News
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Cartel Recruits Buy the Damage Waiver, Then Leave the Key. California Lets Rental Fleets Void It, and They Still Eat the Loss
Straw renters recruited online buy the damage waiver and leave the key for a driver headed to Mexico. California lets fleets void that waiver, but self-insured rental companies still absorb the loss.
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Mercedes S-Class Brake Hose Recall Grows to 30,078 Cars, Maybach and AMG Included
Mercedes-Benz first blamed muggy weather. Now it’s blaming the hose itself. Mercedes-Benz USA has expanded its front brake hose recall for the 223-generation S-Class to 30,078 cars, according to its Part 573 filing with NHTSA (recall 26V638). That’s roughly 10,000 more than the first round, and the new campaign covers every U.S. car built from…
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One Burning EV at a Fort Worth Cadillac Dealer Spread to at Least Seven More, Then Kept Firefighters There for 17 Hours, 33 Minutes
Fort Worth firefighters were sent to Frank Kent Cadillac, in the 3500 block of West Loop 820 on the city’s west side, around 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, for a vehicle fire. According to the Fort Worth Fire Department’s account, crews found one SUV engulfed in flames and the fire moving into the SUVs…
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Toyota’s AU$750M DPF Payout: What HiLux, Prado and Fortuner Owners Get
Toyota Australia has agreed to settle the two class actions over the diesel particulate filters (DPFs) in its HiLux, Prado and Fortuner for AU$750 million, subject to Federal Court approval. The timing isn’t subtle. Both the Williams and Taylor cases were listed for a two-week hearing starting 19 October 2026, where a judge would have…
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The 2025 Traverse Brake Fix Is Free Until 36,000 Miles. A Federal Probe Could Change That.
Two Philadelphia class actions say five 2025 GM models have master cylinders that fail. GM’s free warranty fixes are its defense, and NHTSA’s eBoost probe could make them a recall.
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Watch: A Missing License Plate Turned Into a Chase to Flint. Police Say the Plate Was the Least of That Car’s Problems
A Grand Blanc Township stop for a missing license plate became a felony chase into Flint. Police say the car was stolen and the driver had five warrants.
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Troopers Say an 18-Year-Old Bailed on a Norcross Takeover at 145 MPH and Left an Injured Driver Behind. Now He’s Looking at 15 Charges
Troopers say an 18-year-old fled a Norcross street takeover at 145 mph and left a seriously injured driver behind. In Georgia, the prison time sits in the fleeing and hit-and-run laws.
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Richmond Quit Flock Because Henrico Quit Flock. Now Flock Is Cutting About 270 Jobs.
Flock plans to cut about 270 jobs as Henrico, Richmond, Harris County and Texas cities switch its plate cameras off. Each exit makes the network less useful to the next city.
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Police Say a Quebec Ring Drove Off With Cars From 22 Dealers Without Stealing Any. It Just Used Other People’s Identities to Finance Them
Quebec police arrested the last suspect in a ring they say used stolen identities to take cars from 22 dealers in five provinces.
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BMW’s EVs Are Up 37.5% in Europe and Down About 35% Everywhere Else. Neue Klasse Hasn’t Left Europe Yet
BMW Group delivered 81,941 electric vehicles in Europe in the third quarter, up 37.5%. Outside Europe, its battery-electric deliveries fell by roughly 15,000.
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IIHS Tested 11 Work Vans and Pickups for Crash Avoidance. Seven Flunked, and the Only Van With No Weak Spot Is One GM Already Killed
In IIHS’s first crash avoidance ratings for cargo vans and Class 3 pickups, seven of 11 rated poor with a vehicle ahead. The one van with no weak score is a BrightDrop GM no longer builds.
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An Unreturned Rental Ram Can Be in Mexico by Dinner. California Takes More Than a Week to Call It Stolen
California law calls an unreturned rental embezzlement, not theft. That label slows the police report and, under a 1981 U.S.-Mexico treaty, can let Mexico keep a truck caught in a crime.
