Consumer News: Ford again sweeps Weekly Auto Safety Recall Derby

Why everyday life is becoming more expensive

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• High housing costs, persistent inflation, and stagnant wages are converging to squeeze household budgets across the U.S.

• Families are increasingly relying on credit cards, buy-now-pay-later plans, and side jobs to stay afloat.

• Economists warn that without structural changes, the affordability crisis could become a long-term fixture of American life.

Across the United States, more families are grappling with a simple but alarming reality: the cost of living is rising faster than the ability to pay for it.

Economists call it an affordability crisis, but for millions of households, it feels more like a daily struggle to stay above water.

Housing remains the most visible driver of the crisis. Prices for both renting and buying have jumped dramatically over the past several years, fueled by limited supply, high demand, construction bottlenecks, and rising property insurance costs. Even modest homes in mid-sized cities now routinely list above what typical earners can afford, while rent hikes are forcing many tenants to move, downsize, or take on roommates.

Younger adults, especially first-time homebuyers, are deeply affected. Many are finding that homeownership now requires incomes far beyond what they earn, even with good jobs. Some have been pushed to the outskirts of cities, where longer commutes add transportation costs to already strained budgets.

Inflation is down but prices arent

Headline inflation rates have eased from their peak, but the relief is misleading for households. Prices rarely go down after inflation surges, they simply rise more slowly. That means groceries, utilities, childcare, and transportation all remain significantly more expensive than a few years ago.

For food in particular, the shift has been painful. Grocery staples cost more, shrinkflation has quietly reduced the size of many packages, and restaurants have raised prices to offset higher labor and supply costs. Families who once could rely on weekly meal deals or affordable takeout options are cutting back.

Despite a strong labor market, wage growth has not fully matched the cost pressures bearing down on consumers. For lower- and middle-income workers, who spend a larger share of their paycheck on essentials, the gap between earnings and expenses has widened.

Gig work and side jobs have become a survival strategy rather than a choice. A growing number of adults report juggling multiple income streams to pay for rent, childcare, groceries, and transportation, expenses that used to be comfortably covered by a single full-time job.

The rise of credit and short-term debt

As everyday necessities grow more expensive, households are increasingly relying on credit cards and short-term financing tools. Credit card balances have climbed, and more consumers are turning to buy-now-pay-later services for routine purchases like clothing, electronics, or even groceries.

While these tools can help people bridge gaps, they also heighten long-term financial risk. Higher interest rates have made carrying balances more expensive, and missed payments can quickly snowball into deeper debt.

The affordability crisis may not the result of one policy failure or market disruption, but a collision of long-running structural issues: insufficient housing supply, global supply-chain volatility, corporate pricing power, rising service-sector costs, and wage growth that hasnt kept pace with inflation.

Economists say solutions must be multifaceted expanding housing supply, improving childcare infrastructure, modernizing transportation, and addressing healthcare costs that drain families budgets. But so far, political gridlock has made sweeping changes unlikely in the near term.

AAA expects more people to drive due to recent flight cancellations

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• AAA forecasts a record 81.8 million Thanksgiving travelers 1.6 million more than last year

• Nearly 90% of holiday travelers will drive, with road traffic expected to spike amid recent flight cancellations

• Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving will be the most congested travel days, according to INRIX

A record-breaking Thanksgiving travel rush is underway as AAA projects 81.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between November 25 and December 1. This years estimate surpasses last years total by 1.6 million travelers, solidifying Thanksgiving as the nations busiest holiday travel period even outpacing Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Thanksgiving travel numbers are always impressive because this holiday has become synonymous with heading out of town to spend time with loved ones, said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. People are willing to brave the crowds and make last-minute adjustments to their plans to make lifelong memories.

Roughly 73 million Americans are expected to travel by car, representing nearly 90% of all Thanksgiving travelers. AAA reports 1.3 million more drivers will be on the road compared to last year a number that could climb further following recent flight cancellations.

Rental car demand is also surging. Hertz, AAAs car rental partner, said Wednesday will be the busiest pick-up day, with Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Newark topping the list of high-demand markets. Car rentals are 15% cheaper than last year, according to AAAs booking data.

Stable gas prices

Gas prices remain steady compared to 2024, hovering around last years Thanksgiving Day average of $3.06 per gallon. AAA advises drivers to fill up the night before travel, check batteries and tire pressure, and prepare for potential delays.

Last Thanksgiving, AAA fielded nearly 600,000 roadside assistance calls, primarily for dead batteries, flat tires, and empty fuel tanks.

Safety agencies are also expressing concern about impaired driving. From 2019 to 2023, 35% of Thanksgiving holiday traffic fatalities involved drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

AAA expects 6 million travelers to fly domestically over the holiday period a modest 2% increase from 2024. That number may dip if travelers pivot to driving because of recent nationwide flight cancellations.

Round-trip domestic airfare averages $700, roughly on par with last year. Thanksgiving Day flights are cheaper, but return trips remain significantly more expensive, especially on Sunday and Monday, the two busiest days to fly home.

Buses, trains and cruise ships

Travel via other modes including buses, trains, and cruises is projected to jump 8.5% to nearly 2.5 million travelers.

Cruise travel in particular continues its post-pandemic boom. AAA projects 20.7 million U.S. cruise passengers in 2025, with numbers expected to climb to 21.7 million in 2026.

Thanksgiving-week cruises, especially to Caribbean destinations, remain popular due to warmer weather, all-inclusive pricing, and family-friendly itineraries.

