Next Level Safety: 5-star NHTSA rating for all-new KIA Sorento

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• KIA’;s all-new Sorento CUV earns NHTSA’;s highest rating^*


• Sorento’;s extensive use of advanced high strength steel makes KIA’;s largest CUV stiffer and more durable than ever


• New Sorento combines a strong base with additional design improvements to reduce NVH and provide a comfortable and quiet interior environment

(SEOUL) April 24, 2015 - The all-new KIA Sorento CUV has received the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’;s (NHTSA) 5-star overall safety rating in the U.S.A. Built in the U.S. at KIA Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG)^**, Sorento is KIA Motors America’;s best-selling CUV, having sold more than 100 000 units each of the past 5 years, and offers a long list of standard safety features and an expertly engineered body structure.

“NHTSA’;s recent 5-star rating of the Sorento is a testament to KIA’;s commitment to safety.  The Sorento is KIA’;s most capable CUV ever, yet still offers customers the tremendous value Kia is known for,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning.  “Meant for customers with active lifestyles, Sorento is the perfect getaway vehicle for adventurers and families on the go, and they can feel confident knowing their vehicle scored a 5-star NHTSA rating – the highest rating achievable from NHTSA.”

The core of the all-new Sorento is its significantly enhanced platform. The structure increases torsional rigidity by 14% over the previous generation Sorento. The unit-body consists of 53% Advanced High Strength Steel, a 115% increase over the previous model.  Liberal application of industrial strength adhesives, the use of dual-seal lip joints as well as large diameter and laser welding techniques combine to make the new model the most robust and durable Sorento ever.

Additional Notes:

* Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’;s (NHTSA’;s) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov).

** The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) for the U.S. market are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts. For most other markets, the Sorento is manufactured in South Korea at the Hwasung Plant.

Next Level Safety: 5-star NHTSA rating for all-new KIA Sorento

Honda Hid Practically 1800 Injuries and Deaths From NHTSA For Much more Than a Decade

Honda Motor Company disclosed this week that it failed to report 1729 injuries or deaths to the National Highway Site visitors Safety Administration as needed by law. The unreported incidents, which occurred among 2003 and 2014, vastly outweigh the about 900 injuries or deaths the company did report during that time.

The New York Instances reports that this week’s revelation comes soon after an outside law firm audited Honda’s reporting procedures at the carmaker’s request. The situation of underreporting injuries and deaths was 1st identified by a Honda employee in 2011, the Times reports. “Apparently, there was no stick to-up,” Honda stated in a statement.

The necessary reports are element of Early Warning Reporting, a system that demands carmakers to report to NHTSA any injuries or deaths blamed on car defects. The system was established in 2000 in response to rollover crashes blamed on Ford Explorers wearing Firestone tires.

Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda North America, blamed the missing reports on “inadvertent data entry and laptop programming errors,” noting that injury and death claims entered with no a date were omitted from incident reports. Not everyone buys that explanation: Allan J. Kam, a former NHTSA lawyer now functioning as an auto-safety consultant, told The New York Occasions, “this is not an occasional error this is systematic underreporting by the organization.”

The admission could open Honda to federal penalties up to $ 35 million, the fine Basic Motors received for failure to disclose defective ignition switches in a timely manner, although lawmakers are now considering raising the maximum fine considerably. Ferrari was slapped with a $ 3.5-million fine this month for failing to submit the very same Early Warning Reports that Honda neglected to file, though in Ferrari’s case the missing reports concerned only 3 fatal accidents.

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Honda’s underreporting came to light in the course of a separate investigation into faulty Takata airbags, which Honda has linked to 5 deaths and dozens of injuries, The New York Instances reports. Eight of Honda’s missing claims, including a single fatality, had to do with defective Takata airbags, which can deploy with excessive force and fire shrapnel at drivers and passengers in an accident. The automaker finds itself in increasingly hot water over Takata airbag problems, which the company reportedly hid from NHTSA for many years prior to recall activity.

Honda says it has fixed the pc troubles that led to the underreporting and is retraining its workers and updating the departments responsible for Early Warning Reporting.

Honda Hid Practically 1800 Injuries and Deaths From NHTSA For Much more Than a Decade

NHTSA Launches VIN Look-up Tool for Uncompleted Recall Repairs

Wonder if that 2004 Corolla had its shrapnel-exploding airbag replaced? Or if the bolts connecting the handle arm to the steering knuckle on that brand-new Chevy Spark are tight sufficient? Starting right now, the National Highway Targeted traffic Security Administration is empowering anyone with a valid a VIN to locate out.

Getting into a vehicle’s VIN (car identification quantity) at safercar.gov will show what recall repairs have however to be completed, with out any require to pay for a Carfax report. Automakers know specifically how numerous cars have been repaired in a recall, but they had not been necessary prior to now to make that information public. The VIN appear-up is also quicker and far simpler to figure out a vehicle’s recall status than it is to uncover out by browsing by year, make, and model. And even then you will not know if an person car has been fixed.

“By producing individual VIN searches readily accessible, we’re supplying an additional service to consumers—the peace of mind realizing that the automobile they personal, or that they are considering of acquiring or renting, is totally free of safety defects,” NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman said in a statement.

Automakers and motorcycle companies must update these databases weekly and give status updates for all light-duty models recalled inside the previous 15 years. They also have to provide the exact same search on their organization internet sites some automakers had currently been carrying out this properly prior to the law was announced last year.

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Tiny-volume brands like Rolls-Royce are exempt, and non-recall notices such as technical service bulletins are not integrated in the search. New actions where affected VINs are nonetheless getting gathered (e.g., the massive Takata airbag recall) will want extra time before they’re included in the database. It’s worth noting that, in spite of the 15-year timeline, automobiles older than 10 years from the date of any initial recall are not eligible for free repairs. Given how numerous folks ignore recall notices in the mail, we applaud NHTSA for generating vital data less difficult to receive.

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NHTSA Launches VIN Look-up Tool for Uncompleted Recall Repairs