Recall of 1.3M Ford vehicles came only after complaints, federal inquiry.

Forbes (10/29, Cheryl, Jensen, 9.79M) reports that “Ford decided to recall about 1.3 million vehicles in the United States with a stalling problem only after being contacted by federal regulators, according to a report posted on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.” The automaker “said officials from the safety agency contacted them in May about complaints from owners of its Focus models” and “after a series of discussions with the regulators Ford said it decided earlier this month that a recall was necessary.” Forbes says “the agency has at least 100 complaints from owners about stalling or driveability issues with the models being recalled.” Forbes also reports that “while the safety agency contacted Ford about the complaints it never posted an official note of its concern on its website” and that “typically such inquiries are made public as ‘preliminary evaluations.’”

Ford Focus recalled for fuel valve.

ABC World News Tonight (10/25, story 12, 0:20, Muir, 8.02M) reported that “nearly 1.5 million Ford Focus cars are being recalled for a defective fuel valve.” As part of the recall, “Ford says customers should keep fuel tanks at least half full until the problem can be fixed.”

NHTSA stops self-driving shuttles after accidents cause review.

Bloomberg Government (10/24) reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s decision to review “its procedures for permitting self-driving vehicles on public roads” has led to a moratorium on self-driving shuttles. The review was prompted after “several deadly crashes involving vehicles equipped with self-driving systems, including the Uber crash that killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz. earlier this year.” After complaints from self-driving companies, the NHTSA has “created a group to manage the process, instead of just one person.” 

New company takes subdued, pragmatic approach to self-driving cars.

The Washington Post (10/18, Harwell, 12.5M) reports that three former executives from Google, Tesla and Uber formed a new company called Aurora Innovation, which is developing self-driving technology for carmakers. The executives have introduced a few simple rules, including “no flashy launches, mind-blowing timelines or hyper-choreographed performances on closed tracks.” The company’s approach “reflects a new phase for the hyped promise of computer-piloted supercars: a more subdued, more pragmatic way of addressing the tough realities of the most complicated robotic system ever built.”

Waymo to roll out self-driving ride-hailing fleet in Phoenix later this year.

USA Today (10/10, Cava, 11.57M) reports that “later this year...Waymo, plans an historic first: offering a self-driving, ride-hailing fleet to the public in the city of Phoenix.” Following the fatal incident involving an Uber self-driving vehicle in Phoenix last spring and “a series of Tesla crashes involving that automakers’ Autopilot system, AAA reported that 73 percent of poll respondents said they would be too afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle, up from 63 percent in late 2017,” which makes Waymo’s safety record stand out in that none of its vehicles have caused a “major accident.” Waymo CEO John Krafcik told USA TODAY, “Our test program in Phoenix has opened our eyes to so many real-world scenarios that we hadn’t thought about.” He added, “So while that first 10 million miles has been totally about safety, now the next 10 million can also focus on an improved rider experience.”

Toyota recalls close to one million hybrid vehicles in US.

ABC World News Tonight (10/5, story 10, 0:20, Muir, 8.25M) broadcast that Toyota is “recalling more than 2 million hybrids over power failure concerns – 800,000 vehicles here in the US” – with “the recall affecting Toyota Prius models built between 2008 and 2014.” According to ABC World News Tonight, certain vehicles can stall “after failing to enter the fail-safe driving mode.”

        CBS News (10/5, 4.39M) reports Toyota “company said Friday that in rare cases the vehicles might fail to enter a ‘failsafe’ driving mode, lose power and stall.” In a statement, NHTSA said, “Owners of recalled model year 2010-2014 Prius and model year 2012-2014 Prius V vehicles should get the free repair when notified by Toyota. All car owners are encouraged to routinely check their vehicle identification number (VIN) for any open recall on Nhtsa.gov/recalls.”