Articles Posted in Auto Product Liability

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Kawasaki has recalled several motorcycles over an issue that could lead to accidents.

According to the company, the Ninja H2 SX and SE models come with center stand spring mounting pins that could shift or fall due to the left side center stand brackets. If that occurs, the center stand spring will fall off and the stand will not be fully retracted. In this case, the center will drop and touch the ground while the motorcycle is traveling.

The issue was first brought up after the company learned that a Japanese customer had made a claim. Once Kawasaki investigated, it learned that other claims came from both Japan and Europe.

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Auto accidents happen too often. And defective car equipment is sometimes to blame.

The latest auto recall we learned about comes from Chevrolet. Vehicles impacted include the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 sport cars.

These vehicles come with sensing diagnostic modules that could enter a fault state if the driver brakes hards or accelerates. This could render the system useless when it comes to deploying air bags in the event of a crash. As such, this would render the safety system faulty.

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Chrysler has issues an auto product defect recall for more than 355,500 minivans because of a defective airbag sensor, which could cause the airbag to fail in the event of a car accident. According to a news report, Chrysler’s recall scheduled to begin in June, covers 355,562 of its 2005-2006 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, including 259,437 in the United States and 72,035 in Canada.

Chrysler officials said they found that one of the front airbag crash sensors could crack under certain environmental conditions and allow water to enter the sensor causing the sensor to become inoperative. So far, no injuries or fatalities relating to these defects have been reported. If the front crash sensors become inoperative in these vehicles, the driver will be warned by the airbag warning light. However, until the vehicle is repaired, the occupants of the vehicle may not receive protection in the event of a car crash.

Airbag defects can result in devastating injuries or even death. Thanks to modern vehicle technology, airbags are an important safety feature in all vehicles today and if they function the way they are supposed to, they definitely offer enhanced protection to the vehicle’s occupants. The most common airbag defects in vehicles are failure to deploy and unintentional deployment – which means they deploy when they are not supposed to deploy. Both of these occurrences may result in serious injuries.

If you suspect an airbag malfunction caused your serious injuries or caused your car accident, please contact a reputable Seattle auto accident law firm. Make sure you preserve the vehicle in its current condition, in tact, so it can be examined by an expert for any evidence of product defects. Doing away with the vehicle may destroy the only evidence you may have in an auto products liability case.
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Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles over auto product defects – primarily sticky gas pedals, defective floor mats that can slip and jam the accelerator, and brake issues. Based on news reports, outside experts even speculate that electromagnetic interference may have caused several incidents of unintended acceleration in recalled Toyota models. Now, the auto maker is facing a government inquiry over whether it tried to delay or avoid a recall in the first place.

Parents of a Seattle resident are one of many who are asking questions about how and why their son died. According to a KOMO News report, like many injured victims or grieving families, the bereaved parents are wondering whether sudden acceleration caused by a sticky gas pedal in the victim’s Toyota Tundra may have caused the fatal car accident on Oct. 17, 2007. The crash occurred when the pickup truck inexplicably crashed head-on into a tree.

Recently this victim’s parents found out that his Tundra was on the recall list as well. They now rightly believe that had Toyota paid attention to the problem, recalled the vehicles and fixed the defects, their son would have been alive.

Toyota’s recall comes too late for those in situations similar to this family’s. It is too little too late for those who have suffered catastrophic injuries potentially as a result of the unintended acceleration problem. It is too late for those drivers who have been sent to prison because their car went out of control and injured or killed someone. Seattle personal injury attorneys understand that there have been several car accident cases nationwide where drivers tried convincing juries that it was not them, but their car that was to blame. But no one believed them. Some of those cases are now being reviewed by local prosecutors in different parts of the country.
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State Farm Insurance Company officials are saying that they alerted federal safety regulators as early as 2007 about an increase in reports of unintended or sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles. According to a news report, State Farm insurance said it noticed a rise in reports of such acceleration in Toyotas and notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The federal agency in fact received warnings about sudden acceleration in Toyotas as early as 2003. It is not clear whether the agency completely missed these warning signs. That is an issue congressional investigators are exploring.

Toyota, over the recent months, has recalled over 8 million vehicles for faulty gas pedals and floor mats, which are believed to have caused the sudden acceleration problems. Most recently, the auto maker recalled about 437,000 Prius and Lexus hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix a braking problem caused by a software glitch. The auto maker also stopped producing and selling eight vehicle models including the top-selling Corolla and Camry models. Federal officials said they are also looking into complaints from Corolla owners about steering problems. So far, consumers and Seattle personal injury attorneys are shocked by the fact that NHTSA has received 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas.
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Federal auto safety regulators have now launched an official investigation into possible vehicle defects, this time involving the power steering in 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corollas. According to a news report in USA Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been getting complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers that they cannot hold the steering straight going down the highway. So far, NHTSA has received 168 complaints, including reports of eight crashes, involving this vehicle defect. NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation to determine whether it needs to take a closer look at steering problems in the Corolla and also, the Matrix models, which are quite similar to the Corolla. Much to the shock of consumers and Seattle auto product liability attorneys, about 500,000 vehicles could be involved in this investigation.

