Automakers don’t issue recalls unless they really have to. A recall means spending enormous amounts of money to fix a problem they missed. If there’s any way they can avoid it or let it be, they will, and they often won’t issue the recall unless they have no other choice. Usually, it’s a governmental or legal entity making them do it.
That means that when a recall is finally issued, you need to take it seriously. There’s likely something seriously dangerous with some of the cars produced by that company, and you need to make sure you and your family are safe.
Another airbag recall has been issued for many General Motors vehicles, and other airbag recalls are still in effect for a lot of older vehicles. If your vehicle is manufactured by GM or is older and you are unsure, it’s a good idea to check now to see if your car requires attention.
Checking Your Vehicle
To find out if your vehicle is affected by a safety recall, you can go directly to the manufacturer or you can enter your vehicle identification number online through the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. If there are any recent recalls issued for your vehicle, you’ll be able to confirm there.
If there is a recall, don’t worry. Find out what’s wrong so you know what the risks are, and then make plans to get it to a dealership near you as soon as possible. Some defects are more dangerous than others, so you may want to avoid driving if at all possible. This can be an inconvenience, but it’s important for your safety.
Airbag Risks
The recent GM recall affects 3.6 million vehicles with model years between 2014 and 2017. The defect has to do with electronic issues where the airbag sometimes fails to inflate during an accident, which can lead to severe injury.
Fortunately, getting this defect repaired is as simple as going to the dealership for them to fix the problem through the car’s computer. They should be able to adjust it so that the airbag will respond properly in a collision.
The Takata airbag recall was a slightly older recall that affected vehicles from GM and many other automakers across the U.S. The airbags were designed in such a way that they would degrade over time with heat and pressure and would run the risk of exploding when deployed in an accident. These airbags would then become deadly weapons instead of just failing to protect passengers.
In the Event of an Accident
The dark side of all this is that these automakers could not have discovered these issues without this disaster actually happening to someone.
If you believe you or someone you know was injured or killed in an accident because of a defect like one of these, there is a way for you to hold the company responsible. An attorney who is qualified in legal issues surrounding both auto accidents and defective products should be able to help you and your family recover a modicum of relief.
Though monetary compensation is no replacement for living life without a severe injury or for a loved one who would have survived a crash if not for the defect, it can help to alleviate the stress of medical care. Beyond that, pursuing legal action can also be a way of paying it forward. Your case may be what leads to a ruling forcing a manufacturer to issue a recall, thus saving potentially thousands of additional lives. No business should be able to sell dangerous and defective products to trusting customers without having to make up for it.