In the last few years, it seems like vehicle recalls occur regularly. Just recently (April 2017), Ford issued a recall for more than 50,000 F-250 pickup trucks that were sold in the US and Canada. The vehicles involved are those F-250s that have the 6.2L gas engine from its truck plant in Louisville, KY.
Ford Keeps Doing Recalls
It does seem like every day there’s a new recall being issued. This has been going on for a while now, as in 2014 the recalled vehicles numbered more than 63 million. That’s triple the total for 2013, and even more than twice the previous record in 2004.
There have been many reasons attributed for these recalls. It’s not that safety standards are declining. Part of the reason is because of the legal atmosphere in the US. This is a country that allows the victims of faulty parts to seek damages through the courts.
Reports of injuries and fatalities can also affect the brand image of car manufacturers. In addition, governmental watchdog groups like the NHTSA can issue fines that can exceed more than a billion dollars. The bad publicity and the exorbitant penalties are more than enough to convince car makers to play it safe. When these recalls happen the cars are obviously prone to car accident lawsuits.
Ford Recalls Could Prevent Injury
All these reasons explain the frequency of recalls issued by Ford. The latest recall for the F-250 is the third recall within a week. The first one was for faulty side door latches, which is a common recall reason for Ford. They’ve issued 6 distinct recalls for a combined 4 million vehicles since 2014.
The second recall was for a fire risk in the engine compartment. This recall was actually issued the same day as the first recall. Ford revealed that they’ve received 29 reports of fires related to this problem, but no one was injured.
The latest recall is about how the F-250 can potentially roll, even after you put the gear into the park position. This is the same problem that happened with the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was among the 1.1 million vehicles recalled.
According to US regulators, rollaway problems with SUVs have resulted in 266 car crashes and 68 injuries. These accidents can even lead to deaths, as this is precisely how actor Anton Yelchin (Chekhov in Star Trek) was killed. He was pinned against his mailbox when his Jeep Cherokee rolled after being put in park.
If you own a vehicle, you need to keep abreast of recalls so that you can make sure that your vehicle is fixed for any potential problems.
However, it is still possible that you or a loved one may get hurt or even killed due to a car defect. If that happens you should consult with a car product liability attorney who can file a personal injury or a wrongful death suit against the liable parties.
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