Tesla’s sudden accelerations were user error, US government says

THE VERGE

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ended a year-long review of claims that some Tesla vehicles were accelerating without warning, saying there is not enough evidence to open a full investigation. While NHTSA received 246 complaints about this “sudden unintended acceleration” phenomenon, the agency says that “pedal misapplication” was the cause of the problem in every case in which it had data to review — user error, in other words.

Claims of so-called “sudden unintended acceleration” have dogged Tesla for years. The company settled most of a purported class action lawsuit in 2018 over the issue. NHTSA says it collected crash data and video from cars’ “black box” event data recorders and from Tesla itself. While 246 cases were reported, the agency did not specify the amount of cases for which it collected data. The issue was thought to affect some 662,000 vehicles across Tesla’s lineup. read more »

Kia, Hyundai recall cars due to possibility of catching on fire

NEWS 12

The new year is beginning with a new round of recalls for Kia and Hyundai owners, as cars can potentially catch on fire.

News 12 first showed a video more than two years ago of a Kia Sorrento on fire, with the driver seemingly unaware.

It wasn't an isolated incident: There have been more than 3,000 reports of unexplained car fires from Kia and Hyundai owners. In the past three years, the automakers have recalled 3.5 million vehicles from 2006 to 2021 because of a variety of defects that could cause cars to catch fire. read more »