Feds: 80 percent of defective tires not fixed
It can seem as though Los Angeles residents are constantly bombarded with news reports of danger to them and their families. In reality, individuals are typically more at risk of being injured from ordinary events like a car accident on the way to work. The trouble is that even these incidents can be caused by hidden dangers that might not be known to motorists.
For instance, a recent federal investigation declared that the safety recall system to address tire defects is broken. According to the investigation, only about 1 in 5 tires that are defective are taken off the roads through recalls.
In many cases, motorists who have defective tires are not contacted by the manufacturers of the tires. This may be because dealers and car owners do not register the tires with the manufacturer. As a result, up to 80 percent of tires that have been recalled do not actually get taken off the road and fixed.
This can lead to devastating results. For example, investigators discussed a case where a driver pulled off the road after feeling a vibration. However, upon not discovering anything wrong with the tires, the driver continued driving. The tire failed shortly thereafter, causing the van to go off the road and kill two people. It later was discovered that the tire had been recalled because of a defect inside the tire that was not visible.
While these incidents can be terrifying, those who suffer injuries as a result of defects can obtain legal relief through a products liability action. Manufacturers can be held liable for their defective products, such as defective tires that should not have been on the road at the time of an accident.
Source: CBS News, “NTSB: Recall system for defective tires is ‘broken’,” Oct. 27, 2015