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Recall Neglect And Defective Automobiles

On Behalf of | Jul 30, 2016 | Car Accident |

The last two years have seen motor vehicles recalled in record numbers. In 2015 alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recalled more than 50 million vehicles. A recent review of auto recalls conducted by J.D. Power shows that many defective cars and trucks have not received the repairs covered under the recall. Of the vehicles recalled from 2013 to 2015, 45 million have not been repaired. Those vehicles are exposing their owners and others to unnecessary risk of injury or death.

Most car accidents are the result of human error. Auto defects are rarely the cause of an accident. Even when they don’t cause an accident, however, they can contribute significantly to the damage suffered by drivers and passengers in a collision. The largest recall in NHTSA history is tied to defective airbags manufactured by Takata. More than 100 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide because of these defective airbags. While defective airbags won’t cause you to crash, they can seriously injure or kill you if they ever do deploy. J.D. Power’s analysis shows that defective airbags are among the least likely defects to be repaired following a recall.

If you did not buy your vehicle new, you may not have been informed of a recall. The NHTSA provides a resource, SaferCar.org, to help you find out if your car or truck has a potentially dangerous defect. If you have received a recall notice, it is important to follow the instructions given to get your vehicle the covered repairs. Any inconvenience you experience will be more than made up for if it helps you or your loved ones avoid injury in a car crash.

Source: Forbes, “Many U.S. Car Owners Are Ignoring Recalls” by Jim Gorzelany, 29 July 2016