Fiat Chrysler issues recall for 51,000 Jeep Cherokees.

The Detroit (MI) Free Press (5/21, 1.1M) reports Fiat Chrysler Automobiles issued a recall for 51,000 Jeep Cherokees because of an increased risk of a fire due to potential fuel leaks. A company statement said an investigation into the matter “discovered a batch of fuel-supply tubes may have connectors that were incorrectly fitted. If so, they may leak, creating a potential fire risk.” The Free Press reports that Fiat Chrysler said it is not aware of any injuries or accidents caused by the issue.

        Cars (5/21, 931K) also reports.

Testing Automated Vehicles on the Public

Mr. Bunkley makes an excellent point about protecting the public in is blog:

Nick Bunkley wrote a blog this week about the danger that comes with testing new technology in the real world:

"Autopilot, like many similar features being developed by other automakers, has great potential. But there's a reason that other automakers don't roll out such technology without the kind of lengthy, exhaustive testing that Tesla is apparently counting on the general public to conduct. ...

"Vehicles have to be designed not only to protect their occupants, but so they don't pose an undue hazard to others on the road

Continuing coverage: Investigators, experts comment on e-cigarette safety after explosion kills Florida man.

Reuters (5/17, Szekely) reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has “taken an interest in the case” of Tallmadge D’Elia, a Florida man who died on May 5 when his vape mod exploded, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman Lieutenant Steve Lawrence. He said by telephone on Thursday that the device’s battery was the most likely cause of the fire. He added, “We feel that the battery had the potential energy to basically turn the vape mod into a missile, and it penetrated the victim’s cranial cavity.”

        The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (5/17, Spata, 790K) reports Michael Felberbaum, a spokesman for the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products “said it had identified 274 incidents of e-cigarettes overheating, causing fires or exploding between 2009 and 2017,” but these incidents are “under-reported, and they’re currently soliciting such reports at www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov.” Larry McKenna, a fire protection engineer for the U.S. Fire Administration, was paraphrased as saying this month’s death is “a rarity.” He said that when a lithium ion battery in an e-cigarette ignites, it is forced out like “a bullet, or ‘flaming rocket.’” Greg Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, said, “It’s very safe overall when you consider that millions of people use these devices. The few issues you see are when people use mech mods, unregulated devices that don’t have safety features. And in this tragic case, it appears that’s the type of device that was being used.”

Information retrieved from Tesla Model S in Utah crash confirms car was in autopilot mode.

USA Today (5/16, della Cava, 9.97M) reports that according to police, information retrieved by Tesla engineers from a Tesla Model S that crashed in Utah last week corroborates the account the driver gave to investigators that the car was in Autopilot mode. According to USA Today, the driver also told investigators said that she was distracted by her phone. USA Today says that the May 11 accident is a “textbook case of distracted driving exacerbated by technology that, despite providing visual and audio warnings to drivers, is easy for humans to abuse.”

More than two dozen people died from keyless ignitions since 2006.

The New York Post (5/14, Eustachewich, 4.39M) reports that a new report found that 28 people were killed and 45 were injured by carbon monoxide from keyless cars. In all of the cases, “drivers unintentionally filled their homes with toxic fumes by leaving their cars on inside attached garages.” The article notes that while keyless ignitions are standard in over half of the new cars sold in the US, “there are no federal regulations on automatic engine shutoffs or beeping sounds to warn drivers the car is still running.” The article adds that NHTSA “failed three times to adopt regulations that would require car manufacturers to install external and internal warning beeps.”

Tesla driver says vehicle was in autopilot mode when it crashed into Utah fire truck.

The AP (5/14, Hattem) report that a Tesla vehicle was in Autopilot mode when it crashed into the back of a fire truck in Salt Lake City over the weekend. The driver told police that the Autopilot system was on and that she was looking at her phone prior to the crash. A Tesla spokesperson did not comment on the disclosure. Meanwhile, on Twitter, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk said it was “super messed up” that the incident was received public attention, while thousands of accidents involving traditional vehicles “get almost no coverage.” NTSB said it has not yet launched an investigation of the crash but it may decide to do so. The article mentions that NTSB and NHTSA are already looking into Tesla’s Autopilot system and its role in a fatal crash on a California highway in March.

Auto makers fail to meet NHTSA deadline on Takata repairs.

The Wall Street Journal (5/14, Spector, Subscription Publication, 6.17M) reports National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King sent a letter on Monday to 12 major auto makers stating that the agency is “concerned that certain higher-risk vehicles with defective Takata air bags remain unrepaired” despite NHTSA imposing a December 2017 deadline to have the “highest-priority vehicles” repaired. King requested the auto makers to provide details and a timeline on how they plan to repair the affected vehicles. The Journal reports that auto makers have fixed about 23 million of the 39 million vehicles recalled, but some car manufacturers have expressed concern that some vehicle owners have chosen to not have their vehicles fixed despite the urgent nature of the recall.