Miami Accident Lawyer Blog
It seems that more cars including additional GM products are facing recalls based on design and manufacturing defects. Some of the problems are those that could potentially cause serious or catastrophic injury, reminding us that often our vehicles may not be as safe as we believe they are, and that it’s important to pay attention to the recall notices in the news. The Miami personal injury lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. are keeping a close eye in the wake of the latest General Motors recall fiasco.
Airbags a Big Recall Target
The rumor is true, that often an airbag can cause as much injury as a crash itself. Still, airbags often save lives, and are an important protective tool for drivers.
Jeep, which is owned by GM, is now recalling 200,000 Jeep Cherokees for faulty airbags. The problem appears to be that the side airbags are deploying even without an impending accident, usually upon heavy offroad driving, which naturally causes the car to bump, shake, and rattle. It is mostly 2014 and 2015 models that are being recalled. The fix is, apparently, a software repair that can be done at a dealership.
This is on the heels of the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recalling 2 million vehicles for the exact same reason—early airbag deployment. Many of these involved manufacturer fixes of earlier recalls, that did not fix the problems.
The impact sensors on the airbags on many of these cars now must be completely replaced. Some of the vehicles involved are Toyotas and Hondas, where the airbag doesn’t just deploy without an impact, but actually may explode fragments of debris outward. The model years are 2002-2004.
In an opposite problem, Jaguar Land Rover is now recalling vehicles because their airbags may not deploy when lighter individuals are seated in passenger seats. The problem was discovered when passengers noticed the “airbag disabled” light was on when they were sitting in the seat.
Numerous Porsches and Audis (all owned by Volkswagen) have also been recalled for fuel leak problems, and 100,000 Range Rovers and Jaguars were recently recalled for brake fluid leakage problems.
Pay Attention to Recall Notices
If you are driving a vehicle that has been recalled, it is vitally important to have the recall taken care of. As you can see, many of the recalls involve parts of your vehicle that could cause major injury if you are involved in a crash (or not involved in one, as the airbag issue demonstrates).
If you fail to have a recall taken care of, end up injured as a result of a design defect or manufacturing in your vehicle that could have been fixed in the recall, and end up filing a personal injury lawsuit, the other side could deny you payment on the basis that you failed to attend to the recall.
There may be many causes including product liability issues in motor vehicle accidents, and many causes may even take an expert to discover. If you or a loved one were seriously injured in an accident contact the Miami personal injury lawyers at Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. today for a free consultation about your injury case.