Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 3, November 2011

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation opened a Preliminary Investigation into BMW 7-Series vehicles that roll away because the electronic ignition fails to shift the vehicle into Park when the driver leaves with the key fob. The agency had fielded two consumer complaints, and an unspecified number of Early Warning Reports on rollaway incidents before shipping off a Manufacturer’s Request for Information to BMW on Sept. 29. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 3, November 2011

What happens when you put your iPad on the front passenger seat of a 2012 Buick Enclave?

That depends on which General Motors source you consult. In May, the automaker sent out a Technical Service Bulletin warning that when “certain electronic devices” such as computers, MP3 players and cell phones are placed in the front passenger seat of a wide range of recent models, the front passenger airbag indicator may illuminate, enabling the airbag, and activating the seatbelt reminder light and warning chime – due to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Even though that iPad only weighs 1.5 pounds, the seat sensor suddenly thinks that this designated seating position is occupied. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 3, November 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Unable to derail the consumer products database mandated by the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act in Congress, one manufacturer has turned to the courts. Meanwhile, the Government Accounting Office’s first run at the publicly accessible complaints database shows that SaferProducts.gov works pretty much as advertised. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 3, November 2011

The DOT Office of Inspector General has found that NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigations followed its established procedures in conducting its inquiries into Toyota Sudden Acceleration for nearly a decade, but the OIG rapped the agency for its lack of transparency and documentation. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 3, November 2011

A new study shows that many parents know that adult seat belts do not fit their older children properly, but use them anyway.

Researchers from the University of Michigan’s Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit and its Transportation Research Institute set out to determine the frequency with which drivers reported improper seat belt positioning among the Forgotten Child set – so named by the safety community, because these children have outgrown five-point child safety restraints, yet are too small for seat belts. This group of children needs the aid of a booster seat to achieve a proper belt fit, with the lap portion of the belt extended low across the hips, and the shoulder belt resting over the shoulder, rather than on the child’s neck. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 3, November 2011

New Child Dummies for Booster Seat Testing Offer Advancement – and Raise Significant Questions

Acknowledging concerns about the biofidelity of the new HIII 6-year-old dummy, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a Final Rule on Sept. 9 allowing manufacturers of child restraint systems to test for FMVSS 213 compliance with either the Hybrid II 6-year-old dummy (H2-6C) or the advanced Hybrid III 6-year-old dummy (HIII-6C). Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 2, July 2011

Carolyne Thorne; the families of Jackie and Raechel Houck and Levi Stewart – these were not among the stakeholders interviewed by Government Accounting Office investigators in compiling their latest report on problems with automotive recalls. Yet, they are arguably among the many who are most affected by the shortcomings in the current system. Thorne was seriously and permanently injured and Stewart and the Houcks died, because defective and recalled components in their vehicles had not been remedied. Each case illustrates a different type of failure and why the recall system is due for an overhaul, but NHTSA Has Options to Improve the Safety Defect Recall Process, published last month, conveys none of this urgency. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 2, July 2011

In August, Toyota Motor Corporation recalled 1.2 million Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles for improperly manufactured Engine Control Modules. The problem? Cracks at solder points or on varistors on the circuit board that could cause harsh shifting, or a car that won’t start or would suddenly stop. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 2, July 2011

Exponent, a research firm supporting the automobile industry in litigation, has been collecting data to build a database of available injury mitigation technologies by vehicle make, model and year. The Menlo Park, CA firm presented surprising research at last month’s Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Conference using this resource, showing that vehicles do not sacrifice fuel efficiency to safety technology; side impact airbag effectiveness; and how the evolution of safety technology could be the basis for rulemaking. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from The Safety Record, Volume 8, Issue 2, July 2011

Earlier this month, a Georgia man died at the bottom of a water slide at a popular Atlanta-area attraction. Sergio Edwards, 21, reportedly a strong swimmer, was found unconscious at the bottom of Lake Lanier Islands Resort’s Fun Dunker. The police officials called his death accidental, but had yet to pinpoint a cause. Read the rest of this entry »