The FTC held its first roundtable on consumer protection issues involving dealership sales and financing of cars, SUVs, and light trucks, in Detroit in April 2011. A third roundtable is expected to be held in the coming months.

The FTC release states “Buying or leasing a car is among the most expensive transactions that many consumers make. Financing obtained at a dealership may provide benefits for many consumers, such as convenience, special manufacturer-sponsored programs, access to a variety of banks and financial entities, or access to credit otherwise unavailable to a buyer. Dealer-arranged financing, however, can be a complicated, opaque process and could potentially involve unfair or deceptive practices.”

The roundtable will be held at St. Mary’s University School of Law, Classroom Building, One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, Texas. The first day will cover the issues of military consumers and financial literacy; the second day will cover fair lending. The roundtable is free and open to the public.

Pre-registration is not required but is encouraged to help staff plan the event. Details can be found at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/motorvehicles/. The FTC will offer a live webcast of the event. The Commission staff will identify and invite people with relevant expertise to participate and may invite others to participate who have submitted requests. Those who want to be panelists at the roundtable may e-mail their name and affiliation toMotorVehicleRoundtables2@ftc.gov, on or before July 15, 2011.

Remember, E15 fuel is not for use in vehicles from the 2000 model year and older.  It is also not designed for motorcycles or off-road units such as boats and snowmobiles and off-road equipment such as lawnmowers and chain saws.

Toyota just recalled some 2007-2011 Tundras due to faulty tire pressure monitoring systems.

And good news: AT Kearney’s annual US vehicle sales forecast says new vehicle sales will be 13.2M units in 2011 & hit 16m by 2013: hope they’re right!

Now, helmets that conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 will carry a sticker with the manufacturer’s name, the helmet model and the words “DOT FMVSS No. 218 Certified.” The move to make helmets safer comes after the number of riders sporting unsafe and novelty brain buckets increased dramatically in 2010 over 2009.

According to NHTSA statistics, in 2010, only 54 percent of motorcyclists wore a DOT-approved lid. Around 14 percent wore a novelty helmet, and 32 percent went without a helmet altogether. In 2009, those numbers were 67 percent, 9 percent and 24 percent. In 2010, 75 percent of riders who did elect to wear a helmet wore a DOT-compliant one. In 2009, that number was 86 percent.