(Bloomberg) – Automakers have been replacing traditional gear shifts with buttons, knobs and wheels to spruce up vehicle interiors — but that is confusing motorists and diminishing safety, Consumer Reports says.

The Yonkers, New York-based magazine docked scores of 50 vehicles evaluated as part of its 2017 annual auto brand rankings, which were released Tuesday. It flagged designs on Honda Motor Co.'s Acura brand, General Motors Co.'s Cadillac and Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln as potentially confusing. Certain shift designs from Chrysler, Jaguar, Audi and other brands lack countermeasures to prevent rollaway accidents, the magazine said.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Auto
Personal Lines