Some drivers in New Jersey may have had their vehicles recalled in 2015 as part of that year’s record-breaking number of recalls. There were nearly 900 separate recalls in total, affecting more than 51 million vehicles.
Automobile manufacturers are scrambling to identify problems and communicate them to the public sooner after General Motors, Takata Corp. and Fiat Chrysler all had to pay hefty fines for not reporting defects quickly enough. Defects in the inflators of Takata air bags were responsible for the most recalls. The inflators had a danger of exploding. More than 100 people have so far been injured and eight killed as a result. Within the United States, around 23 million inflators have been recalled.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, people need to get needed repairs done as soon as possible in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. Around 25 percent of defects are not fixed even after a year and a half. The agency is exploring the addition of social media alerts, email and text messages to inform the public about recalls in addition to mailing out notices.
In some cases, a person may be injured before a product recall is issued. If a company knows about a defect and fails to inform the public, an injured victim might want to seek compensation from the manufacturer. For example, a company might hold back information that a braking system could be faulty, and that may lead to a motorist being unable to stop at an intersection. People who have been injured in such a situation may want to discuss their options with an attorney who has experience in products liability litigation.
