone would want in a car,” said Butler.

CBS 6 contacted several of the Chrysler/Jeep dealerships in our area.

Both the GM’s and Sales reps declined to comment on the matter. Last year, Toyota announced massive recalls after customers reported problems with sudden acceleration.

http://wtvr.com/2015/10/16/local-car-wash-not-accepting-jeep-cherokees-due-to-safety-issue/

GM ignition toll reaches 100

'Grim milestone' shows need for carmakers, government to act promptly to correct flaws, congresswoman says

 

 

By The Associated Press
Posted May. 12, 2015

DETROIT – The death toll from faulty ignition switches in small cars made by General Motors has reached 100.

The families of the victims are being offered compensation by Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who was hired by GM last year. In addition, GM has agreed to make offers to 184 people who were injured in crashes caused by the switches in older-model cars such as the Chevrolet Cobalt.

GM recalled 2.6 million of the cars last year, but acknowledged it knew about problems with the switches for more than a decade.

Through much of last year, the company had blamed the switches for 13 deaths but conceded the toll would rise. During a Congressional hearing in June, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said the death toll could rise to 100 based on lawsuits and media reports.

The "grim milestone" revives concerns about automakers quickly sharing information with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and for the agency to analyze data and promptly take action, DeGette said in a statement. "As we have seen with the problems with GM's ignition switches, these failures can compound and bring tragic consequences for far too many innocent people," she said.

The switches can slip out of the "on" position, causing the cars to stall, disabling some important safety features.

Feinberg has said each validated death claim would start at $1 million and rise depending on the circumstances of the crash. The company, he said, would pay claims regardless of whether the victims contributed to the cause of the crash.

Feinberg's compensation fund received 4,342 claims by the Jan. 31 deadline, and about 14 percent of those are still under review. A total of 1,759 have been deemed ineligible, and another 1,633 were deficient or turned in without documentation.

GM paid $200 million to settle claims filed with Feinberg as of March 31, according to its quarterly report. The company set aside $550 million to pay claims and says that number could rise to $600 million. Feinberg says there is no cap on the total amount of money he can pay out.

So far, Feinberg has made 193 compensation offers and 140 have been accepted. Five have been rejected, leaving 48 outstanding, according to Camille Biros, deputy administrator of the compensation program for Feinberg. She said their goal is to finish making all compensation offers by mid-summer.


http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20150512/NEWS/150519880/101017/BIZ

KUDOS! Jack Fitzgerald Fights to Protect Auto Consumers' Rights and Lives

Consumers need more dealers willing to protect their customers!

Thanks for standing up, Mr. Fitzgerald!

Where are the other dealers? Too cowed to stand for their customers?

In another lifetime, the LEMON LADY was at a dealership having a lengthy car service, had an opportunity to listen to customers and telephone calls.

Dealership employees denied problems that had been posted on the internet!

One of the problems that was conspicuous was dashboard lights going on - BRAND NEW VEHICLES!  Dealer's response: Oh NO! First we've heard!

Makes ya wonder!






Jack Fitzgerald Fights to Protect Auto Consumers' Rights and Lives

Automakers Shoot the Messenger for Honest Practices

Jack Fitzgerald testifying in Annapolis, MD with Laura Christian, the mother of a child who died as a result of a safety flaw in a vehicle that was later recalled.

 

 

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- An automobile is a milestone purchase in the lives of most consumers. They are not just buying a car; they are investing in the manufacturer's promise of quality and safety. Jack Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of Fitzgerald Auto Malls, strives to provide consumer value from the point of purchase throughout the lifetime of ownership.

 

For almost 50 years, Fitzgerald has been one of Maryland's leading car dealers and consumer advocates. The formula to his success is his "FitzWay" principle that is based on honesty, respect, and dignity. However, automakers are making it difficult for consumers to receive these rights by forcing car dealers to be accomplices to their hidden truths.

 

"People have lost their lives on the road because manufacturers have hidden safety problems by delaying recalls, and forcing dealers to withhold critical information," Fitzgerald said.

 

Fitzgerald is working with consumer advocate and Maryland resident Laura Christian, whose daughter Amber Marie Rose died in 2005 as a result of a safety flaw in her new Chevy Cobalt.

 

Amber's accident had many contributing factors, including the defective, later-recalled General Motors (GM) ignition switch that GM failed to address in a timely matter. When Fitzgerald heard this tragic story, he knew it was time to take action. Fitzgerald and Christian are fighting for a package of reforms to speed up recalls and get car buyers better safety information.

