What are the Most Common Car Defects?
October 26, 2017- Categories: Lemon Law
Most of us spend part of every day on the road behind the wheels of our cars. We use them to get to work, to transport our children to afterschool activities and to take care of daily errands. While we expect our vehicles to safely transport us from place to place, there are times when automobile defects can compromise our and our loved ones’ safety. If ever faced with such a situation, consulting an automobile accident lawyer can be a crucial step. Let’s look at the most common car defects, including those that can cause you or your loved ones harm.
Steering Issues
If any part of your steering system fails, it can interfere with your ability to control your car. Problems sometimes occur in the car’s steering linkage. In other cases, a car’s power steering ability may be impeded by a physical flaw or a computer defect. This puts you at danger for a crash. In August 2017, GM recalled nearly 800,000 trucks that could suddenly lose power steering, which put drivers at risk of losing control. If you’ve experienced such issues, consulting a car defect lawyer might be crucial.
Engine Issues
Your engine is typically the most expensive part of your car. Depending on what causes engine failure, your car may be considered a total loss. One of the largest recalls in GM’s history involved faulty engine mounts. There were 6.6 million vehicles affected. When these fail, they can cause the motor to shift and can damage other components. If you’ve experienced damages due to such failures, consulting a vehicle accident lawyer might be a wise step.
Inaccurate Gas Mileage
The stated miles per gallon is a figure that can affect your buying decisions; when it is wrong, the costs can be substantial. While this is not a defect that affects your safety, errors in reported gas mileage can mean facing thousands in unexpected annual costs.
Faulty Air Bags
An air bag can cause just as much danger if it deploys at the wrong time as it can if it fails to deploy when it should. An air bag that doesn’t deploy during an accident can lead to more severe injuries during a crash. This is a situation where accident claim lawyers might be consulted. Air bags that deploy when there is not an issue can lead to back injuries or distraction that causes an accident. Last year, Toyota recalled 1.6 million automobiles to deal with issues with the air bags.
Wiring Problems
Your car has an electrical system that plays a strong role in the operation of the vehicle. Because most car wiring is hard to access, even people who are knowledgeable about automobiles may miss small problems before they become big ones. In some cases, poor wiring can keep the car from operating properly or from operating at all. In others, bad wiring can lead to a serious car fire that can destroy the vehicle and put occupants in danger. Recently, Mazda recalled 60,000 cars because of wiring issues. These issues had the potential to affect both the cars’ power steering and their ability to properly deploy the air bags during an accident.
Some car defects are inconveniences. Others are dangerous failures that can affect your personal safety. Have you been injured because of a car defect? We can help. Contact Neale & Fhima to schedule a free consultation.
Attorney Aaron Fhima
Aaron Fhima is a trial attorney who has secured numerous settlements and verdicts against large corporations and some of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. Representing consumers and injury victims throughout the state of California, Aaron’s practice areas include personal injury, and lemon law litigation. Aaron has a long record of success taking on large defense firms; and he doesn’t hesitate to take cases to trial when necessary to enforce his clients’ rights. [ Attorney Bio ]
