According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there were 932 vehical safety recalls impacting over 30 million cars in the US in 2022. The NHTSA is a government agency responsible for issuing motor vehicle safety standards for the country.
And though many car manufactureres are aware of some vehicle hazards when they arise, many don’t actually issue recalls until forced to, and that typically occurs only after accidents result. If you’re curious to know if your own vehicle is part of a public safety recall, youc an check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall website.
The NHTSA launches investigations into suspected safety-related defects. They use a variety of sources to suss out suspected defective products. Those include manufacturers, consumers that suspect or identify defects, law enforcement, the media and online platforms. Based on risk-related data, the NTSA assesses relative frequency and potential damage when detecting any possible safety risk resulting from product defects. Complaints filed with the NHTSA are evaluated on an ongoing basis to identify public safety risks and an action plan to deal with them.
Identifying a public safety risk, however, may not always be enough to warrant a defective product recall. If the NHTSA establishes, through its evaluation process, that a significant or unreasonable safety risk related to a product defect exists, they may determine that a recall by the manufacturer is necessary.
The NHTSA launches several types of product defect investigations, when warranted. They include: defect petition, preliminary evaluation, recall query, and engineering analysis. Investigation results are published on the NHTSA website and searchable by when the investigation was opened or closed.
What to Do if Injured by a Defective Vehicle
If you’ve suffered injury as a result of an accident with a vehicle that’s been recalled or a vehicle that simply has a defective part, you may be able to file a product liability claim to recover damages. Different from personal injury lawsuits where the plaintiff must prove negelct, in a product liability claim you have to show that the car part manufacturer is actually at fault as they introduced a part that is intrinsically unsafe to the public. In this case, you could file a claim against the car dealership, the auto manufacturer or the manufacturer of the vehicle part in question to recover damages for your injuries.
Some of the kinds of damages you may be able to recover include expenses for medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost employability, loss of consortium (deprivation of a familial/marital relationship) and more.
Navigating these kinds of cases can be very complex, and that’s why it’s important to seek the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney like those at Bizzieri Law offices who is familiar with Illinois product liability law and can help determine if accident was indeed caused by a defective vehicle or defective vehicle part.
If you have questions about a vehicle accident claim and would like to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney, call Bizzieri Law Offices at 773.881.9000 today. The case review is free and we never collect a fee unless we recover damages for you.