Category: Automotive
Takata’s faulty airbags looking to cost $1bn (£812m) in U.S. settlement
It hasn’t been a good few years for the automotive industry. First we had the Volkswagen (VW) scandal, and now Takata Corporation’s huge airbag disaster; which may cost the Japanese auto suppliers up to $1 billion (£812 million) in a U.S. criminal settlement.
Takata has been manufacturing airbags for several automakers since 1988, and reportedly holds 20% of the market. Automakers in the mix include Honda, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Mazda, VW, Nissan and Toyota.
Since 2013, approximately 70 million vehicles in the U.S. have been, or will be, recalled due to the “high risk” of the defective, shrapnel-shooting airbags. The issue involves a defective inflater that may not open properly in the event of a crash, and may actually shoot metal fragments into drivers and/or passengers instead.
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Mystery device that gives criminals access to vehicles without a key fob
After many baffling years of trying to work out how some criminals are breaking into cars, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) may have found an answer…
The NICB believes that criminals are using a device to unlock vehicles, and, even shockingly, using the device to drive off with the vehicle too. The Bureau recently obtained one of these devices that the public was warned about some years ago for testing, and the results were concerning.
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Caterpillar’s £47 million settlement for a defect in heavy-duty engines
The Caterpillar Inc. class-action lawsuit reportedly produced favourable results for affected vehicle owners. Recently, a New Jersey judge approved a £47 million settlement to compensate owners for the alleged defects in their heavy-duty diesel engines.
The case, which has been litigated since 2012, recently came to a close when Judge Jerome Simandle of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey approved the £47 million settlement offer.
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Toyota has voluntary recalled 838,000 Sienna vehicles
Toyota is the latest automaker to recall some of their vehicles for a problem with their sliding doors. The recall is thought to be for 838,000 Sienna minivans worldwide, with affected models ranging between the years 2011 and 2016.
The issue is believed to relate to the electrical system for the sliding doors. The problem and danger with the sliding door is that, if it’s obstructed on opening, it could overload the door’s motor circuit and open a fuse. If this happens when the door is closed, there is the risk that the door may slide open while on the road.
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Volvo voluntarily recalls 74,000 vehicles due to a seat belt safety issue
In the same year Volvo released its 2016 and 2017 models, the Swedish manufacturer has initiated a voluntary recall of 74,000 vehicles in the U.S. and a further 5,000 in Canada following a potential issue with a seat belt bolt.
As we often say when we cover U.S based stories: we work closely with American lawyers for varying group actions and legal matters, and these issues may also affect U.K. citizens too.
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Remedies for rusty cars – Toyota’s $4.3 billion settlement to fix all rusty cars in the U.S.
Unfortunately, rusty cars aren’t a thing of the past; as the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota, has demonstrated.
Toyota has proposed a $3.4 billion settlement in response to a federal class action brought by U.S. vehicle owners to rectify an issue of potential rusting in over 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S.
Although this is a story from the U.S., we often cover them as we work closely with American lawyers for group actions, and many of the issues over there can transfer over here too.
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Calls for a national database after a string of Vauxhall fire incidents
Following a string of vehicle fires, Vauxhall has had to recall around 1 million 1.4 litre petrol vehicles.
The Vauxhall fire crisis started in 2015 when 234,938 Vauxhall Zafira B models were recalled, as Zafira owners reported problems with the heating and ventilation system.
It looks like the crisis isn’t slowing down!
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