Vehicles with dangerous defects and those subject to auto recalls put the lives of drivers, passengers and bystanders alike in serious jeopardy, and when serious injuries result from their use, victims may be entitled to receive financial compensation. Car manufacturers owe consumers a duty to ensure that when vehicle defects are discovered, warnings are issued in a timely manner.

Sadly, recent years have witnessed multiple incidents in which that duty was blatantly neglected, as evidenced by the safety concerns that have plagued Toyota and General Motors of late.

At the Sanders Firm, our New York product liability lawyers are committed to seeking justice on behalf of injury victims and holding car makers accountable when their actions constitute a breach of the public trust.

Recent vehicle recalls affect millions

While auto recalls are intended to provide warning and remedies to consumers affected by dangerous and defective auto parts, recent events have underscored the fact that such programs are often insufficient to protect the public from harm. Since February of 2014, General Motors has recalled over 2.6 million of its small cars due to faulty ignition switches known to cut engine power even at highway speeds and subsequently deactivate air bags.

The defect has been linked to at least 13 deaths and many more injuries. Though lawsuits against the car maker are only just beginning to emerge, the company has already engaged the services of a lawyer famous for managing damage payouts in the aftermath of disasters, a potentially strong signal that it may be willing to pay compensation to victims, despite the fact that its 2009 bankruptcy arguably relieved it of liability. Market analysts have suggested that GM would need to set aside no less than $2 billion in order to handle the volume of expected claims.

March 2014 also saw a landmark settlement between Toyota Motor Corporation and the United States Department of Justice stemming from claims that the automaker misled the public about defects that resulted in unintended, sudden acceleration in its vehicles. The company agreed to pay a record-breaking fine of $1.2 billion, the largest sanction ever assessed against a car maker. That sum brought the entire cost to Toyota of the sudden acceleration issue to roughly $5 billion, inclusive of all fines, settlement payments, lost revenue and repair costs.

The significant amount of penalties and settlements surrounding these recent recall and defect controversies highlight the fact that dangers posed to the public at large by auto companies are taken very seriously and that substantial compensation is often available for victims of this type of negligence. The Sanders Firm is committed to seeking justice for those harmed by defective automobiles and to sending a message that corporate indifference to public safety will not go unanswered.