Tesla Model 3 Stripped Of IIHS Safety Award And CR Top Pick Status Following Radar Removal

Posted on May 29, 2021Written by admin

One of Tesla’s best sellers, the Model 3, is losing its safety designations from two testing organizations. Accordingly, the Model 3 will no longer be considered a CR Top Pick, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety plans to remove the Model 3’s Top Safety Pick+ designation.

It’s the result of a bold decision to remove forward-facing radar sensors from both the Model 3 and Model Y. A statement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made it clear that Model 3 and Model Y units built after the 27th of April, 2021 will not receive the agency’s check-mark for FCW, AEB, lane departure warning (LDW), as well as dynamic brake support, since these units will be equipped with Tesla Vision technology, omitting radar.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that their new ‘Tesla Vision,’ which uses cameras in conjunction with sonar sensors, is a more intelligent and more accurate way for Teslas to read their surroundings. Still, both Consumer Reports and the IIHS aren’t convinced.

According to these leading testing organizations, the integration of this new technology could mean that Tesla vehicles will lack some key safety features, including forward-collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB).

Read: New Models To Switch To Camera-Based Autopilot As Tesla Goes Radar-less

With AEB and FCW not standard, the Model 3’s CR score drops from 78 to 75, and the Tesla Model Y, which was not a recommended vehicle to begin with, drops from 50 to 47. However, even with the drop in Overall Score, the Model 3 is still recommended.

Tesla Vision uses cameras, sonar, and a neural network (Tesla’s machine learning software). However, The tech giant mentioned via a blog post that certain features would be ‘temporarily inactive,’ with over-the-air updates making them accessible in the weeks to come. Inactive features may include Smart Summon and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance, while it was started that Autosteer will only be functional up to a maximum speed of 75 mph.

Research scientist Bryan Reimer was concerned as to why Tesla was replacing a proven safety feature with an unproven one. “Will the system fueled by vision data alone have an equal or better performance than what has been produced with a radar?” asked Reimer in a report by CR. “If performance is not greater in the new system, we are taking a step backwards in efficacy and consumer transparency, negatively impacting safety,” he says.

NHTSA Makes Odometer Disclosure For Up To 20 Years Mandatory From January 1st

Posted on Dec 22, 2020Written by admin

In the wake of rampant odometer fraud, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to impose new requirements for 2021 and beyond regarding the disclosure of a vehicle’s mileage to potential buyers.

For those that don’t already know, odometer fraud is when you roll back an odometer to make it appear as if it has less mileage than it actually does, thus deceiving any potential buyers about the condition of the vehicle. This is a little more difficult to perform on newer vehicles, but is still possible on many older vehicles, which is where the NHTSA’s new requirements come in.

Read: Odometers Rollback Are More Common Than You Think, Could Impact 1.6 Million Vehicles

Here are the new rules:

Beginning January 1st, 2021, you will be required to disclose the amount of miles on a vehicle’s odometer for every transfer of ownership for the first 20 years of the vehicle’s life. This will begin with vehicles from the 2011 Model Year, so Model Year 2010 and older vehicles will still be subject to the previous 10-year disclosure requirements, and as such, are exempt from extended Federal odometer disclosure requirements.

It won’t be for another 20 years until Model Year 2011 or newer vehicles will be exempt from the odometer rules, so to comply with Federal law, anyone transferring ownership of a Model Year 2011 or newer vehicle will be required to provide a disclosure of the vehicle’s mileage to its new owner.

To summarize, Model Year 2010 and older vehicles will continue to be exempt from federal odometer disclosure requirements, and sellers of Model Year 2011 vehicles must continue to disclose odometer readings until 2031, and longer if the vehicle is newer.

The final ruling for these requirements took place all the way back in September of 2019, which goes to show how long it takes for these types of preventative regulations to take effect.

The average age of vehicles is older than ever, and the NHTSA felt they needed to take action in order to prevent a further increase in an already bad odometer fraud problem.

The video below shares some useful tips on how to avoid odometer fraud.

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What do you think of the new requirements, will they help solve the issue?

Feds Open Investigation On Tesla Model S Touchscreen Failures

Posted on Jun 25, 2020Written by admin

An investigation has been opened by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into reports of potential media-control unit failures fitted in approximately 63,000 Tesla Model S vehicles.

The NHTSA has received 11 complaints alleging failures of the media control unit on 2013-2015 Model S vehicles. The media control unit uses a Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device, a device that has a finite lifespan based on the number of program/erase cycles. Tesla’s media control unit fails to operate once the eMMC NAND flash device is worn out.

Failures of the flash device are likely to occur after periods of progressively degraded performance such as longer power-up times, more frequent touchscreen rests, intermittent loss of cellular connectivity, and loss of navigation. If the media control unit does fail, it results in a loss of audible and visual features provided by the touchscreen, including infotainment systems, navigation, and web browsing. It also means the image provided by the reversing camera is not shown. MCU failure can also cause the climate control to default to Auto mode while also limiting battery charging current and maximum state of charge when recharging.

One complaint made with the NHTSA alleges that when the media control unit failed, the owner was unable to clear fogged windows as he could not change the climate controls. Another complaint says that a failure meant the safety monitors associated with the Tesla Autopilot system were disabled.

A total of 159,000 2012-2018 Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles use this media control unit, but no such investigation has been opened into the Model X.

Bentley Recalls Three Continental GTs Whose Sunroof Glass Panel Might Fly Off

Posted on Jun 8, 2020Written by admin

Bentley has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a recall conducted in North America on certain units of the 2020 Continental GT.

According to the information posted by the safety agency, there is an issue with the factory-installed sunroof, which may have not been properly bonded to the vehicle body. As a result, occupants could experience excessive wind noise and water leaks. In some cases, the entire glass panel could separate from the vehicle, becoming a hazard to other motorists and pedestrians.

The problem, which affects only three cars made between December 16, 2019, and February 3, 2020, was discovered recently during a routine check and is blamed on the adhesive bond that does not meet the required specification. The result was presented to the pre-Product Safety Committee in early April and the decision to announce the recall was taken at the end of May. One week later, the NHTSA was informed on the action.

Bentley noted that dealers will be notified on June 10, whereas owners will hear from the automaker on the 15th. Subsequently to scheduling an appointment with an authorized dealership, technicians will remove the old sunroof glass assembly and install a new one, “using the approved bonding products and procedure”. All work will be carried out free of charge, and those who have already fixed the issue on their own will not be reimbursed, as the vehicles are still covered by the warranty. The recall is expected to commence on June 15.

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Tag Archives: MimboloveNHTSA

Tesla Model 3 Stripped Of IIHS Safety Award And CR Top Pick Status Following Radar Removal

NHTSA Makes Odometer Disclosure For Up To 20 Years Mandatory From January 1st

Feds Open Investigation On Tesla Model S Touchscreen Failures

Bentley Recalls Three Continental GTs Whose Sunroof Glass Panel Might Fly Off

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