Are You at Risk for Buying a Recalled Vehicle?

 Posted on February 25, 2015 in Personal Injury

Dealerships issue recalls for defective cars. However, no such law is required of used car dealerships. As such, consumers are at risk of getting into an accident because they might own a recalled vehicle. Unlike with car manufacturers, used car dealerships are not required to repair recalled vehicles before putting them back on the lot. In fact, used car dealerships are not required to inform customers if a particular vehicle has been recalled. For example, a New York Times investigation found that one dealer had 33 cars listed in its online inventory and 15 of those had ongoing recalls. Furthermore, used car dealers are not allowed to repair cars subject to an open recall. Instead they would have to wait for the car to be repaired by a dealer authorized by the manufacturer. This eliminates any incentive for used car dealers to actively repair any recalled cars in their inventory. Burden is Placed on the Consumers As a result, customers are forced to engage in their own due diligence and thoroughly look into the history of a used car before purchase. One such method is to find the car in the federal safety database or obtain a report from a car history vendor. This is especially troubling considering the number of recalls seen in 2014 alone. Car manufacturers issued 803 recalls totaling 64 million vehicles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, that averages out to be approximately 2.2 recalls a day. This blew the previous recall record out of the park—684 recalls in 2008. The General Motors faulty ignition switch recall is the most notorious of last year. The major auto manufacturer had 84 recalls that reached 27 million vehicles. It has caused the death of at least 52 individuals (that the public is aware) and GM admitted it had known about the deadly problem long before the recall. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident caused by or in a used car, you may have been hurt by a recalled car and are entitled to compensation for your damages. By filing a car accident claim you may be able to recover compensation for medical bills you have incurred, rehabilitation costs, damages associated with lost wages and more. Contact Our Experienced Accident Attorneys If you have been injured in a car accident, it is in your best interests to reach out to one of our experienced DuPage County car accident attorneys as soon as possible. We will carefully examine the specifics of your case and advocate on your behalf to help you recover damages. Reach out to the Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices for a consultation and to learn how we can help.