In recent years, the news has really been focusing on different dangerous driving behaviors, such as texting while driving or driving under the influence. And while both of these are certainly very dangerous and put other drivers and pedestrians at risk, the truth is there are other dangers on the roadways, dangers some drivers may have no control over.
Take for example vehicle defects that lead to brake lights not coming on and windshield wipers not working. Both of these are defects that can and do happen. Both of these defects also increase a driver’s chance of getting into a car accident.
Just last week, General Motors announced the recall of roughly 2.7 million vehicles. The five recalls affected a number of makes and models, including Cadillac, Saturn and GMC vehicles. One of the recalls is so dangerous; those driving the affected vehicles are being told to not even drive to have the vehicles serviced. Rather, these trucks should be towed in for service.
According to GM, there are a combined 477 2014 Chevrolet Silverados, 2014 GMC Sierrras and 2015 Chevrolet Tahoes where the tie rod, which is attached to the steering gear rack, is not tightened properly. This can result in the tie rod separating from the steering rack, which can result in an accident. In these cases, there will be no warning that a crash is about to occur.
In another recall, this time involving 2,440,524 vehicles, there is an issue with the wiring harness that can cause the brake lights to either turn on — even when the brakes are not engaged — or not turn on when the brakes are engaged. The issue could also affect other systems, such as traction control and cruise control.
So far, the wiring harness defect has led to 13 accidents with two people reporting injuries. This recall affects the 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, the 2004-2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, the 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and the 2005-2010 Pontiac G6.
As mentioned in the beginning of the article, these two recalls are part of the five recalls announced last week that affected some 2.7 million vehicles.
The sheer number of vehicles involved in these recalls highlights the fact that dangerous defects do happen. In cases where it is believed a defect led to a crash, know that there may be legal options available to hold manufactures accountable for their negligence.
Source: Yahoo! Autos, “Huge GM Recall: Chevrolet Corvette, Malibu, Silverado, Tahoe, Cadillac CTS, GMC Sierra, More,” May 15, 2014