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Fingers point to dragged-out NHTSA investigation after second death by ARC airbag inflator

Safety advocates have increased criticism of the federal government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after an exploding airbag inflator that's been under investigation for more than six years killed a second person.  On Wednesday, NHTSA posted recall documents filed by General Motors that revealed the second death, the driver of a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse SUV with an inflator made by Tennessee company ARC blew apart, spewing shrapnel. No details were given about where and when the death occurred. NHTSA has said that ARC Automotive of Knoxville has manufactured about 8 million inflators used nationwide in vehicles made by General Motors, Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis), Kia and Hyundai. “NHTSA should have been all over this along time ago,” said Rosemary Shahan, president of California-based Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. “There's just no denying that itÂ’s a (safety) defect.” NHTSA, the agency charged with with keeping America's automobiles and roads safe, began investigating ARC inflators in July of 2015 after two people were injured by flying shrapnel. The investigation became more urgent in 2016, when a Canadian woman driving an older Hyundai Elantra was killed by metal airbag fragments. Public records show only a little progress on the probe. In April, the agency posted a memo in saying it was reviewing volumes of information it received from ARC. Safety advocates such as Shahan say that the dragged-out investigation is an example of the deadly consequences that can result from an understaffed and underfunded agency. The second death should not have happened, Shahan said, and vehicles with faulty ARC inflators should have been recalled faster. The agency, Shahan said, is “grossly underfunded," but it still should have sought recalls of the ARC inflators. She said historically NHTSA has taken little action during Republican administrations but has ramped up safety efforts when Democrats control the White House. Messages were left Wednesday by the Associated Press seeking comment from NHTSA and ARC. At this time, relatively few vehicles are effected. The GM recall covers only 550 Chevy Traverse SUVs from the 2013 through 2017 model years, as well as Buick Enclave SUVs from 2008 through 2017. The automaker said in a statement that the faulty front driver's airbag inflators were either installed at the factory or in replacement airbag modules.

Buick prepares Super Bowl ad blitz to introduce Cascada

Super Bowl 50 will kick off on February 7, and Buick will use the big game's massive audience to get the word out about the new Cascada convertible. The the broadcast spot will be paired with a humorous digital campaign to advertise the convertible online. Buick hasn't released the 30-second Super Bowl commercial yet, but a teaser image shows that it stars New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. and actress Emily Ratajkowski, known for roles in the films Gone Girl and Entourage. The ad is part of the "Experience the New Buick" campaign, which aims to position the brand to appeal to a younger demographic. The brand also has Ellie Kemper, the star of Netflix's hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Erin on The Office, to sell the Cascada, Regal, Encore, and Enclave in a new online campaign. She plays an exaggerated version of herself and flirts with a guy who thinks Kemper owns Buick's new convertible. The spot tries to capitalize on the quirky charm of the actor's Kimmy Schmidt character. Buick will cut the longer clip (below) into vignettes for ads on sites like YouTube. Buick spokesperson Crystal Wilson told Autoblog that viewers' reactions to Kemper's commercial have been "totally positive" so far. First-Ever Buick Super Bowl Ad Features Odell Beckham Jr. and Emily Ratajkowski Latest "Experience the New Buick" ad spotlights new Cascada convertible 2016-01-26 DETROIT – Buick's first-ever Super Bowl ad will bring the brand's award-winning "Experience the New Buick" campaign to the biggest night in TV advertising. The campaign launched in 2014 and challenges consumers' false perceptions of the brand. The 30-second spot, scheduled to air during Super Bowl 50, features Buick's all-new Cascada luxury convertible and stars New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and actress/model Emily Ratajkowski. The spot will be the first new Buick commercial to air in 2016, a year where the brand will launch three new products. The Cascada, Buick's first convertible in 25 years, arrives in dealerships in the coming weeks. It features an athletic and sculptural beauty that delivers a distinctive profile, whether the top is up or down. Along with the perception-shifting Cascada, Buick showrooms will soon feature a redesigned LaCrosse sedan and the new Envision, a compact crossover. Both go on sale this summer.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.