Deadly airbags, suspension issues, faulty transmissions, brake issues, electric battery fire problems. These are the among the safety problems plaguing auto manufacturers that resulted in 13 million car recalls during the first half of 2020.
Vehicles are recalled when the manufacturer or the authorities establish that a car poses an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum standards. Manufacturers must fix the problem or even repurchase the vehicle when necessary at no charge to the owner.
The brand that ranked number one in recalls during the first half of 2020 was Toyota, according to stats compiled by Finance in Bold. Between January and July, Toyota recalled about 4 million vehicles.
Ford Second on List of Recalls
Among U.S manufacturers, Ford topped the list, with almost 3 million vehicles recalled. In third place was Volvo; in March the company recalled every model and car it made in 2019 and 2020 – 850,000 Volvos – over a brake issue.
Fiat Chrysler was number four, and number 5 was Honda, which accounted for almost 1.5 million cars recalled.
In this day and age, why do so many vehicle engineering mistakes happen? Chalk it up to the need for speed. Most manufacturers are busy cranking out vehicles to meet the demand, and sometimes quality control slips through the cracks. Toyota has made around 9 million vehicles worldwide every year since 2013. Fiat Chrysler has made over 2 million vehicles each year for two consecutive years. Those are huge numbers.
Need for Dramatic Improvement in Motor Vehicle Safety
Traffic crashes are the primary cause of debilitating injuries in the U.S. and the number one killer of Americans aged 16 to 24. In addition to the emotional costs, the annual economic loss to society because of these crashes, in terms of worker productivity, medical costs, insurance costs, etc., is estimated at more than $230 billion.
Clearly, there is a need for dramatic improvement in motor vehicle safety. If a manufacturer knows one of its brands has a safety defect and doesn’t report it to the government in a timely manner, or portrays it as a minor issue when the company knows it’s a safety defect, then the manufacturer is breaking the law and can receive a steep fine. Even worse, death and catastrophic injury from accidents due to faulty vehicle equipment can and do occur. Family members of survivors who were seriously injured or who lost a loved one have every right to file a personal injury lawsuit seeking full and fair compensation.
Lawyers at Smith LaCien LLP affirm that when an auto accident happens as a result of faulty equipment or careless driving – especially when injury or death occurs – the responsible parties should be held accountable for damages. If you believe you may have a case, contact us today at [email protected] or call (312) 509-8900.
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