2019 Vehicle Investigations

Full archive of all vehicle investigations news from 2019. Other years: 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

Ford Door Latch Recall Investigated As Doors Keep Opening Government says Fiesta, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ owners complain the door latch repairs didn't work.

Dec 26, 2019 — A Ford door latch recall issued in 2015 and another door latch recall ordered in 2017 are under investigation by federal safety regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says owners continue to complain about doors that open while driving 2012-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion and 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. More than 528,000 vehicles are included in the investigation into both recalls and if Ford's repairs were good enough to ...
South Korea Finds 6 BMW Fires Were Unrelated to EGR Systems Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport finds all sorts of problems that caused car fires.

Dec 17, 2019 — Six BMW car fires that occurred in South Korea weren't caused by the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems as first suspected by regulators. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, previous BMW fires related to the EGR systems had nothing to do with the six vehicle fires that occurred within a two-week period, including fires in BMW 328i, 5GT and BMW 640d vehicles. One thing that concerned regulators was that three of the six ...
GM Windshield Wiper Recall Investigation: 1,900 Complaints Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures cause feds to upgrade investigation.

Dec 17, 2019 — A GM windshield wiper recall investigation has been upgraded after federal safety regulators discovered more than 1,900 complaints were filed about wiper failures on Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain SUVs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal investigation into a 2016 windshield wiper recall issued by General Motors. The recall included 367,000 model year 2013 Equinox and Terrain SUVs, but the automaker didn't include ...
Connecticut Tesla Model 3 Crash Investigated By Feds Federal investigators will determine if Tesla's Autopilot was engaged when Model 3 hit police car.

Dec 14, 2019 — A Connecticut Tesla Model 3 crash involving a parked police vehicle will be investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after the driver said Autopilot was engaged when the car crashed. NHTSA hasn't released details of the investigation, but the special crash investigation team has investigated more than 10 Tesla crashes where Autopilot was reportedly engaged. The December 7 crash occurred when the Tesla Model 3 driver was ...
Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 Steering Failure Investigation Upgraded NHTSA says steering failure questions remain even after recall of 600,000 Ram trucks.

Dec 7, 2019 — A federal Ram 2500 and 3500 steering failure investigation has been upgraded after customers reported losing the ability to steer the trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the original investigation in December 2018 concerning 200,000 model year 2015-2016 Ram 2500 trucks. NHTSA was contacted by two Ram 2500 drivers who claimed they lost the steering while driving, with one driver saying the truck was traveling nearly 70 mph ...
Elaine Herzberg Death: Self-Driving Uber Ignored Jaywalking Pedestrian Federal report says Uber's Volvo SUV autonomous mode completely failed in Arizona fatal crash.

Nov 9, 2019 — The death of Elaine Herzberg in March 2018 was caused by a self-driving vehicle system that could not see " jaywalkers " and failed to classify Herzberg as a pedestrian. Herzberg, 49, was killed when the Volvo SUV struck her as she ignored the crosswalk signs and walked her bike onto the road. The bike had no side reflectors and the front and rear reflectors faced away from the self-driving Volvo. Additionally, Herzberg's toxicology tests came back positive ...
BMW Fires Investigated in South Korea Officials want to know if BMW fires were caused by exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems.

Nov 8, 2019 — BMW car fires in South Korea have convinced regulators with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to open another investigation into why vehicles are going up in flames. Investigators want to determine why vehicles that were allegedly fixed during an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler recall caught fire. In October 2018, BMW recalled about 1.6 million vehicles worldwide because of fire dangers related to the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) ...
Ford F-150 Downshift Recall Satisfies Federal Regulators Federal investigation closed after Ford recalls vehicles to fix sudden unintended downshifting.

Oct 27, 2019 — A Ford F-150 downshift recall is allegedly good enough to repair problems that were investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In addition to 2011-2013 Ford F-150 trucks, the investigation included 2011-2013 Ford Expeditions and 2011-2013 Lincoln Navigators. Nearly 1.4 million vehicles were affected by the investigation after safety regulators learned of 1,238 complaints of transmissions that suddenly downshifted without ...
Land Rover Door Latch Recall Investigation Closed Safety regulators believe Range Rover door latch recalls should be adequate to fix the problems.

