Controversial Vehicle Defects and Safety Recalls
Under federal law, car manufacturers, distributors, and auto suppliers are held liable for damages and injuries caused by vehicle defects and dangerous car designs.
To avoid expensive product-related lawsuits and claims, some car companies are willing to announce safety recalls. By announcing immediate recalls, companies are also earning their consumers’ trust and confidence—things which are important in any business.
However, there are some car manufacturers which are trying to avoid liabilities even if there is hard proof showing that a certain defect has caused injuries or death to some consumers.
CHRYSLER AND ITS SEATBELTS
Chrysler has denied that its Gen3 seatbelt has a defective design which may accidentally unlatch during a high impact collision. Despite dozens of reported cases, the carmaker giant denied allegations that its seatbelt was the cause of several crash deaths in the US.
Despite Chrysler’s denial, an independent laboratory testing revealed that Gen3 failed in the “ball testing” which is a way to determine if a seatbelt may accidentally unlatch.
In this test, engineers would roll a ball on a seatbelt’s fastener to see if it will accidentally unlatch or not.
In 2002, the company was slapped with a class-action lawsuit filed by thousands of consumers across the country.
FORD EXPLORER
Another controversial vehicle defects involve Ford Explorer which has been linked to hundreds of deaths. According to safety experts, the SUV’s design, especially its height, is prone to rollover accidents due to its high center of gravity.
With the high risk of rollover crashes in SUVs, the US National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) has required car manufacturers to lower the height of SUVs to also lower the center of gravity, thus reducing the risk of rollover accidents.
Meanwhile, Ford recently settled the class-action lawsuit involving its SUV model. But instead of giving monetary compensation, the company resorted to giving discount coupons worth $300 to $500 which will only be useful if plaintiffs will buy a new car from the company.
TOYOTA’S DEADLY FLOOR MATS
Toyota recently announced a massive recall on more than 3.8 million cars which have driver-side floor mats that may snag the gas pedal. According to reports, this defective floor mat has killed a California police patrol and three of his family.
To prevent such accident from happening again, the NHTSA advises consumers to immediately remove the floor mats.
HONDA’S AIRBAG THAT SHOOTS METAL
While airbags are supposed to protect people from head injuries, defective models may even expose occupants from injuries and even death.
One of the most controversial defective airbags involves Honda which recently announced a massive recall that covers Civic and Accord 2001 models.
According to NHTSA, upon deployment, the driver’s airbag may shoot pieces of metals due to internal pressure.
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