Inside door handles. There was another mention in the press about flush electronic door handles and that China would be banning them in 2027 (or 2029!). While following up on this, I was struck by the fact that the bulk of the discussion revolves around those handles being difficult to use or failing outright. But …
Category: Vehicle safety
A gathering of posts that report on recalls and other safety issues.
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/05/it-gave-us-pause-but-brembos-electronic-braking-just-might-work/
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/04/electronic-door-handles-the-problem-is-inside/
CR asks red or yellow turn signals?
Red or yellow. Consumer Reports (CR) published an article on the use of red or yellow turn signals — “Why Do Some Cars Have Red Turn Signals and Others Yellow?” Curiosity drew a read, which turned out to have a truly serious side. While regulations in the States allow either, a National Highway Traffic Safety …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/04/cr-asks-red-or-yellow-turn-signals/
Tesla Smart Summon investigation closed by NHTSA
Smart Summon. In January of 2025, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in low speed crashes during active sessions. Tesla Smart Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a smart phone …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/04/tesla-smart-summon-investigation-closed-by-nhtsa/
Illegal air bag inflators blamed for deaths and injuries
Air bag inflators The Transportation Department is weighing a permanent ban on the sale of Chinese air bag inflators in the U.S. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation in October 2025 into air bags illegally imported from China. That investigation has concluded that the air bags are responsible for the deaths …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/04/illegally-imported-air-bag-inflators-blamed-for-deaths-and-injuries/
Ford recalls nearly 2.36 million vehicles
Recalls from Ford Just in time for NHTSA‘s Vehicle Safety Recalls Week (March 2-8), Ford recalls some 2.36 million vehicles in a three day stretch. Over 1.7 million of them alone are for potential rear view camera failures. We’ve seen way too many of these over the last few years over what should be a …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/03/ford-recalls-nearly-2-36-million-vehicles/
Tesla rear door back-up open issue prompts @NHTSA follow-up
Tesla door We’ve now sent a second letter to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), this time concerning a Tesla rear door back-up open issue. We did this earlier when we could not figure out how to access Rivian rear door latch mechanical back-up. Regular mail is the only option available in cases such as …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/03/tesla-rear-door-back-up-open-issue-prompts-nhtsa-follow-up/
It gave us pause, but Brembo’s electronic braking just might work
Brembo Sensify. We saw a item from InsideEVs on electronic braking that initially had us on our heels. It seems that the Italian manufacturer of high performance braking systems Brembo N.V is now in full production mode with in its Sensify system. No brake fluid, no mechanical emergency brake and no indication of any power …
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