—Volkswagen lawsuit: A former Volkswagen employee has alleged that deleted documents and obstructed justice after the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) accused the company of cheating on emissions tests, The Guardian reported. Daniel Donovan says he was wrongfully fired last December after refusing to participate in the deletions and reporting them to a supervisor. The lawsuit says the evidence deletion continued for three days after the September allegations from the EPA and despite a hold order from the Justice Department.
—Sonic boom: The Chevrolet Sonic subcompact hatchback and sedan are receiving exterior facelifts and more technology for the 2017 model-year, The Detroit News reported. The car features a redesigned exterior, including tweaked front and rear facias that resemble other cars in the Chevrolet lineup. Inside the car, Chevrolet has made a heated steering wheel available and a seven-inch diagonal color touch-screen standard for its the new MyLink infotainment system. Rear Park Assist and other technologies and features, including segment-first Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, also are new.
—Total recall: Fiat Chrysler is recalling 1.1 million cars and SUVs worldwide because the gear selector makes it too easy for drivers to forget to put the vehicle in "Park" before exiting, according to CNNMoney. ( Doing this makes the vehicle roll away from its spot. ) So far, Fiat is aware of 41 injuries "potentially related" to drivers making this sort of mistake. The recall includes about 812,000 vehicles in the United States.
—Total recall, part two: General Motors is recalling more than 1 million Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks worldwide because the seat belts may not hold people in a crash, KCCI.com noted. The recall covers certain model 1500 pickups from the 2014 and 2015 model years. Most of the trucks are in the United States and Canada, but some are in Latin America and the Middle East.
—Bag it: The government said approximately 85 million Takata air-bag inflators that haven't been recalled are inside cars and trucks now being driven in the United States and would have to be replaced if the company can't prove they are safe, The Chicago Tribune noted. The number would be in addition to the 28.8 million inflators already slated for replacement in what has become the largest automotive recall in the nation's history.
—Eviction: In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a former auto-repair shop owner accused of making racist and anti-gay slurs toward customers has been evicted from his place of business, CBS Detroit reported. Property owner Danielle Beydoun confirmed Whitney Passino was a tenant at the property, along with a gas station she operates, until March 1, when Beydoun had the repair businesses evicted. A story reported on FOX 2 included a young man who said he was verbally attacked by Passino ( owner of Whitney's Tire and Auto Repair ) when he called about an auto repair and the slurs continued via text.