 

"When dealers are free to disclose full information and do repair work without fear of retribution by the carmakers, you'll see the responsible dealers compete to deliver good information and outstanding repair service to their customers," Jack Fitzgerald adds. "Then the market will start to work to make all of us safer on the road." While many of his colleagues may privately agree with him, the threat of retaliation by the manufacturers is too strong to come forward publicly.

 

Fitzgerald testified in the Maryland Senate on February 24th and March 5th for the package of reforms. The reform bills aim to get critical, timely safety information to car buyers and to make car buying more fair and transparent. In the simplest terms: the bills are about shining light on consumer protection. The House of Delegates will hold hearings on the three bills on March 10th.

 

The bills will pave a road to better consumer education and safety:

• Enable dealers to share information by email, and on other forums, about safety and technical service issues. This is a great way to inform consumers about problems, get cars fixed before preventable accidents happen, and make the recall/safety repair process faster and more transparent.

 

• Hold manufacturers financially accountable for their dealers' deceptive ads. This will push manufacturers to ensure their dealers' ads tell the truth.

• Limit abusive audits of the warranty repairs that dealers do for car buyers. This protects dealers against retaliation, and takes steps to safeguard the legal rights of Maryland car dealers, so that they can safeguard the interests of their customers. Dealers can put their customers first.

In his testimony to the Senate, Bill Kress, representing the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said, "The dealers are not capable or qualified to determine if it's [a defect they find in a car] a safety issue."

 

Jack Fitzgerald refutes this statement. "Dealers employ the factory trained and certified technicians, who furnish the very information that becomes a special policy, technical service bulletin, and perhaps even a recall," explains Fitzgerald. The dealers aim to disclose the defects already identified in bulletins and materials shared with dealers that they are prohibited from disclosing to the consumer.

 

The association for the auto manufacturers, the Auto Alliance, is taking the only tack they can – to "shoot the messenger." They suggest Fitzgerald is supporting these reforms out of his own self-interest. With support for the bills coming from groups such as CASA de Maryland and the Maryland Attorney General's Office, and with Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection endorsing the bills in principle, it is clear this issue is indeed about consumer protection.

 

Fitzgerald has no plans to stop now. Through these reforms, Fitzgerald and other dealers will be able to share important vehicle pricing and safety information with car buyers. Ultimately, the reforms will ensure consumers' rights and save lives.

 

 

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150309/180269

SOURCE Fitzgerald Auto Malls



http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jack-fitzgerald-fights-to-protect-auto-consumers-rights-and-lives-300047173.html

 

 

 

JUST MY OPINION...AT THE MOMENT!

Defining an industry that eschews safety....

There's enough blame to go around....including NHTSA's revolving door....

...ignoring complaints.....

...DOJ's Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free $1.2 BILLION TOYOTA SETTLEMENT.....

...TOYOTA COMPLAINTS that were ignored....

...TOYOTA OIL SLUDGE COMPLAINTS that were ignored.....

....TOYOTA'S MELTING DASHBOARDS.....

+ 37,900 complaints ignored by Toyota


In each of the cases, the DEFECTS were KNOWN! 

To pretend correcting KNOWN DEFECTS will lead to higher prices .......

Car Costs to Rise as Deadly Flaws Lead to Stricter Safety

By Ma Jie and Masatsugu Horie

Jan 16, 2015

Auto-parts suppliers are feeling the pressure as car companies move to raise quality standards after a record year for U.S. vehicle recalls in 2014.
 

In Japan, parts makers that sell to automakers worldwide say they’re taking costly steps to meet higher international quality standards, introducing extra safety features in their component designs, and buying more sophisticated inspection equipment. In the wake of massive recalls for deadly flaws such as General Motors Co. (GM)’s defective ignition switches and Takata Corp. (7312) air bags that spewed metal shards at motorists, the suppliers say they have little choice in the matter.

“It’s expensive,” said Shigenobu Nagamori, the president of Nidec Corp. (6594), a Kyoto-based maker of small precision motors that’s seeking to expand its business with carmakers. “But otherwise, if we’re forced to compensate for losses later on, we’ll all be finished.”

Carmakers recalled more than 60 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, double the previous record set in 2004. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pledges to step up scrutiny this year, the renewed focus on quality will add to manufacturing costs -- which in turn may lead to consumers paying more for cars.

Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg

An employee inspects auto parts on the production line of Iwaki Diecast Co.'s plant in...Read More

“The risk of recalls will get even bigger in the future as cars use more and more electrical components and become more complicated,” saidSatoru Takada, an auto analyst at Toward the Infinite World Inc. “The costs auto-parts makers pay to ensure safety will probably continue to rise.”

