The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (1966) gives the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the authority to issue vehicle safety standards and require manufacturers to recall vehicles that do not meet safety standards or have safety-related defects. Generally, a safety-related defect is a problem that exists in a motor vehicle or its equipment. According to the NHTSA, a vehicle or piece of vehicle equipment is considered defective if it…
1. poses a risk to motor vehicle safety, and
2. may exist in a group of vehicles of the same make or model, or contain equipment of the same design and manufacture.
Examples of safety defects include…
* Critical vehicle components that fall apart, break, or become detached from the vehicle, causing loss of vehicle control or injury to people inside or outside the vehicle.
* Problems with fuel system components, particularly in their susceptibility to crash damage, that result in leakage of fuel and potentially cause fires.
* Accelerator controls that could possibly break or stick.
* Wheels that break or crack, resulting in loss of vehicle control.
* Seats or seat backs that fail during normal use.
* Engine cooling fan blades that break without warning.
* Windshield wiper systems that fail to function properly.
* Steering components that break suddenly, causing loss of vehicle control.
* Child safety seats that contain defective safety belts or other components that create a risk, not only in the event of a crash, but also in non-operational safety of a motor vehicle.
* Car jacks or ramps that collapse, causing injury to someone repairing a vehicle.
* Wiring system problems that result in loss of lighting or fire.
* Air bags that deploy when they aren’t supposed to.
For any questions regarding defects and recalls, contact your vehicle manufacturer, visit NHTSA.dot.gov, or call our North Carolina lemon law office to find out how you can protect yourself as a consumer.
