Product liability claims and the safety of the mass produced car

At the beginning of 2010, several car manufacturers recalled their leading models over product liability concerns. While certain Toyota, Citroén and Peugeot models were found to have problems with faulty accelerator pedals, Honda also had to recall some models over concerns with a power window switch. With four major car manufacturers having to recall some of their vehicles, the safety of mass produced cars has been called into question.

Toyota was the first to recall in January 2010 after eight of its models were found to have problems with the accelerator pedal. This led to 1.8 million of their cars having to be returned which left Toyota owners with no car or compensation while the repairs were being made.

The Japanese car company were made aware of 26 incidents in 2009 involving defective pedals in Europe alone although other reports of the fault have been made around the world including America and South Africa. It is believed that the car firm may have been aware of the fault as early as the winter of 2008, but it was first believed to be a 'quality' issue rather than a 'safety' one.

A tragic report of an accident in America in 2009 highlights just how serious the problem with the faulty pedals was. Travelling on a highway in a borrowed Lexus, a couple with their 13-year-old daughter and her uncle were all killed as the accelerator jammed and left them unable to stop at a junction. Extracts from the mother's call to emergency services shortly before the crash give a chilling insight into the build up to the crash:

"We're in a Lexus and we're going on 125 and our accelerator is stuck there's no brakes.. we're approaching the intersection... hold onhold on and pray."

Less than a month after Toyota's recall of the faulty models, Peugeot and Citron also recalled several of their models because of similar troubles. Around 97,000 Peugeot 107s and Citron C1s across Europe, including 6,700 in the UK were recalled due to the same potentially faulty accelerator pedals as the Toyota.

As with the customers of faulty Toyotas, Peugeot and Citron owners were not given a refund on their faulty car but instead instructed to take their cars to their nearest Citron dealer for any necessary repairs.

Although free from any known pedal faults, rival manufacturer Honda also experienced problems around the same time as the other car firms as an electric window switch was found to have the potential to start a fire. The fault led to the recall of 646,000 cars globally when the switch was found to have a tendency to melt or catch fire when exposed to extreme amounts of liquid such as heavy rain.

With leading car manufacturers being forced to recall some of their most popular models, it is hard not to question how much trust we can really place in the quality of mass produced cars.

While testing is carried out on new cars before they are released for sale, the latest surge in serious car faults suggests that this process is not thorough enough to identify potential problems with the cars which has led to unreliable and unsafe cars being released for sale.

As well as potentially leading to millions of product liability claims, the car faults also left motorists all around the world at serious risk of a car accident.

If you have experienced a fault with your car which has led to a road accident or a loss of your earnings, you may be eligible for a car accident claim.

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Why not call us today and find out more about making a product liability claim for the compensation you deserve.

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