With summer here most of us spend more time on the road, that’s why it is important to stay on top of the safety of your vehicle. If there are issues involving the safety of your vehicle the manufacturer may be liable for any damages under products liability law. There have already been numerous recalls this year from major automotive companies such as General Motors and Toyota. These companies are parties to lawsuits for damages related to the faulty manufacturing of the vehicles that they built for consumer purchase.
General Motors has recalled millions of vehicles due to a faulty ignition switch on numerous models such as the Chevy Cobalt and Saturn Ion models. The company is now under great scrutiny due to the fact that it has admitted to knowing about the faulty ignition switch as early as 2001 and did not fix the issue. Under products liability laws the company is responsible for the resulting damages. The Company admitted that in 2001 it designed 2 safety switches and rejected the safe but costlier ignition switch at that time. However in 2006, the company switched ignition switches to the safer of the two switches quietly. The switch was not discovered until 2013.
A study commissioned by the Center for Auto Safety found that there were 303 fatalities due to crashes involving General Motors now recalled vehicles in which the vehicles airbags did not deploy because of the faulty ignitions causing the vehicles to stall rendering the airbags inoperable. Although Gm has now issued a recall of the vehicles they are still liable under product liability law.
Products liability is part of the Consumer Protection Act and is an area of law in which manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, and distributors are responsible for any damages caused by defective products. Therefore any person who is injured by a product that is dangerous, or unsafe may have a claim against the manufacturer, or other entity who supplied the product to them.
What is a safety recall? When a manufacturer becomes aware of a safety defect in a product they must take steps to notify the purchasers of the product and rectify the problem at no charge to the consumer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA governs safety recalls for vehicles.
There may be times when it seems that the repair will not be completed free of charge in those cases the consumer should be able to obtain the necessary repairs by following two steps. 1. Contact the dealer service manager. 2. If the dealer has been unable to answer all questions or has been unable to complete the repair, the consumer should contact the Manufacturer. If the Manufacturer is still unable to assist with the issue then the consumer should immediately contact the NHTSA.
Safety recalls can be more than a huge inconvenience and source of frustration, they can cause serious accidents and have devastating effects on vehicle owners and their families. If you or a loved one has been injured due to any faulty or defective product contact the knowledgeable attorneys at Wynn and Wynn 1.800.521.5211, who are experts in products liability laws and how those laws affect consumers.
