Category: Blog

“The auto industry recalled almost 64 million vehicles for safety problems last year, a record, according to figures released on Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The number of recalled vehicles exceeded the total for the previous three years combined.

The agency and automakers faced intense scrutiny in 2014 and sometimes scorching criticism from Congress about whether safety defects were being investigated properly and vehicles recalled promptly….”

“An investigation last year by The New York Times of the N.H.T.S.A. found that the agency had frequently been slow to identify problems, tentative to act and reluctant to employ its full legal powers against companies….” “In a departure from its practice in previous years, N.H.T.S.A. did not release the number of recalls by manufacturer. But General Motors accounted for almost 27 million of the recalled vehicles, the automaker said.” See 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Eben Burnham-Snyder (Markey) 202-224-2742

Markey Report Reveals Automobile Security and Privacy Vulnerabilities

Wireless technologies leave vehicles exposed to hackers; Information collected on driver locations, habits

WASHINGTON (February 9, 2014) – New standards are needed to plug security and privacy gaps in our cars and trucks, according to a report released today by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). The report, called Tracking & Hacking: Security & Privacy Gaps Put American Drivers at Risk and first reported on by CBS News’ 60 Minutes, reveals how sixteen major automobile manufacturers responded to questions from Senator Markey in 2014 about how vehicles may be vulnerable to hackers, and how driver information is collected and protected.

The responses from the automobile manufacturers show a vehicle fleet that has fully adopted wireless technologies like Bluetooth and even wireless Internet access, but has not addressed the real possibilities of hacker infiltration into vehicle systems. The report also details the widespread collection of driver and vehicle information, without privacy protections for how that information is shared and used.

“Drivers have come to rely on these new technologies, but unfortunately the automakers haven’t done their part to protect us from cyber-attacks or privacy invasions. Even as we are more connected than ever in our cars and trucks, our technology systems and data security remain largely unprotected,” said Senator Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. “We need to work with the industry and cyber-security experts to establish clear rules of the road to ensure the safety and privacy of 21st-century American drivers.”

Senator Markey posed his questions after studies showed how hackers can get into the controls of some popular vehicles, causing them to suddenly accelerate, turn, kill the brakes, activate the horn, control the headlights, and modify the speedometer and gas gauge readings. Additional concerns came from the rise of navigation and other features that record and send location or driving history information. Senator Markey wanted to know what automobile manufacturers are doing to address these issues and protect drivers.

The full report is available HERE.

The first part of the report addresses security, or how modern technologies open doors to hackers.

When Senator Markey asked the automakers about the different technologies and the ways they safeguard the technologies from infiltration, he found four trends:

–Nearly 100 percent of vehicles on the market include wireless technologies that could pose vulnerabilities to hacking or privacy intrusions.

–Most automobile manufacturers were unaware of or unable to report on past hacking incidents.

–Security measures to prevent remote access to vehicle electronics are inconsistent and haphazard across the different manufacturers.

–Only two automobile manufacturers were able to describe any capabilities to diagnose or meaningfully respond to an infiltration in real-time, and most said they rely on technologies that cannot be used for this purpose at all.

The second part of the report deals with privacy. Features like navigation are quietly recording and sending out our personal and driving history. The Markey report reveals four key findings on privacy:

–Automobile manufacturers collect large amounts of data on driving history and vehicle performance.

–A majority of automakers offer technologies that collect and wirelessly transmit driving history information to data centers, including third-party data centers, and most did not describe effective means to secure the information.

–Manufacturers use personal vehicle data in various ways, often vaguely to “improve the customer experience” and usually involving third parties, and retention policies – how long they store information about drivers – vary considerably among manufacturers.

–Customers are often not explicitly made aware of data collection and, when they are, they often cannot opt out without disabling valuable features, such as navigation.

In November 2014, the automobile manufacturers agreed to a voluntary set of privacy principles in an attempt to address some of these privacy concerns. In a statement, Senator Markey stated that the principles are an important first step, but they fall short in a number of key areas by not offering explicit assurances of choice and transparency.

The findings are based on responses from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen (with Audi), and Volvo. Letters were also sent to Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Tesla, which did not respond.

Good article and documents athttp://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_27409517/closing-arguments-set-toyota-fatal-st-paul-crash

Unsigned from public.affairs@dot.gov

“Last year, NHTSA issued more than $126 million in civil penalties, which was a record. The agency says the total exceeded the total amount collected by the agency during its forty-three year history.

“These fines reflect the tough stance we will take against those who violate the law and fail to do their part in the mission to keep Americans safe on the road,” Foxx said.”  See 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/01/08/honda-fine-nhtsa/21445701/

Bloomberg News reports an interesting contrast between GM and Honda that raises questions about the relative safety of the two automakers:

“GM, eager to demonstrate proactivity in the wake of the biggest recall in its history, disclosed 102 death and injury reports per 100,000 vehicles sold in 2014 through November. By contrast, Honda disclosed 2.4 reports per 100,000 vehicles sold over the same period. “

And Bloomberg further notes what may be further future actions:

“The Center for Auto Safety, a research group that has been tracking recalls and defects since it was founded in 1970, asked transportation regulators in October to refer Honda to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation. It cited a 2009 fatality and an August 2013 incident resulting in serious injury that weren’t included in Honda’s Early Warning Reports.”  See

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-08/honda-fined-record-70-million-for-underreporting-injury-claims.html

“The Center for Auto Safety responded to our inquiry:

“The Center for Auto Safety calls on the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Honda violating NHTSA’s Early Warning Reporting Regulation. $70 million is too small a price to pay considering Takata airbags is one of the defects Honda failed to report under EWR.  How many other deadly defects are concealed in the 1,729 death and injury claims not reported by Honda.  The company must waive all statutes of limitations at the state and federal level over potential recalls or lawsuits arising out of defects concealed in the unreported claims.” 

Open questions for NHTSA:  

1.  NHTSA has not yet responded to our inquiry as to whether its fines are tax deductible or not.  

2.  NHTSA has not yet responded to our request for a link to the media briefing it held today and recorded at taxpayer’s expense.  It should be made publicly available.

Lou

Clearly, as I wrote recently, in the next two years, many more Americans are likely to die of crash injuries in Red States than Blue States.  

See  https://www.careforcrashvictims.com/blog-redblue.php