New auto safety technologies leave some drivers bewildered
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans buying new cars these days are baffled by a torrent of new safety technology.
Some features will automatically turn a car back into its lane if it begins to drift, or hit the brakes if sensors detect that it's about to rear-end someone else. There are lane-change and blind-spot monitors,...
Why a slow BP oil spill settlement payout may actually benefit Louisiana
BP will have 15 years to make payments under the more than $20 billion settlement reached over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a timeline that may have raised a few eyebrows when details of the deal were released Monday (Oct. 5). But experts say the slow payout could benefit Louisiana and other...
Volkswagen Sued by West Virginia Over Clean Diesel Claims
West Virginia may be the first U.S. state to sue Volkswagen AG for deceiving car buyers after the Environmental Protection Agency said last month that the company had installed software to hide that its diesel engines exceeded pollution standards.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey seeks restitution for Volkswagen customers, who he says paid as much as...
BP Settlement in Gulf Oil Spill Is Raised to $20.8 Billion
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Monday announced a final settlement with the oil giant BP of $20.8 billion for its role in the disastrous 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, raising the total from the initial $18.7 billion settlement announced in July.
At either amount, it is the largest environmental settlement — and the...
VW Deals With More European Lawsuits From Emission Cheating – Bloomberg Business
Volkswagen AG is facing a new round of legal challenges after admitting it cheated on emissions tests for years, with French, German and Swiss lawyers taking action against Europe’s biggest carmaker.
The Paris prosecutor opened a probe into VW for deceit and putting people’s health at risk, while a German law firm, Tilp, filed a lawsuit...
Nissan recalls 218,019 Versas to fix suspension
Nissan is recalling 218,019 Versa subcompacts in the U.S. because road salt can corrode the metal springs in front, causing them to break.
If they coil springs fail, they can collapse and puncture the front tires. That scenario could cause the drivers of 2007 to 2012 Versas to lose control, resulting in a crash, Nissan...
VW Claims Mount as Lawyers Vie for Leading Role, Friendly Court
As claims against Volkswagen AG for selling “clean diesel” cars that cheated their way past emissions tests pile up across the U.S., the key question for lawyers is which court will wind up hearing them.
Lawyers for car-owners are already jockeying for their preferred venue in hopes that whichever judge winds up with the case...
Fiat Chrysler Concedes Violating Rule on Reporting Death and Injury Claims
DETROIT — Federal regulators said on Tuesday that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had significantly underreported to regulators the number of death and injury claims linked to possible defects in its cars.
Fiat Chrysler’s admission of the underreporting, discovered in an internal review tied to...
EPA Should Hit Road to Catch Cheaters, Critics Say
Volkswagen AG’s ability to cheat on emissions screening for seven years is putting pressure on U.S. regulators to change the assessments by adding more road tests to complement laboratory analysis.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency vowed last week to do more spot-checks on data generated from indoor labs. The agency says those road tests won’t...
Emissions scandal: Volkswagen to propose fix in October
Volkswagen said that in October it will propose a fix to the diesel cars it rigged with manipulative software to fool regulators into believing the vehicles were compliant with emissions regulations.
The automaker said that "in the near future" it will begin notifying owners of the 11 million vehicles affected by the software, which causes...
