Global demand for cars increase every year. As a result, car manufacturers focus on producing quality cars in record breaking times and speed. However, as a result, there are manufacturing mistakes that result in serious injuries and deaths. Below introduces the worst automaker offenders and most recent high profile vehicle recalls.
Automaker Recall Stats
According to a recent Forbes magazine article, there are 15 major companies that have been recalling cars since 1985. General Motors leads the pack with 99.3 million cars recalled at a .65 recall rate. Ford Motor is second with 97 million cars recalled at a .93 rate. Chrysler follows with 63.2 million cars recalled at a 1.0 recall rate. However, certain automakers also sell a smaller amount of cars and have a higher recall rate. For example, Hyundai has only recalled 9.9 million cars, but at a 1.15 rate. Mitsubishi follows second with 5.3 million cars recalled at a 1.09 rate. Learn more here:http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2014/03/26/automakers-with-the-lowest-and-highest-recall-rates.
High Profile GM Example
GM has recalled over 1.62 million cars due to faulty ignition-switch problems, which they knew about three years prior to production. As a result of this manufacturing mistake, certain vehicle ignition switches move out of position and result in loss of vehicle controls, such as brakes and airbags. Certain models, such as the 2005–2007 Ion and Cobalt, have been involved in up to 30 crashes and 13 deaths.
High Profile Toyota Example
In 2014, Toyota agreed to pay a $1.2 billion dollar penalty as a result of an “unintended acceleration” problem that affected more than 10 million vehicles. This is the largest criminal penalty imposed on an automaker in U.S. history. In addition to this, over 130 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have been settled with another 300 more to go. There are a variety of affected models, including the 2007-2010 Camry, 2009-2010 Corolla and the 2007-2010 Tundra.
In conclusion, while most car manufactures strive to produce quality vehicles, there are inevitable engineering defects which can result in serious injury and even death. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers a car recall search engine here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to an auto defect call us at 973-324-9711 or contact us online to set up a free initial consultation with an experienced product liability attorney about your case.