Oct 22, 2019 — Two Land Rover door latch recalls issued in June 2019 are enough to convince the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to close a Range Rover investigation originally opened in 2017. The investigation was then upgraded in 2018 as safety regulators tried to determine why the doors were opening while driving the 2013-2016 Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports. Land Rover recalled Range Rovers in 2015 because the door latches were allowing the ...
Nissan LEAF 'Passenger Airbag Off' Investigation Opened Federal safety regulators investigate nearly 20,000 Nissan LEAF electric cars for airbag failures.

Oct 16, 2019 — A Nissan LEAF " passenger airbag off " investigation has been opened into 2011-2012 LEAF cars with occupant classification system (OCS) sensors that fail and deactivate the passenger airbags. About 19,500 LEAF electric cars are included in the investigation headed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The safety agency received a petition to investigate 2011 Nissan LEAF cars after owners complained about passenger airbags that ...
Tesla Battery Range Miles Allegedly Dropped After Update Customer says Tesla Model S and Model X battery ranges are reduced by up to 40 miles.

Oct 5, 2019 — Tesla battery range miles allegedly dropped after the automaker sent out over-the-air (OTA) updates to help prevent battery fires in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles. The claim is made in a defect petition submitted in September to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking federal safety regulators to open an official defect investigation. According to the petitioner, 2012-2019 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles saw their battery ...
Toyota Brake Booster Recall Needed, Says Defect Petition Petition says Toyota should recall Prius, Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Camry Hybrid and Avalon Hybrid.

Oct 5, 2019 — A Toyota brake booster recall allegedly should be issued for 2010-2015 Toyota Prius and Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHV), 2012-2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid and 2013-2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid vehicles. According to a defect petition filed by a consumer, more than 1.1 million Toyota vehicles should be investigated and recalled for problems related to brake actuator solenoid valves. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received the petition to ...
Chrysler Active Head Restraint Investigation Opened Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango active headrests are smacking occupants in their heads.

Sep 30, 2019 — A Chrysler active head restraint investigation will determine if 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs should be recalled to fix the headrests. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 128 Durango and Grand Cherokee customers have complained their active head restraints deployed without crashes or rear impact events. Safety regulators say 13 reports allege injuries involving headaches, soft tissue injuries, nausea, ...
Chevy Volt Passenger Airbag Sensor Investigation Opened Feds look into 2012-2013 Chevrolet Volt airbag sensors that fail and trigger warning lights.

Sep 22, 2019 — Chevy Volt passenger airbag sensor problems are under a federal investigation after complaints about illuminated passenger airbag warning lights and failures of the frontal and knee airbags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received at least 17 complaints about 2012-2013 Chevrolet Volt passenger sensing systems for the frontal passenger and knee airbags. Drivers report the sensors, located under the passenger seat trim covers, ...
Jeep Wrangler Frame Problems Lead to Investigation Jeep Wrangler investigation opened for frame welds, and for more than 3,500 steering complaints.

Sep 21, 2019 — A petition to investigate model year 2018 Jeep Wrangler frame weld problems has turned into a formal investigation of about 270,000 model year 2018-2019 Wranglers for potential frame issues and steering problems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition in 2018 to open an investigation into alleged Wrangler frame weld problems in about 220,000 model year 2018 SUVs. According to the petition, the frames have multiple ...
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Seat Belts Not Retracting Investigation: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee seat belt problems cost owners $500, per seat.

Sep 19, 2019 — Model year 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee seat belts that don't retract are under investigation after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received 18 complaints about seat belt problems, and the cost to repair those problems. Safety regulators say the front seat belt may fail to retract due to a cracked plastic guide related to the B-pillar D-ring. NHTSA says the front seat belts won't fit correctly and apparently the only thing that can be ...
Nissan Rogue Automatic Emergency Braking Malfunctions Investigated Government will look into reports that Rogue AEB systems activate when they aren't needed.

Sep 12, 2019 — Nissan Rogue automatic emergency braking malfunctions are under investigation by the federal government as safety regulators granted a petition to investigate more than 800 complaints. Nissan Rogue automatic emergency braking (AEB) is supposed to warn drivers of an impending frontal crash by using a series of cameras and radar sensors. The SUV should automatically apply the brakes if a driver does nothing, something that will at least decrease the crash ...
Petition Says VW GTI, Golf GTI and Jetta GLI Vehicles Stall Volkswagen owner files petition for feds to investigate vehicles with manual transmissions.

