Articles by Tom Krisher

AP Auto Writer

Nissan Warns Owners of Older Vehicles Due to Risk of Exploding Air Bag Inflators

Nissan is urging the owners of about 84,000 older vehicles to stop driving them because their Takata air bag inflators have an increased risk of exploding in a crash and hurling dangerous metal fragments. Wednesday’s urgent request comes after one …

After Loss at Alabama Mercedes Plants, UAW Vows to Regroup and Try Again

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A decisive vote against the United Auto Workers union at two Mercedes factories in Alabama on Friday sidetracked the UAW’s grand plan to sign up workers at nonunion plants mainly in the South. But newly elected …

UAW Faces Key Test in the South With Upcoming Vote at Alabama Mercedes Plant

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — After 20 years at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Alabama, Brett Garrard said he is “not falling for the lies anymore” and will vote for a union. The company has repeatedly promised to improve pay and conditions, …

The Future Is Near for Self-Driving Trucks on US Roads

On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board. A quarter-mile ahead, the truck’s sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less …

TN VW Employees Vote Overwhelmingly to Join United Auto Workers Union

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Employees at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers union Friday in a historic first test of the UAW’s renewed effort to organize nonunion factories. The union wound up …

Millions of Recalled Hyundai and Kia Vehicles, With Dangerous Defect, Remain on Road

In September, Hyundai and Kia issued a recall of 3.4 million of its vehicles in the United States with an ominous warning: The vehicles should be parked outdoors and away from buildings because they risked catching fire, whether the engines …

Baltimore Port Closure Sends Companies Scrambling to Reroute Cargo

The stunning collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is diverting shipping and trucking around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast, creating delays and raising costs in the latest disruption to global supply chains. After the container …

Alaska Airlines’ Decision Not to Ground Boeing Jet Despite Warning Signs Comes Under Scrutiny

The decision by Alaska Airlines to stop flying one of its planes over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii due to warnings from a cabin-pressurization system — yet keep flying it over land — is raising questions about whether the jet …

Auto Safety Regulators To Watch Unrecalled Takata Inflators After One Blows Apart, Injuring a Driver in Chicago

DETROIT (AP) – U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they are monitoring data from a group of mostly unrecalled Takata air bag inflators after one of them exploded in a BMW and hurled metal fragments that seriously injured a driver …

BMW Recalls SUVs Since Takata Air Bag Inflators Can Blow Apart

BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver’s air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people in the vehicles. U.S. auto safety regulators say …