Jill Wine-Banks' pin today:

Hyundai, Kia recall 168,000 vehicles due to increased fire risk

DETROIT – Despite a government shutdown, Hyundai and Kia are moving ahead with a recall of about 168,000 vehicles to fix a fuel pipe problem that can cause engine fires. The problem stems from improper repairs during previous recalls for engine failures.

The affiliated Korean automakers have been dogged by fire and engine failure complaints from across the nation. They’re both under investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has been trying to figure out whether initial recalls covered enough vehicles. But the agency is mostly closed due to the shutdown.

In addition to the recall, each automaker says it will do a “product improvement campaign” covering a total of 3.7 million vehicles to install software that will alert drivers of possible engine failures and send the cars into a reduced-speed “limp” mode if problems are detected.

NHTSA employees who do safety investigations and recall notifications are not at work. Under normal circumstances, the agency would review the recalls to make sure they are adequate and post details on the agency website. It also would monitor notices to customers, and make sure customers could check to see if their vehicles are included.

Kia spokesman James Bell said the company is proceeding with the recall and campaign regardless of government delays.


More (Includes video): https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/01/16/hyundai-kia-recall-168-000-vehicles-due-increased-fire-risk/2598469002/

Stephen Colbert - Author Rebecca Traister: Angry Women Are Bringing About Change

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 1/18/19

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - Season Premiere - 1/18/19

Seth Meyers - Trump's "Countrty" Tweet, Michelle Obama's Birthday - Monologue - 1/17/19

The Daily Show: Theresa May's Brexit Deal Defeat, Netflix's Price Surge & Trump's Fast-Food Feast

The Daily Show: Theresa May's Brexit Deal Defeat, Netflix's Price Surge & Trump's Fast-Food Feast

Colorado Joining California in Mandating Electric-Vehicle Sales

Colorado moved to boost electric-car sales by taking the first step toward adopting a zero-emission-vehicle mandate patterned after one in California that’s under threat from the Trump administration.

Democratic Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order directing Colorado environmental officials to propose the zero-emission-vehicle rule by no later than May 2019 to the state’s Air Quality Control Commission.

The mandate would make Colorado the 10th state to join California’s electric-car posse that’s enacted rules requiring automakers to sell more electric cars each year. California regulators estimate the program will lead to pure-electric and plug-in hybrid cars accounting for 8 percent of auto sales in the state by 2025.

“As we continue to move towards a cleaner electric grid, the public-health and environmental benefits of widespread transportation electrification will only increase,” Polis said in a statement.

The nine other predominantly Democratic-leaning states include New York, Massachusetts and Oregon. They have established similar electric-car requirements by using a provision of the U.S. Clean Air Act that allows states to adopt rules California developed, which Polis’ executive order cited. The act gives California the authority to set rules more stringent than federal standards.

This group and other states are positioning themselves as a bulwark against the Trump administration’s push to ease cleaner-vehicle rules. Federal regulators have proposed capping national fuel-economy and carbon-emissions requirements for new autos at a 37 mile-per-gallon fleet average after 2020. Standards set by the Obama administration would’ve increased the average to 47 mpg by 2025.


Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-17/colorado-joining-california-in-mandating-electric-vehicle-sales?srnd=premium

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 1/17/19