Cars have generally become safer over time, with driver-related accidents outpacing those caused by vehicle defects. However, manufacturers still make mistakes and need to recall their vehicles. If you have been following the news, you may have seen recalls of models like Chrysler, Honda, and Kia over the years.
The main problem with such an action is that some drivers do not return their cars once a recall has been issued. Washington stands fifteenth in the United States for vehicles on the road with an open recall, with over 1 million such vehicles. In this article, we will examine the most common reasons cars in the Washington area might get an urgent recall. Our Seattle car accident attorney is prepared to fight for your right to fair compensation after a crash caused through no fault of your own.
Faulty Airbags
Airbags should protect you in an accident by deploying and minimizing impact. However, some vehicles have faulty sensors that have caused airbags to deploy randomly in BMW, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Mazda, and other vehicles.
Since they were deploying without the driver and their passengers being aware this could happen, they ended up causing numerous injuries and several car accidents. Manufacturers had to issue an urgent recall for the affected models.
Another issue that has caused a recall in the past is rupturing airbags. Vehicles with Takata air bags had to be recalled when they started exploding and rupturing. The reasons given were long-term exposure to humidity and heat, causing them to break apart and launch shrapnel into the vehicle occupant’s faces and bodies when deployed. These incidents caused multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Fire Risks
Kia and Hyundai recalled over 3.3 million vehicles across the United States and hundreds of thousands in the Washington area in 2023 due to fire risks. Their manufacturers had to urge owners to keep them outside until they could be repaired.
The urgent recall happened because the manufacturers realized that leaking brake fluid would cause a short circuit when it came into contact with various electrical systems. The incidents happened whether the vehicle was parked or on the road; it only had to have current running through its wires.
The risk of a lawsuit is high with this recall because Hyundai has agreed that fuses should have blown long before the short caused the fires. If you have been injured due to such an incident, you may file a lawsuit with the help of an attorney. You can contact us in one of our 32 offices across 19 states, including Arizona, Washington, Tennessee, and Iowa, to discuss possible actions.
Faulty Brakes
Vehicles need working brakes to stop safely when traveling on the highway or through the city streets. If they cannot do this, there is a high risk of getting into an accident. The severity of the damage caused depends on the number of vehicles involved, the accident’s nature, and how fast they were traveling at the time of the accident.
In 2023, Honda recalled over 120,000 vehicles due to this issue, with the company admitting that the braking problem affected five models released between 2020 and 2023. The issue was that the brake booster, responsible for making it easier to stop a car when a driver pushes the brake pedal, was faulty, making it difficult to stop or rendering the braking system ineffective.
Faulty Steering Equipment
Nissan, Ford, and RAM have all had to recall millions of vehicles in the last five years due to issues with their steering systems. Although not as widespread in Washington as the other reasons for urgent recalls, faulty steering issues still caused several accidents when drivers lost control of their vehicles or realized they could not get out of dangerous situations quickly enough.
Each car manufacturer listed above, and others, noted defects, including issues with electrical malfunctions and shorts, suspension bushings, stabilizers, wheel assemblies, and control arms.
Wiring System Faults
Every system in a car can be faulty if its wiring is. The wiring system transfers power to different parts, including the engine, windows, navigation systems, and various sensors. Besides the fire issues that plagued Kia and Hyundai in 2023, wiring issues have caused backup cameras to fail while drivers were reversing, turn signals to stop working as drivers turned, and windshield wipers to not work which caused visibility issues.
Since they are so dangerous, manufacturers must recall all vehicles with electrical system faults in the Washington area and the larger United States for safety reasons.
Vehicle recalls happen for various reasons and affect different car models and manufacturers differently. All vehicle owners must return their cars to authorized service centers if recalled. However, identifying an issue and notifying vehicle owners about it does not shield the manufacturer from liability. The reason is that these issues might have caused accidents long before the recall or they were identified. You might have a viable case if you have been involved in a car accident involving a vehicle with an open recall or a defective part.
You can contact our attorneys today at (888) 477-0597 for a free consultation and to discuss establishing liability and filing a lawsuit.