How Vehicle Recalls and Defects Contribute to Car Accidents

Everyone knows that vehicles go through rigorous testing before they hit the market. This may give you a false sense of security about the safety of your vehicle. Vehicle defects and recalls are shockingly common and contribute to thousands of auto accidents and fatalities every year.

If you’ve been hurt in a crash caused by a defective vehicle, it’s time to talk to the team at The Dodd Law Firm. Find out how we can help you hold negligent manufacturers accountable. Call us at 203-272-1883 to set up a consultation now.

Defects and Recalls Are More Common Than You Think

When you learn the statistics about vehicle recalls, it’s hard to look at your car the same way again. Since 1996, when the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was put into place, the NHTSA has been responsible for the recall of hundreds of millions of vehicles and components. These recalls include 390 million vehicles, 46 million tires, 66 million pieces of equipment, and 42 million car seats.

The defects leading to these recalls are often not caught until they cause accidents. The best-case scenario is that these accidents lead to injuries, but no fatalities. In the worst-case scenario, preventable deaths occur because of manufacturers’ failures.

There are several common types of defects leading to recalls and vehicle accidents. We’ll explore some of the most common ones below.

Tire Defects

Tire defects often lead to accidents that cause serious injuries or death. A responsible car owner keeps an eye on their tires’ air levels, tread, and material quality over time. But no matter how careful you are about tracking your tires’ maintenance needs; you can’t protect yourself against a defective tire.

A defective tire may fail at any time, causing you to lose control of your vehicle and leading to an accident. This is dangerous in any situation, but it is especially dangerous at high speeds on the highway.

Seatbelt Failures

We’ve all been told that we can rely on seatbelts to keep us safe in accidents. Today’s seatbelt is the result of years of research into ways to protect vehicle occupants while minimizing the risk of injuries caused by the seatbelts themselves. However, seatbelts aren’t infallible. When seatbelts are unsafely designed or manufactured, they can give occupants a false sense of security.

One common defect is the false latch. This occurs when an occupant buckles themselves in and hears the seatbelt click, but the seatbelt has actually not latched appropriately. The occupant has no idea until the seatbelt gives in an accident and causes them to sustain serious injuries.

Airbag Accidents

If people are aware of defective vehicle components, it’s often because they’ve heard of defective airbags. Airbags are there to cushion the blow in an accident by keeping you from hitting your face on the hard dashboard or being thrown from the vehicle. Unfortunately, airbags can fail in a variety of ways.

If an airbag does not deploy with the right amount of force, a vehicle occupant may hit their head on the vehicle. If they deploy with too little force or without any force at all, the force of the airbag could actually cause injuries that would otherwise not have happened.

Proving Liability

Proving liability can be extremely challenging in this type of situation. As you may imagine, vehicle manufacturers will go to great lengths to protect themselves from expensive lawsuits and recalls. Recalls are performed at their expense, so exposing a defect in their vehicles or vehicle components could cost them millions. For that reason, you may be stonewalled by the manufacturer if you try to hold them accountable for the accident caused by their defect.

Furthermore, people often claim vehicle defects in an attempt to escape liability. Someone who hits another car at full speed may claim that their brakes failed, only for a full investigation to show that the brakes were fully operational, and the driver just didn’t stop.

That’s why it’s so important to work with an attorney. Working with a lawyer gives you a better chance at holding negligent manufacturers accountable.

Contact The Dodd Law Firm Today

You don’t have to go up against negligent car manufacturers alone. The team at The Dodd Law Firm is here to advocate for you every step of the way. Call us at 203-272-1883 or send us a message online to set up a consultation.