Vehicle Safety
Rhode Island Bill would Limit Insurers’ Ability to Deny Coverage for OEM Repair Parts
Rhode Island Bill would Limit Insurers’ Ability to Deny Coverage for OEM Repair Parts A bill was introduced in the Rhode Island Legislature that would restrict insurance companies’ ability to refuse to cover OEM repair parts in certain situations. Under the current law in Rhode Island, insurers are not allowed to require the use of…
Read MoreNHTSA Begins Effort to Require Impaired Driving Prevention Tech in New Cars
NHTSA Begins Effort to Require Impaired Driving Prevention Tech in New Cars The United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has formally launched an effort to require that drunk or impaired driving prevention technologies come standard in new vehicles. In its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, the agency requests the public’s…
Read MoreU.S. Senators Raise Alarm on Alleged Tesla Safety Flaws
U.S. Senators Raise Alarm on Alleged Tesla Safety Flaws United States Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have sent a letter to Elon Musk following a report from Reuters on Tesla vehicles’ safety flaws. In their letter, the Senators note that, “[t]he report details complaints about suspension connection points, including fore and aft…
Read MoreU.S. Senate Bill would Weaken Federal Insurance Office’s Authority
U.S. Senate Bill would Weaken Federal Insurance Office’s Authority A bill titled the “Insurance Data Protection Act” (S. 3349) introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) would restrict the Federal Insurance Office’s (FIO) ability to collect information directly from insurance companies. It would also rescind the director of FIO’s subpoena authority. Housed…
Read MoreLiDAR Imports and Exports to and from China Scrutinized by U.S. House Members
LiDAR Imports and Exports to and from China Scrutinized by U.S. House Members A bipartisan group of twenty members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the Secretaries of the Departments of Defense, Commerce, and the Treasury raising concern with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology imports and exports to and from…
Read MoreFTC Returns Additional $857K to Those Harmed by Junk Auto Fee Practices
FTC Returns Additional $857K to Those Harmed by Junk Auto Fee Practices The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it is disbursing more than $857,000 cumulatively in its second round of compensatory payments to customers harmed by Napleton Automotive Group’s illegal junk fees and discriminatory practices. Napleton Automotive Group, which is based in Illinois, is…
Read MoreNHTSA Withdraws Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications Regulatory Proposal
NHTSA Withdraws Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications Regulatory Proposal The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has withdrawn a regulatory proposal that would have required certain vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologies in all light-vehicles. In its formal filing declaring its decision to withdraw the regulatory proposal, NHTSA stated that it still believes that, “V2V and other vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies hold…
Read MoreBangor Daily News Opposes Ballot Question 4
Bangor Daily News Opposes Ballot Question 4 The Bangor Daily News Editorial Board published an editorial piece in which they urged Mainers to vote NO on ballot question 4. Mainers will be casting votes on this question on November 7. Proponents of ballot question 4 claim the law would enshrine a vehicle right to repair.…
Read MoreEPA Excludes MVAC Fluid Recovery from Final Ruling on Hydrofluorocarbons
EPA Excludes MVAC Fluid Recovery from Final Ruling on Hydrofluorocarbons Yesterday, the EPA released its final rulemaking on the Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Management of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes under Section (h) of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020. Notably for automotive repairers, the regulation excludes any mention of the recovery/recycling/reclamation of MVAC…
Read MoreCA Bureau of Automotive Repair Proposes Changes to “Tear Down” Disclosure Rules
CA Bureau of Automotive Repair Proposes Changes to “Tear Down” Disclosure Rules California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) has proposed amendments to the language and disclosure requirements in the state’s tear down disclosure regulations. BAR will hold a regulatory workshop open to the public on this proposal on October 19, 2023. Click here to read…
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