Product Recalls Alert: According to a recent undercover investigation, hundreds of new motor vehicles subject to open recalls were sold in 2014.
According to federal law, new cars sold by dealerships are supposed to be free of all potential safety defects, including recalls. Car salespeople are not legally bound to inform consumers regarding a recall, but the dealership is legally required to take care of the recall before selling a vehicle.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is the governmental agency tht is responsible for guaranteeing that new car dealerships comply with regulations on open safety recalls. As spokesman for that agency told the investigators “Selling a new vehicle that is under recall but has not been remedied is a violationof the law and a risk to public safety. There is no excuse for dealers to sell new vehicles while under recall, adn NHTSA has penalized dealers who have failed to meet their safety responsibilities, including two in just the last six months. Anyone with information abut dealers selling new cars with safety defects should provide that information to NHTSA so we can investigate and hold dealers accountable for any violations. We also hope that Congress will act soon to provide the same legal protection to used car buyers and rental car customers that the law now extends to new car buyers.”
Senator Ed Markey is a member of the Senate subcommittee on consumer protection. In his opinion, the law forbidding dealerships from selling new vehicles subject to open recalls is insufficient. He believes that the NHTSA must do more to enforce compliance with that law. “NHTSA should have done this work. It shouldnt’s take an investigation…to find this problem.”
Product recalls, especially those involving motor vehicles, can pose serious threats to consumers and public safety. A record number of motor vehicles were recalled in 2014 and 2015 has already seen millions of vehicle recalls as well.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a recalled vehicle, the experienced Ohio product liability attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List may be able to help.