It’s important that you say up to date on the vehicles that have been recalled by manufacturers. If you have a vehicle that is recalled, you could be putting your life or others’ lives at risk each time you drive.
Take, for example, a recall that happened in February. Hyundai and Kia both recalled vehicles because they were at a greater risk of catching on fire. As a result of the defect, around 485,000 vehicles need to be recalled.
The scary thing about this recall is that the vehicles could catch on fire even if they’ve been turned off. That’s a unique problem, and it’s one that could put people at risk on the road and at home.
What’s making these vehicles so dangerous?
It’s understood that the antilock brake control module is getting contaminated, and that contamination then leads to an electrical short. The electrical short could happen at any time, so there is a risk even when the vehicles are parked.
The recalled vehicles so far include certain models of the Kia Sportage SUVs from the 2014 to 2016 line and the K900 sedans from the 2016 to 2018 lines. The Hyundais that have been recalled include modes from between 2014 and 2018. Some include the Santa Fe SUVs from 2016 to 2018 and the Tucson SUV from 2015. There is a full list of recalled vehicles available in this news report.
In a crash caused by a defect, who is to blame?
Typically, if you get into a crash that is linked to a defect with your vehicle, you will be able to pursue a claim against the manufacturer. If you are hit by another person and then have your vehicle react by catching on fire, there is a potential that you could pursue claims against both parties, the other driver as well as the manufacturer.
Check these kinds of recalls carefully, because they are often recalls for simple defects that can be repaired in a few hours. In this case, a simple replacement of a fuse or the control modules could help prevent a serious crash from occurring.