Sep 8, 2019 — Model year 2019 Volkswagen GTI, Golf GTI and Jetta GLI vehicles equipped with manual transmissions may have problems that cause the vehicles to stall while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition to investigate the vehicles after 157 complaints were filed alleging the manual transmissions have defects. In addition to the 157 complaints, one report claims the stalled vehicle caused a crash. Customers typically ...
Tesla Autopilot Crash Into a Firetruck Mainly Blamed on Driver Model S driver says he was drinking coffee and eating a bagel during Culver City firetruck crash.

Sep 7, 2019 — A Tesla Autopilot crash into a firetruck was primarily caused by the Tesla Model S P85 driver, although some blame is placed on the Autopilot system itself. The January 22, 2018, Tesla crash into the firetruck occurred in Culver City, California as the Model S driver ignored the road. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened an investigation after driver Michael Tran, who was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, reported he ...
Nissan Altima Lower Control Arm Investigation Ongoing Nissan Altima lower control arm replacement campaign may not be enough to satisfy feds.

Aug 26, 2019 — A Nissan Altima lower control arm replacement campaign created by the automaker may not be enough as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released additional information about an ongoing investigation. Federal safety regulators originally opened an investigation into fractured lower control arms in 2013 Nissan Altima cars after four complaints were made to the agency. Altima drivers complain of suddenly experiencing control problems as ...
Nissan LEAF Occupancy Sensor Causes Defect Petition Nissan LEAF owner petitions government to open investigation into alleged occupancy sensor failures.

Aug 20, 2019 — Nissan LEAF occupancy sensor failures may lead to a federal investigation after a Georgia petitioner asked the government to investigate model year 2011 LEAF cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received the petition to open a defect investigation into about 10,000 model year 2011 Nissan LEAF occupant classification systems. The petitioner says he took his 2011 Nissan LEAF to a dealership because the vehicle suffered airbag ...
Subaru Forester 'Passenger Airbag Off' Investigation Begins Feds investigate 554,000 Subaru Foresters after failures of passenger airbags and sensors.

Aug 10, 2019 — A Subaru Forester "passenger airbag off" investigation has been opened by federal safety regulators to determine why passenger airbags and occupant detection systems (sensors) are failing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received at least 51 complaints and other reports about passenger airbag problems in 2016-2018 Subaru Foresters. Owners report they see illuminated front "passenger airbag off" warning lights when the airbags ...
Nissan Altima Lower Control Arm Investigation Expanded Nissan Altima drivers complain the rear lower control arms separate due to corrosion from road salt.

Aug 4, 2019 — Nissan Altima lower control arm problems that caused a federal investigation have now caused an upgraded and expanded investigation which includes more than 2 million cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the original investigation in December 2018 after complaints about rear lower control arm failures in 2013 Nissan Altimas. Safety regulators said at the time about 374,000 Altimas were included in the investigation and only ...
Jeep Wrangler Right-Hand-Drive SUVs Under Investigation Drivers of 2015-2016 Wranglers claim the seat belts separated from the brackets.

Aug 2, 2019 — Jeep Wrangler right-hand-drive (RHD) SUVs are under a federal investigation to determine if there are problems related to the driver's side seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says three reports have been received about seat belts in 2015-2016 Wrangler RHD vehicles. "The seat belt broke loose from the floor. The metal part that was screwed to the floor actually broke away from the screw. Less than 47,000 miles. But I ...
Las Vegas Autonomous Shuttle Collision Investigation Closed Autonomous Navya shuttle and tractor-trailer involved in collision in downtown Las Vegas.

Jul 29, 2019 — A minor crash between a tractor-trailer and a Las Vegas self-driving shuttle was partly caused by the shuttle " attendant " not being in a position to take manual control of a device that looks like a video game controller. The November 2017 collision occurred around noon on South 6th Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, between a tractor-trailer and a 2017 Navya autonomous shuttle carrying 7 passengers and a 38-year-old attendant. The driverless Navya ...
2010-2012 Jaguar XF Gas Smell Recall Investigated Government keeps receiving complaints about 2010-2012 XF cars that were allegedly already repaired.

