Ford to repair Explorers over carbon monoxide issue.

The CBS Evening News (11/15, Story 9, 2:10, Mason, 11.17M) broadcast a video featuring CBS transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave and an interview with Steve Simmons, who was diagnosed with carbon dioxide poisoning after driving his Ford Explorer for sixteen days. Van Cleave said that Simmons “is one of nearly 1,300 people who have now filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Administration about exhaust.” Van Cleave said Ford “has known about the problem since at least 2012 and recorded more than 2,000 additional complaints as of last August.” Van Cleave further states that “NHTSA has been investigating for over a year but says it’s found no evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

        CBS News (11/15, 4.42M) reports that Ford is offering to make repairs on the Explorer “models from 2011 to 2017,” as “1.3 million owners of the popular SUV will begin receiving notices today.” CBS News states that “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating at least 1.3 million 2011-2017 Explorers based on reports of exhaust, which contains carbon monoxide, seeping into the passenger cabin.” NHTSA said that Ford’s actions do “not bring closure to the issue.” 

Carmakers struggle with hacking fears for self-driving cars.

The Detroit (MI) News (11/15, Laing, 725K) reports on the efforts of carmakers to mitigate concerns about hacking as they develop self-driving cars. The News reports that cars without self-driving features have been proven to be vulnerable to hacks, and researchers at the University of Michigan, University of Washington, Stony Brook University, and University of California, Berkeley have demonstrated that it is possible to trick the lidar sensors of self-driving cars. The piece points out that automakers created the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center “that allows car manufacturers to confidentially share information about potential cyberattacks.” 

BMW to recall more than one million vehicles due to fire risk.

The AP (11/3) reported that “BMW is recalling more than 1 million cars and SUVs in two U.S. recalls due to the risk of fires under the hood, and it’s recommending that they be parked outdoors until repairs are made.” According to the AP, documents posted Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal “that a heater for the positive crankcase ventilation valve can overheat and cause the valve to melt, increasing the risk of a fire even when the vehicle is not in use,” although there have been no injuries reported so far. The New York Times (11/4, Caron, Subscription Publication, 13.56M) reported a BMW spokesman insisted the risk of fire is “extremely rare.”