NHTSA News

Hyundai, Kia Owners Sue Manufacturers, Claim Fires Caused by Engine Defect

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. were sued by U.S. drivers over an alleged defect that could cause certain engines to catch fire, adding pressure on the South Korean automakers being probed by U.S. authorities. More than 350 consumer …

Auto Safety Agency Says U.S. Mercedes Owners Got Recall Notices too Late

The U.S. government is investigating Mercedes-Benz, alleging that the German automaker has been slow to mail safety recall notices and file required reports involving recalls of over 1.4 million vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a review found …

Adaptive Headlights That Dim Themselves Could Be Coming to U.S.

U.S. auto safety regulators are moving to allow a new generation of brighter, self-dimming headlights that won’t blind other drivers on the road ahead. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing to permit so-called adaptive driving beam headlights on …

NHTSA Warns Carmakers on ‘Safest’ Label After Tesla Boast

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is taking exception to Tesla Inc.’s characterization of the agency’s safety ratings. On Sunday, Tesla Inc. released a lengthy blog post saying that it engineered the Model 3 to “be the safest car ever …

Spike in Deadly Semi, Big Rig Crashes Prompts Demand for Safety Tech

Tractor-trailers and other large trucks aren’t required to have crash-avoidance technology, despite thousands of crashes annually and repeated calls for it to be mandated. Federal data shows that more than 4,300 people were killed in accidents involving semis and other …

Ford Recalls 2M F150s Due to Seatbelt Fire Risk

Under pressure from U.S. safety regulators, Ford is recalling about 2 million F-150 pickup trucks in North America because the seatbelts can spark and cause fires. The recall, which covers trucks from the 2015 through 2018 model years, comes about …

U.S. Road Deaths Fell Slightly in First Half of 2018

The number of people killed on U.S. roads fell slightly in the first half of 2018, but a top safety organization says it’s likely that there will be little change in the number of deaths from 2017 by the end …

Gov’t Report Accuses NHTSA of Inadequate Recall Monitoring

An investigation has found that the U.S. government’s highway safety agency failed to act quickly on a consumer complaint, and that could have delayed recalls of dangerous Takata airbag inflators. A report by the Transportation Department’s Inspector General also found …

U.S. Agency Wants Automakers to Speed Up Takata Airbag Recalls

The U.S. government’s road safety agency is urging automakers to speed up replacement of potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement Friday that Heidi King, it’s top official, has met with 19 …

U.S. Regulator Says Self-Driving Cars Don’t Need Rules Yet

It’s premature to regulate the self-driving vehicles being tested by companies such as General Motors Co. and Waymo LLC, the U.S. government’s top auto safety official said. “At this point the technology is so nascent I don’t think it is …