Jul 2, 2019 — Gas smells in 2010-2012 Jaguar XF cars caused a recall in 2012, but federal safety regulators are investigating if those recalls adequately fixed the cars. The gas odors are caused by leaking fuel from cracked fuel tank outlet flanges in the 2010-2012 Jaguars equipped with 4.2-liter or 5-liter engines. In addition to the smell of fuel, some XF customers said they noticed fuel underneath the rear of the cars when they were parked. Leaking fuel in the presence ...
Mercedes-Benz Metris Fuel Hose Investigation Closed Government closes fuel leak investigation after Mercedes agrees to recall the Metris vans.

Jun 24, 2019 — A Mercedes-Benz Metris investigation has been closed by federal safety regulators after the automaker agreed to recall model year 2016-2017 vans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the investigation in March 2018 following complaints about fuel hose leaks in the engine compartments of model year 2016 vans. Mercedes says the vans were having problems with the upper hose connections that feed gas to the high-pressure fuel pumps. ...
GM Hard Brake Pedals Investigated in Canada and U.S. Canadian regulators looking at 250,000 GM vehicles for brake vacuum pump problems.

Jun 21, 2019 — GM hard brake pedals are now under investigation in Canada because regulators want to determine if Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles may have brake vacuum pump problems. Transport Canada says nearly 250,000 of the following trucks and SUVs are included in the investigation. 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade 2014-2017 Chevrolet Silverado LD 2015-2017 Chevrolet Suburban 2015-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe 2014-2017 GMC Sierra LD 2015-2017 GMC ...
General Motors Seat Belt Recall Under Investigation Feds look at 2014 GM seat belt recall of 1.4 million vehicles to determine if repairs were accurate.

Jun 2, 2019 — A General Motors seat belt recall in 2014 is under federal investigation in 2019 to check if the recall repairs truly fixed the problems. The 2014 recall was issued for about 1.4 million of the following GM vehicles. 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook 2009-2014 Buick Enclave 2009-2014 GMC Acadia 2009-2014 Chevrolet Traverse The automaker said the 2014 recall was needed because the flexible steel cables that connected the front seat belts to the ...
Ford Emissions Processes Under Criminal Investigation Justice Department looking at possible emissions irregularities in how Ford tested vehicles.

May 19, 2019 — Ford emissions processes are under a criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, but the automaker was quick to say the investigation doesn't involve emissions " defeat devices " used to intentionally cheat emissions tests. Employees at Ford first brought the matter to the attention of management , triggering an internal investigation into how emissions and fuel economy were measured and what methods were used for computer-modeling. The Justice ...
Tesla Model 3 Crash in Florida Involved Autopilot Investigators determine Model 3 had Autopilot engaged when the car slammed into a semi-trailer.

May 18, 2019 — A Tesla Model 3 crash in Florida is still under a federal investigation after it was determined Tesla's advanced driver assistance system Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash that killed 50-year-old driver Jeremy Beren Banner. Tesla's Autopilot system is described by the automaker as a combination of systems that assist a driver but are not meant to take full control of the vehicle in all situations. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, Auto Lane Change ...
Mitsubishi i-MiEV Brake Vacuum Pump Recalls Investigated Government opens investigation after owners complain about recalled Mitsubishi i-MiEVs.

May 14, 2019 — Two Mitsubishi i-MiEV brake vacuum pump recalls are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) even though the cars were allegedly already repaired. Mitsubishi recalled some of the cars in 2013 and 2014 to fix problems that were causing failed brake vacuum pumps, but NHTSA says it has questions about 2010-2017 i-MiEVs. One recall included repairs by Mitsubishi dealers to replace the vacuum pumps to solve problems of ...
2015 Chevrolet Colorados and GMC Canyons Losing Power Steering Federal investigation opened into Colorado and Canyon trucks after 50 power steering complaints.

May 13, 2019 — Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon power steering problems are under federal investigation to determine if a 2016 recall should have included more trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says a " recall query " is necessary after receiving 50 complaints about power steering problems in 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and 2015 GMC Canyon trucks that weren't included in the 2016 recall . The previous recall included about 3,000 model year 2015 ...
Mazda CX-9 Side Curtain Airbags Deploying For No Good Reason Government opens Mazda CX-9 investigation after side curtain airbags allegedly injure 4 occupants.