Air-Bag Deaths

Honda, Japan’s third-largest automaker, has said it will scrutinize development and asked for support from suppliers after it recalled more than 13 million vehicles since 2008 due to Takata air bag flaws. Tokyo-based Takata and carmakers are investigating the root cause of the defects, which have been blamed for five deaths in the U.S. and Malaysia.
 

Takata expects a 25 billion yen ($212 million) loss this fiscal year after booking a 47.6 billion yen charge in the first half for product quality provisions. The company said in November it’s difficult to estimate the amount of damage claims it has received in the U.S.

Takata spokesman Hideyuki Matsumoto said the company regards safety and quality as its “No. 1 priority” and will continue to invest money to develop new technology and raise quality standards.

Honda Fines

Honda agreed this month to pay a record $70 million in civil fines for failing to tell the U.S. government about more than 1,700 deaths and injuries potentially linked to flaws in its vehicles. Also this month, Takanobu Ito, the company’s president, spoke about Honda’s quality issues in his address at an annual gathering in Tokyo that’s traditionally an awards gala to honor suppliers.
 

ZF Japan Co. President Richard Kracklauer, who attended, said it’s clear companies like his will need to work even harder to ensure high quality standards “if we are to continue business with Honda.”
 

Fumio Fujimori, president of Aisin Seiki Co., expects parts makers including his own company to spend more time and money pursuing higher product safety standards, which may in turn lead to higher product prices, he said in an interview this month. The company cut its profit forecast in October, citing mounting expenses for upgrading equipment to check quality.
 

Aisin Seiki, which is 35 percent owned by the Toyota group and makes parts ranging from transmissions to power door locks, will follow stricter designs required by an international standard known as ISO 26262, Fujimori said. It’s working to improve the traceability of products so that if a quality problem arises, the company can quickly analyze it and find the cause.

‘Mandatory’ Standards

Complying with ISO standards used to be a matter of “honor” for Japanese companies, said Fujimori, whose largest customer after Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) is Volkswagen AG. (VOW) Now, he said, it’s become “almost mandatory” for auto-parts makers as car manufacturers won’t buy from those that don’t.
 

Jtekt Corp. (6473), a maker of electric power-steering systems, will also implement the “fail-safe” systems required by ISO 26262 to ensure safety, even as such designs drive up costs, President Tetsuo Agata said in an interview in November. The Osaka-based company counts GM, Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. among its largest overseas customers.
 

“It’s about human life, so we really want to make sure to fully comply,” Agata said. “If we make mistakes in this area, it could easily cost us our position in the industry.”
 

Takata's shares dropped 3.5 percent, extending a five-day losing streak. Nidec’s shares fell 1.6 percent and Jtekt declined 2.3 percent in Tokyo trading on Friday. The benchmark Topix index slid 0.9 percent.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-16/car-costs-to-rise-as-deadly-flaws-lead-to-greater-safety-demands.html

The TOYOTA-GM Connection

GM Ignition Judge Names Lead Lawyers From Toyota Cases

By Margaret Cronin FiskJune 26, 2014

 

The lead attorneys in lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. (TM:US) over sudden acceleration will take temporary charge of claims of alleged economic loss from General Motors (GM:US) vehicles that were recalled because of ignition-switch defects.

Steve W. Berman, Elizabeth Cabraser and Mark P. Robinson Jr., who helped arrange a $1.6 billion settlement with Toyota over lost vehicle value, will “initiate the process” in the GM litigation, U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman in Manhattan said in a June 24 order.

“These temporary designations are not a precursor of future appointments,” Furman said.

 

Video: Lawmakers Grill Barra Over Ignition Defects

General Motors has recalled 2.59 million compact cars with potentially faulty ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths. Customers have filed at least 87 proposed class actions seeking reimbursement for lost value of the recalled vehicles.

The suits are combined before Furman’s Manhattan court in a multidistrict proceeding that will address pretrial matters including evidence gathering. Furman set an initial conference to organize the suits for Aug. 11.

The case is In Re General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation, 14-md-2543, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

 

Story: Mary Barra's Smart Apology Suggests GM Won't Fight Recall Lawsuits

To contact the reporter on this story: Margaret Cronin Fisk in Detroit at mcfisk@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net Andrew Dunn, Joe Schneider

Story: The GM Fiasco and Overuse of Secret Settlements: Four Blunt Points

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-06-26/gm-ignition-judge-names-lead-lawyers-from-toyota-cases