Best and worst times to hit the road

INRIX, a transportation analytics firm, warns that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the most congested travel times as Americans head toward their holiday destinations. Return traffic on Sunday will also be intense throughout most of the day.

Drivers can avoid major delays by traveling early in the morning, AAA says. Severe weather, crashes, or construction may cause additional snags.

How to avoid fake listings and too-good-to-be-true deals

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Each holiday season, a handful of toys become instant must-haves and sell out just as quickly.

• For 2025, experts at CNET and Toy Insider spotlight high-tech, interactive favorites.

• But scammers know these toys are in demand, and theyre ready with fake websites and too-good-to-be-true deals.

Every holiday season, a few toys shoot straight to the top of kids wish listsand sell out just as fast. For 2025, experts at CNET and Toy Insider say tech-forward, interactive toys are leading the pack.

That high demand has also created a perfect opportunity for scammers, who are setting up fake websites, running misleading ads, and offering impossible discounts on sold-out favorites.

Shoppers are already searching for buzzworthy toys like Po the AI Story Bear, Gabbys Dollhouse Meow-mazing Interactive Dollhouse, Furby DJ Furby Rainbow, Disneys Ultimate Stitch Interactive Plush, Kanoodle Brain Teasers, Magna-Tiles Rail Racers Deluxe, Cry Babies, and LEGO Technic Ferrari FXX K sets.

But once popular items start disappearing from store shelves, scam listings spread quickly, especially on social media and search ads.

How the scam typically works

Youve looked everywhere for a hot toy, only to land on a well-designed website or ad promising its in stock at a steep discount. The photos look convincing, the timer says the sale ends soon, and the checkout process appears normal.

But many consumers who placed those orders say they never received anything at all. Others got low-quality knockoffs instead of the toy they expected. Some even reported extra unauthorized charges after their purchase.

One shopper in Ohio lost $46 trying to buy a trending Labubu toy. Another paid $65 for a Stitch plush that never arrived, and then noticed four additional attempted charges from the same seller. Attempts to reach customer service led nowhere.

These schemes are widespread, and scammers are counting on holiday shoppers being in a hurry.

How to avoid hot toy

1. Be skeptical of social media ads

Scammers use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to target people searching for specific toys. If an ad catches your eye, dont click itmanually type the retailers website into your browser instead.

2. Stick with trusted retailers

Buying directly from major retailers or verified sellers dramatically reduces risk. Fake sites often mimic real ones, so double-check the URL for odd spellings or extra characters.

3. Treat unusually low prices as a warning sign

If a toy is sold out everywhere else but one unfamiliar site has it for half the cost, the listing is almost certainly bogus.

4. Research unfamiliar stores

Before sharing personal or payment information, look for real contact details, a working customer service line, and authentic reviews from past buyers.

With the right tools, crooks can steal your car without ever touching the keys

California police are warning of a surge in high-tech auto thefts targeting key-fob signals and onboard computers.
Thieves are now using tablets, antennas and signal boosters to unlock and start luxury vehicles without ever touching the keys.
Authorities urge drivers to adopt new countermeasures from kill switches to Faraday bags as criminals evolve their tactics.

The times they are a-changing and so are the methods car thieves use to strike. Police departments are alerting residents to a troubling wave of technology-driven auto thefts that bypass traditional security systems and allow criminals to drive off in seconds.

In Anaheim, Calif., Police Sgt. Matt Sutter saidthat detectives are investigating two distinct types of high-tech thefts involving luxury vehicles over the past weekend, both more sophisticated than anything most departments have encountered.

Back when I started, you could pretty much steal a car with a screwdriver, Sutter said in a Patch report. But as cars advance in technology, suspects who want to steal these cars have to be more creative and use technology to carry out their heists.

Thieves now hacking cars by tablet or by signal

According to Sutter, one method involves thieves breaking into a vehicle and plugging a tablet directly into the cars computer system. Once connected, they can reprogram the system and simply drive away. That takes forced entry, he noted.

But another technique requires no break-in at all.

In a case reported in Anaheim Hills, thieves used an antenna-like device to capture and amplify the key-fob signal from outside a house even though the keys were inside the kitchen. The boosted signal was transmitted to an accomplice waiting beside the car, allowing the vehicle to unlock, start and disappear.

A victim described the incident to KTLA-TV, saying one suspect appeared at the front door as if he intended to break in. Instead, he held an antenna over his head, harvesting the fobs radio signal through the walls. Who would've thought someone would come in with an antenna and take your car away from you? the resident said.

Police urge residents to adopt new defenses

Police say that residents can take steps to protect their vehicles as thieves become more technologically adept. Among the most effective tools is a kill switch a hidden device that prevents a car from starting by cutting off the electrical or fuel system, even if a thief has the signal or a reprogrammed key.

Officers also urge residents with garages to park inside whenever possible and to avoid storing key fobs near front doors, where signals are easier to intercept. Keeping fobs deeper inside the home reduces, though doesnt eliminate, the risk of relay attacks.

Other protective options include Faraday bags, which block radio signals and are available online for as little as $5. Snopes.com also tested a popular DIY suggestion wrapping a key fob in aluminum foil. The foil worked sometimes in blocking signals, the outlet reported, but wasnt foolproof and must be removed before driving.

Yes, wrapping your cars key fob in foil or placing it in a metal container or special pouch might keep its signal secure from criminals, Snopes concluded. However, these methods would likely not be foolproof.

As police and thieves continue a technological tug-of-war, smart consumers will assume their vehicles may be more vulnerable than they think and take precautions now rather than after a car disappears.