May 6, 2019 — Mazda CX-9 unintended side curtain airbag deployments are under federal investigation after the driver of a 2012 CX-9 alleged the airbags caused four injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), two CX-9 owners claim the right and left curtain airbags deployed without impacts to the SUVs, with one customer alleging they were driving on a freeway when the airbags suddenly hit the occupants. The driver says there was no ...
Investigation: 12.3 Million Vehicles For Airbag Failures ZF-TRW airbag control units linked to airbag failures that caused deaths and injuries.

Apr 23, 2019 — About 12.3 million vehicles are under federal investigation because they are equipped with ZF-TRW airbag control units that may fail and cause airbag failures. Included in the investigation are vehicles from Chrysler (FCA US), Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi and Toyota. 2014-2019 Acura RLX 2014-2019 Acura RLX Hybrid 2012-2014 Acura TL 2015-2017 Acura TLX 2012-2014 Acura TSX 2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon 2012-2013 Acura TSX ...
More than 1,300 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe Fires Reported Federal investigation will look for causes of non-crash fires following 1,300 fires and 26 injuries.

Apr 2, 2019 — More than 1,300 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe non-crash fires have convinced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to open a formal investigation into fires caused by Theta II engines and other components. The Center for Auto Safety petitioned NHTSA to investigate non-crash fires in certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles, something safety regulators agreed to do with specific models. The affected Hyundai models include nearly 1.3 million ...
Nearly 1,800 Fires Reported in Kia Optimas, Sorentos and Souls Government opens investigation into Kia vehicle fires that allegedly caused 77 injuries, 1 death.

Apr 1, 2019 — Kia Optima, Sorento and Soul fires will be investigated by federal safety regulators following nearly 1,800 fires that were reported in those vehicles. The investigation includes nearly 1.7 million 2011-2014 Kia Optimas, 2011-2014 Kia Sorentos and 2010-2015 Kia Souls that caught fire and caused at least 77 injuries and one fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) looked into the problem following a June 2018 petition from the ...
Nissan Rogue AEB Malfunctions Should Be Investigated Center for Auto Safety petitions government to look at sudden unintended braking in Rogue SUVs.

Mar 21, 2019 — Nissan Rogue AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking) malfunctions have caused the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) to petition the government to open a defect investigation into the feature. Nissan Rogue drivers complain their SUVs suddenly brake even though no obstructions are in front of the vehicles. According to the Center, there have been nearly 90 complaints from Rogue drivers who said the AEB systems activated as if objects were in the roads. In some cases, ...
Theta II Engine Fires Investigated by State Attorneys General Fires in vehicles equipped Theta II GDI engines being looked at by Connecticut and other states.

Mar 18, 2019 — Theta II engine fires in Hyundai and Kia vehicles are under investigation by Connecticut and other states for allegations of deceiving regulators and consumers. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said his " office is one of the leaders of an ongoing multistate investigation into deeply troubling reports of spontaneous fires in Hyundai and Kia vehicles ." However, Mr. Tong didn't name the other states and said he is " unable to share details of the ...
Ford Emissions Investigation Opened After Employees Speak Up Ford emissions investigation will determine if emissions and fuel economy estimates are wrong.

Feb 21, 2019 — A Ford emissions investigation has been opened to test the 2019 Ford Ranger and other vehicles after a group of Ford employees reported possible problems in September 2018. The outside firm will investigate the vehicle road load specifications Ford uses during emissions and gas mileage tests to certify vehicles for sale in the U.S. Ford describes road load as the resistance levels used during tests on a dynamometer for fuel economy ratings and to certify the ...
Cadillac XLR Roof Problems Investigated by Feds 2004-2005 Cadillac XLR roof panels are flying off the cars, mostly when the cars are moving.

Feb 7, 2019 — Cadillac XLR roof problems are under federal investigation after complaints about roof panels separating from the roof frames in 2004-2005 models. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says about 7,700 XLR cars may have problems with degradation of the adhesive used to secure the outer roof panels to the roof frames. Most owners complained about 2004-2005 XLR roof panels that flew off the cars while driving, but three drivers say the ...