The Story: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims that GM’s recall screening process may be insufficient to spot dangerous or defective automobiles. The announcement from the federal agency comes after GM’s recall in May of over 40,000 vehicles due to fire hazards.
After receiving reports of vehicles that posed fire hazards to drivers, GM recalled 42,903 Buick Lacrosse, Regals and Malibu Eco sedans; though the company claims to have rectified the dangerous defects that could potentially start fires, the government is questioning whether or not the inspection process was thorough enough to ensure the cars were safe. The NHTSA has already investigated numerous GM models this year, including the Chevrolet Cruze and the Buick Verano for defective airbags, as well as 2005 and 2006-model Pontiac G6s; the NHSTA is investigating a total of 550,000 G6s for potentially-hazardous defects.
Additionally, the federal agency is probing a defect in 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe models that may result in axle failure, which may involve upwards of 50,000 vehicles. In the past month, NHTSA has opened eight separate investigations of faulty or defective automobiles.
Vehicles that have defective parts or components can lead to terrible accidents, devastating injuries and deaths. It is the duty of the car manufacturer to ensure that each vehicle is safe to drive and free of dangerous flaws that can harm motorists. If you’ve been injured by a faultily-designed vehicle, you should consider speaking to a personal injury lawyer. Our Virginia-based injury law firm has years of experience working with defective products, and we know how to argue against those who are responsible for the injuries that result.