If this results in a recall, it certainly would not be Toyota’s first in recent months. In fact, the number of vehicles that were recently recalled by the Japanese auto maker adds up to more than 8.5 million. That includes vehicles that were recalled for defective gas pedals, floor mats and brakes. Toyota also suspended production and sales of eight different models of vehicles including the Corolla, until all the defective vehicles can be fixed. Government officials are also looking into whether Toyota officials issued these recalls in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the company is also facing a slew of lawsuits over the unintended acceleration caused by the gas pedal and mat defects.
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A 66-year-old man sustained fatal injuries in a Washington auto accident after his car collided head-on with a bridge support on the southbound Valley Freeway at 15th Street Northwest in Auburn. According to a news report in the Auburn Reporter, the man was driving a Toyota pickup truck, when he struck the bridge support at a high rate of speed. In fact, eyewitnesses told investigators that there were no brake lights from the Toyota before the impact. The man died at the scene. The incident is being investigated by the Washington State Patrol and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

In such cases, it is extremely important to have a skilled Seattle car accident lawyer help you determine whether the accident was caused by a defective auto. The vehicle involved in this incident was a Toyota pickup truck. Witnesses state that the driver made no attempt to stop and went speeding right into the bridge support. It might be useful in this case to find out whether the vehicle malfunctioned and whether it is one of the models included in Toyota’s recall of more than 8 million vehicles for defective gas pedals or floor mats said to cause sudden or unintended acceleration.
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So far, Toyota has recalled more than 7 million vehicles over faulty gas pedals and floor mats. The auto maker has also stopped production and sales of eight models, including its top-selling Camry and Corolla models. The first Toyota recall was issued last year after an auto accident in California killed a highway patrol officer and three members of his family. The officer was in a loaner Lexus and the defective floor mat in the car allegedly caused the accelerator pedal to become jammed. The car accelerated out of control at 120 mph, crashed, and caused four fatalities.

Toyota officials say they have come up with a fix for the gas pedals, which has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The problem with the gas pedals was that the pedal mechanism could become worn and harder to depress or it could get stuck in a partially depressed position, thus causing sudden or unintended acceleration.

Toyota engineers have been working to insert a spacer in the pedal mechanism in order to increase the tension in a spring and reduce the risk of the gas pedal sticking or staying down. The auto maker has also come under quite a bit of criticism for failing to act quickly on unexpected acceleration issues related to the faulty floor mats. Federal officials say Toyota has known about the problem with the mats since 2007 and has still done nothing to fix it.
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A Washington couple was injured in an auto accident after their pickup truck and trailer rolled over on the Interstate 82 near Prosser, Washington. According to a news report in the Yakima Herald-Republic, a 64-year-old man was driving a 2002 Ford pickup towing a 37-foot trailer. He lost control of the vehicle rolling both the pickup and the trailer on the inside shoulder of the highway. The man and his wife both suffered injuries and were taken to the hospital, but it is not clear whether they sustained serious injuries. Both were wearing seatbelts. Washington State Patrol officials say the driver’s inattention may have caused or contributed to this accident as well.

In any rollover auto accident, it is also important to look into whether an auto product defect, design defect or mechanical malfunction may have caused or in any way contributed to the accident. The auto maker or the manufacturer of the defective product could be held liable for the injuries and damages, if so. If a vehicle defect is suspected in an auto accident, it is important to preserve the vehicle so it can be examined carefully for product defects, malfunctions or other evidence. Experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys will almost always suggest that, if possible, photos are taken of the accident in order to document the scene.
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Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling 4,001 Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles because of possible airbag defects, which might prevent the front passenger airbag from deploying in the event of a car accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these affected 2010 Range Rover models may experience airbag lamp illumination on the instrument cluster. The NHTSA report states: “This warning lamp may clear on each subsequent ignition cycle. The passenger airbag will be disabled when the airbag warning lamp is illuminated as a result of this defect and the passenger airbag warning disable lamp in the overhead console will also illuminate.”

The deployment of the passenger side airbag may fail to occur in case of a car accident. This could cause devastating personal injuries and even death to the passenger. When this recall begins, Land Rover dealers will update the vehicles’ restraint control module with the integrated diagnostics system tool with updated software.
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