Is Your Car Included in Vehicle Safety Recalls

 

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Every customer in the United States has the right to demand nothing but the best from the products that they buy. With every dollar and penny that an American spends on a particular item that they buy is their trust for that particular product. That is why there are consumer protection laws in the country to help ensure that these companies are held accountable for the quality, or the lack of it, of their products.

The same goes for big ticket items such as houses and vehicles. Not too long ago, Japanese carmaker Toyota got into trouble for the failure of some other components. The carmaker’s manufacturing defects have caused serious injuries and even death to its customers. That prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to put in place stringent quality control testing to ensure that the products that reach the market are free from the said problems.

Vehicle recalls
However, there are times when some defects are not discovered during the extensive qualitative testing of the vehicle manufacturer. If left unchecked or undetected, these pending problems on the vehicle can cause problems while travelling causing accidents. These accidents if left undetected could lead you and family hurt, or worse died. That is why you have to keep yourself updated about the latest recalls to have the things that need fixing on your vehicle fixed.

Left behind
Usually, vehicle recalls are done in batches. Certain series of a particular make and model are included in the recall and the others, not. Because of this nature of vehicle recalls, some manufacturers fail to serve and fix all of the vehicles that need to be recalled. There are also times when one person fails to have their vehicles serviced because they are not aware that their vehicle needs servicing.

NHTSA’s free Vehicle Identification Number searches
To help customers have their vehicles checked if it is included in the recall or no, the NHTSA offers vehicle owners a free VIN searches to help determine a certain vehicles inclusion or not in the vehicle recall. This online tool can be accessed by visiting the NHTSA website at www.SaferCar.gov. Just key in your vehicle’s VIN and you will be notified if your vehicle is part of any recall activity. This project by the NHTSA aims to keep all American motorists safe from danger.

A Los Angeles personal injury attorney reminds every American motorist that their safety and their occupants should be on top of these carmakers’ priorities. That is why you should demand your vehicles be serviced if it is included in the NHTSA’s list of vehicles that need to be recalled. If they fail to do so and these defects caused injuries to you or your loved ones, you can file the necessary complaints through the help of a Los Angeles lawyer.

Even Luxurious, High-end Cars Get Recalled

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Cars often undergo tough and complicated manufacturing processes. As expected of carmakers, assembling every car part, both exterior and interior, must be done correctly. Also, every feature should be in good, working condition. But then, even after every finished unit has been distributed to car dealers and showrooms, recalls happen.

Whenever there’s something wrong on a certain vehicle part, car manufacturers are expected to announce a recall as soon as possible especially if it possesses a potential hazard for those who have already them. Common ones that get recalled are those that we see on the street; surprisingly, even luxury cars that amount to six-digit figures even experience recalls.

In fact, here are some of the luxurious, high-end vehicles that have been recalled recently:

•    Rolls-Royce, 2010 Ghost models. The reason for the recall of nearly 600 of the 2010 Ghost models was that the “circuit board could fail and, ‘in extreme case,’ lead to the ‘smoldering of the water pump’ that helped to cool the turbocharger on the V-12 engine.” Such defect could lead to a fire. Price of a single unit of the vehicle is over $200,000.00.

•    Lexus, 2004 and 2006 models. The recall of about 137,000 units was brought about by a condition where the crankshaft pulley was misaligned, which would make steering difficult. Fortunately, no reports of accidents or injuries happened because of such defect.

•    Porshe, Carrera S models. Models of such that were manufactured between October 26, 2011 and January 24, 2012 were recalled by the automaker due to a potential fuel line disconnection. If not corrected, the vehicle may cause a crash due to stalling, or may cause a leak that might set the over $100,000.00 car on fire.

We can definitely see here that even high-end cars have manufacturing defects. People who own such cars should always be aware of the announced recalls, and that they must also do their part in detecting defects through periodic tune-ups of their vehicles. As every Los Angeles car accident lawyer suggests, vehicle defects are one of the main causes of accidental injuries or deaths among motorists.

Vehicle Recalls and Consumer Rights

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Losing a loved one from a tragic accident is such a painful experience, especially if the incident could have been prevented.

In August of 2009, California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor was driving a loaned Lexus ES350 with three family members. The car suddenly accelerated out of control, causing it to hit another vehicle, and burned after it tumbled down.

Apparently, Saylor’s car was being serviced because the wrong set of carpets was installed, interfering with the accelerator pedal. Saylor and all of his companions died on that accident and it started the huge wave of recalls issued by Toyota. Saylor’s family went on to press charges against Toyota, along with the thousands of other customers who also figured in accidents that had cost the lives of their loved ones.

Consequently, class suits were filed against the Japanese carmaker, forcing its chief executive to attend various congressional and fact-finding inquiries. Until now, Toyota is being hounded by the issues of the past years, significantly affecting the sales of its vehicles.

The largest Japanese carmaker was once known as the manufacturer of the most reliable vehicles. However, the global automotive industry had a rude awakening as the Tokyo-based automotive giant started issuing recalls after recalls of the vehicles they produced here in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

Since then, the once highly-respected brand became the most notorious as it issued consecutive recall orders for most of its Toyota and Lexus vehicles. These recalls spanned over millions of vehicles produced from 2009-2011. The woes of the said carmaker looks far from over as just this March of 2012, Toyota made another round of recalls for some 681,500 of its vehicles.

Companies seem unaware that the consumers are king and that they should be given nothing but the best from their purchased goods or services.

Meanwhile, if you figured in an accident and lost a loved one, or sustained serious injuries because of a defective vehicle, then you should make your voice heard. The best course of action is to get the services of the finest Los Angeles car accident attorney. This way, you stand to get every bit of compensation for your loss once your lawyer successfully handled your court case.

By fighting the good fight in such case, you are giving yourself and the general public a huge favor. You are becoming an instrument to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.