On Nov. 15, General Motors issued a recall that affected 60,000 of its Chevy Malibu mid-sized automobiles, including 44,000 2014-model-year vehicles. GM said that its dealers would fix the issues free of charge and that the firm wasn’t aware of any accidents that had occurred because of the issue. More than 42,000 of the Malibus were sold in the U.S., but reports did not specify how many of these were on the road in Ohio.
It remains to be seen whether any product liability lawsuits will arise because of the defects. The firm said that problematic wiring connected to power seating systems could catch fire, release smoke or cause sparks. Other defects covered by the recall included improperly programmed computers that could cause errors in the defrost system and thus obscure driver visibility.
The firm said that two vehicles have caught fire but that these incidents did not result in injuries. It is unknown, however, if other incidents that occurred weren’t reported because the firm hadn’t yet publicized information concerning the defects.
Defective parts can lead to severe vehicle accidents, but the motorists who suffer may not even know that their vehicles are faulty. Manufacturers may not catch problems in time to notify motorists, and, in some cases, faulty parts can cause associated vehicle issues that indirectly result in serious injuries or even deaths. When families lose loved ones because of vehicle defects, attorneys could help them pursue class action settlements or initiate wrongful death lawsuits against the automakers who failed to notify victims of serious problems in a more timely fashion.
Source: MSN, “GM to recall nearly 60,000 Chevy Malibus”, November 15, 2013
