Our Expert Automotive Service & Collision Repair Blog

The latest automobile dependability study by J. D. Power came out last month.

J. D. Power based their ratings on interviews with 80,000 vehicle owners who were asked about the problems they experienced during the past year on their 2016 vehicles. The survey covers 177 specific problems in eight categories. These are 1. Exterior; 2. Features, Controls, Displays; 3. Seats; 4. Interior; 5. Driving Experience; 6. Audio, Communication, Entertainment, Navigation; 7. HVAC; 8. Engine & transmission.

On Monday, September 12, Uber put 4 driverless Ford Fusion taxis on the road in Pittsburg.  They weren’t totally driverless because they had a back up driver and an engineer in the front seats.  The Fusions were modified with a great deal of hardware on the roof, developed by Uber and consisting of cameras and radar units.  The plan is to provide service to the airport within a few months and to service the whole metro area in a year.

I have written frequently about vehicle safety, (March 2010, May 2011 and October 2012).  I believe safety is more important than fuel economy, performance or reliability. In the past my focus was on how well various vehicles protect the occupant in a crash, but now there is evolving a whole new realm of safety features described as automotive accident avoidance.  Rather than protect an occupant in an accident, these systems help prevent an accident from occurring.