California Lemon Law Only Applies to Buyers of New Vehicles A recent state appellate court ruling on April 7, 2022, upheld a lower court’s decision that a manufacturer’s warranty does not carry over to the second owner of a vehicle purchased used. Therefore, the second owner is not protected under California lemon law. Everardo Rodriguez and Judith Arellano found this out … Read More
Is Your Ford EcoSport a Lemon? A Recall, Service Bulletin and Other Problems
Owners of the Ford EcoSport chose the sub-compact SUV because they thought it would be fun to drive, wouldn’t break the bank and it wasn’t a lemon. However, some owners are having buyer’s remorse as they grapple with breakdowns and other problems. Reports from consumers made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration discuss various problems in 2019 to 2021 … Read More
Tesla Model 3 Stuck at 83 MPH, Onboard Computer Frozen on Freeway
After his main on board computer screen suddenly froze, Javier Rodriguez’s Tesla Model 3 was stuck at 83 mph as he traveled on the Interstate 10 Freeway. The vehicle became hot and there was a weird smell, he said. All of the buttons and switches, including turn signals and hazard lights, stopped working. Even the accelerator was frozen, according to … Read More
Electric Vehicle Battery Investigation, Fires and Recalls; NHTSA Alerts Automakers
Recent auto recalls tied to defective electric vehicle batteries, have led to a federal investigation into a high-voltage Korean battery manufacturer that supplies multiple automakers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation aims to alert other automakers about potentially defective and dangerous batteries, according to Reuters. The federal agency wants to ensure all manufacturers installing these batteries are aware of … Read More
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids Fire Risk, Recalls, Class Action Lawsuit
Owners of 2017, 2018 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans cannot park or recharge the vehicle near their home due to a fire risk — and there’s no remedy in sight. The immediate risk of these minivans catching fire prompted Stellantis NV, the parent company of the Chrysler brand, to issue a recall on Feb. 11th. The recall covers 2017 and 2018 … Read More
Tesla ‘Phantom Braking’ Investigation Conducted by NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation into Tesla’s “phantom braking” issue after drivers complained about sudden braking in models equipped with Autopilot. Tesla vehicles with the Autopilot or advanced driver-assistance system are reportedly braking suddenly without warning at highway speeds. There are at least 354 phantom braking complaints to the NHTSA by Tesla owners. The NHTSA … Read More
Jeep Wrangler “Death Wobble” Still Problematic in 2021 Models
Owners of Jeep Wranglers are familiar with the infamous term “Death Wobble,” and yet despite repeated complaints over the years to Chrysler, the problem continues in 2021 models. First, let’s take a look at what the death wobble or speed wobble is. Drivers report it’s almost impossible to control the steering wheel in a Jeep Wrangler when the death wobble … Read More
Labor and Parts shortages: Millions of defective cars remain on the roads
Millions of dangerous vehicles remain a safety threat on roads throughout the United States due to labor shortages and because parts are not available to fix them. Some car owners may not even know there is a government or manufacturer recall for their vehicle. Those who find out they need a repair, aren’t likely to get it done quickly due … Read More
Tesla Full Self-Driving Cars Run Stop Signs, Prompting Recall of 54K Vehicles
Tesla is recalling 53,822 Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles due to a software update that permits the Full Self-Driving mode to run stop signs. Tesla’s latest software update to its Full Self-Driving technology may allow these vehicles to intentionally drive through all-way stop signs at up to 5.6 mph. This arises when there is a … Read More
What American Muscle Cars — Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet–are Lemons?
The newest lineup of American muscle cars are fast, fun, and smoking hot, but some buyers are outright furious when their hot rod winds up stuck in the repair shop. Owners of the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, and Challenger sports cars report various issues that take these fun cars off the road. The new versions of these iconic … Read More
Kia Recall 410K Vehicles for Defective Air Bags — Sedonas, Souls, Fortes — Defective Air Bags
A Kia recall for 410,619 vehicles was made this week for 2017, 2018, 2019 models including KIA Sedonas, Souls, Soul EVs, Fortes and Forte Koup due to defective air bags. The automaker learned their air bags may not deploy as intended in the event of a collision so they issued a recall in Kia models made between 2017 and 2019. … Read More
Mercedes-Benz 2019-2021 Sprinter Van Recall Rollaway Risk
Mercedes-Benz will recall 50,000 vehicles after at least 11 owners of 2019 to 2021 Sprinter vans complain their vehicle rolled away after it was parked. The issue happens when drivers parked their vehicle, but did not set the manual parking brake. Despite putting the vehicle’s transmission into park, drivers’ Sprinter van rolled away. Mercedes-Benz acknowledges the vehicles should not roll … Read More