Just days after showing off nearly two dozen Cybercabs running on Full Self-Driving, Tesla finds itself being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The feds are examining 2.4 million FSD-equipped vehicles due to issues driving in “reduced visibility conditions,” including a fatality. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Legal
Motorcyclists Wearing Helmets Die Less Often
Helmet laws often create discord among motorcyclists, the medical community and other safety experts. The latest study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety isn’t likely to quell any of the disagreements. The report shows more than 22,000 riders would’ve have survived fatal crashes during the last four decades. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Headlight News for The Week of 9-30 – 2024 – Struggling Stellantis – Carlos Ghosn Remember Him? – Review Jeep Rubicon Final Edition – This Week in Automotive History
In this week’s episode of the Headlight.News podcast we talk about Stellantis’s ongoing struggles as well as Carlos Ghosn emerging from the shadows to contend with more legal issues. We also review the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Final Edition and take a look at This Week in Automotive History.
Back in the News: Court Orders Carlos Ghosn to Return Super-Yacht and $32 Million to Nissan
Nissan showed its former CEO who’s “The Boss” as it won a battle in court ordering Carlos Ghosn to return a 121-foot yacht of that name, along with $32 million in damages. That’s the latest twist in a battle that began when the executive was arrested for alleged financial crimes in 2018.
Recall Repairs Not Free with Fisker
Those sacred few Fisker Ocean owners continue to discover new ways they’re getting worked over. The latest? The now-bankrupt EV maker is only providing the parts for recalls free of charge. Owners will need to pay the labor costs. Find out more at Headlight.News.
GM Facing Huge Liabilities as Court Okays Class Action Over Faulty Transmissions
If you had a faulty transmission on a General Motors vehicles built between the 2015 and 2019 model-years you could be covered by a new lawsuit certified by a federal court. The class-action could result in payouts to hundreds of thousands of owners across the U.S., as Headlight.News reports.
Fisker Inc. Finalizes Liquidation Plans While Helping Owners
EV maker Fisker secured a deal with creditors to liquidate its assets while providing ongoing assistance to the owners of the vehicles it has already produced. Find out more at Headlight.News.
UAW Charges Musk, Trump With Trying to Intimidate Workers
The United Auto Workers is challenging the explicitly anti-union, and anti-workers language used by former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk during an interview on Musk’s social media service X on Monday.
Ford Issues Do-Not-Drive Order Due to Takata Airbags
The faulty Takata airbag inflator recall continues to cause problems for automakers with Ford issuing a Do-Not-Drive Advisory to owners of Ford vehicles that have been part of the three recalls involving the dangerous inflators who have not yet had their vehicles repaired. Find out more at Headlight.News
Mercedes Leading Industry Crack Down on Counterfeiters
Automakers face a slew of problems regularly: emissions compliance, workplace or office issues, quality shortcomings and more. However, the problem of counterfeit parts affects them all. Mercedes-Benz works with law enforcement globally to combat the problem, which can make vehicles less safe and certainly takes money out of the automaker’s coffers. Check out what Mercedes and the rest of the industry is dealing with at Headlight.News.
Tesla’s Trade Secret Lawsuit Against Rivian Heading to Court
It will be up to a California court to determine the outcome of a long-running suit pitting two EV manufacturers, Tesla and Rivian. The bigger of the two has accused its rival of stealing trade secrets and a judge has ruled the case will have to go to trial after Rivian filed to get it dismissed earlier this week.
Want a Brand New EV For Just $14,000? There’s Just One Catch
The high cost of today’s EVs has slowed demand. But there’s one model now priced at just $14,000, making it one of the lowest-priced vehicles on the market. But there is one catch: those 3,000 Fisker Ocean SUVs are being liquidated as part of the automaker’s bankruptcy. Whether you’ll be able to get parts and service going forward is far from certain.