Cars.com Names Best Value in Hybrid Cars
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — With Earth Day less than one week away, Cars.com released a list of its editors’ selections for best hybrid cars in terms of value.Cars.com’s executive editor, Joe Wiesenfelder, said, “Gas prices remain volatile, so …
Highway Deaths Rise May Highlight Need for Newer Cars, Safer Technology
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — For the first time in seven years, fatalities on the nation’s roads went up five percent, in the first half of 2012, according to the National Safety Council.For teenagers ages 16 and 17, the results were even …
Millions of Recalled Cars Are Sold Without Needed Repairs
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Every year millions of recalled cars are sold to unsuspecting buyers without the needed repairs. Vehicle history website Carfax just completed a study that shows that in 2012 just over two million unrepaired re…
Seat Belt Use at Record High, New Report Shows
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Seatbelt use in the U.S. has reached an all time high, according to a new report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA.Through an annual survey, the organization found that 86 per…
Thieves Across Country Stealing SUV Seats
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Thieves across the country are in many cases not targeting expensive SUVs parked in driveways and parking lots. Instead, they are stealing the third row of seats from the vehicles for up to a $1,000 profit.Ivan…
Airbag Knockoffs Fail in Crash Test Videos
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Causing a fire, not deploying or partial deployment are not how you would like to have your airbag described, but those are the words U.S. Department of Transportation administrators used Wednesday when explaining …
Airbag Knockoffs Fail in Crash Test Videos
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Causing a fire, not deploying or partial deployment are not how you would like to have your airbag described, but those are the words U.S. Department of Transportation administrators used Wednesday when explaining …
White Is World’s Most Popular Car Color in 2012
Ryan McVay/Thinkstock(PITTSBURGH) — People the world over drive more white cars than any other color, according to a new survey.Mauve put in a strong showing; aubergine and puce moved up in the rankings. Vermillion did surprisingly well. But there was…
Auto Sales Hit Highest Level Since Early 2008
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Car and truck sales in the U.S. have hit their highest level since February of 2008, according to Autodata. Of the Detroit three, Chrysler had strong sales, showing a 12-percent increase compared to a year ago. …
Thieves Cracking Security Codes to Get Into Cars
ABC(CHICAGO) — Just after 1 o’clock one August night, a man calmly walked up to a locked car parked on a downtown Chicago street and within seconds — without a key, without any force — was sitting in the passenger’s seat. If you witnessed it, you wo…
Rental Car Companies Pledge Not to Rent Recalled Cars
Joe Raedle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The nation’s four largest rental car companies have banded together in a pledge not to rent out any vehicles that are subject to a manufacturer safety recall and to support legislation that would legally enforce the…
New California Law Allows Self-Driving Cars
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — California Governor Jerry Brown is raising a few eyebrows once more after signing a bill Tuesday that allows self-driving cars on public roads in the Golden State.Google engineers have made cars that don’t require dr…
GM Recalls More than 426,000 Cars in US
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images(DETROIT) — General Motors has recalled 426,240 vehicles in the U.S. because of a potential gear issue.
Affected GM models are all equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and include the 2007-2010 Saturn Aura, the 200…
GM Recalls More than 426,000 Cars in US
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images(DETROIT) — General Motors has recalled 426,240 vehicles in the U.S. because of a potential gear issue.
Affected GM models are all equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and include the 2007-2010 Saturn Aura, the 200…
Jobs Report: US-Based Foreign Employers Don’t Care About Politics
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — As the country awaits the monthly jobs report for August to assess the state of the economy, it’s a good opportunity to look at the other side of the employment coin: The foreign-based U.S. employers who employ about…
Eight Children Died in August After Being Left in Hot Cars
Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Parents’ leaving their kids in the backseat of cars during the sweltering days of summer has become an all-too-familiar scene in the United States.Twenty-three children have died of hyperthermia in cars in 14 …
Hot Car Hazard: Parent Forgetfulness Can Be Deadly
Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — One hot summer day, Brandi Koskie strapped her 2-week old daughter Paisley into her rear-facing car seat and drove off to run some errands. As her daughter slept peacefully, Koskie parked, got out of the car, lo…
GM, Ford Sales Slip in July; Chrysler, Others Report Strong Month
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Any worries Americans have about the economy fail to dissuade them from buying cars. Chrysler had a banner July, with sales up 13 percent. Volkswagen posted a 27 percent jump. Toyota saw a 26-percent rise. And …
Heatstroke Prevention Products Unreliable for Saving Kids in Hot Cars
Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Last year, 33 children died after being left in hot cars. But gadgets designed to prevent child deaths from being left in hot cars are not completely reliable, according to a government report released Monda…
Americans Holding onto Their ‘Clunkers’ Longer than Ever Before
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The U.S. isn’t as car crazy as it once was, judging by falling vehicle sales over the last decade or so.So what happens when the job picture gets better and home prices start rising again? Are Americans g…