Driver safety doesn’t just mean following the rules of the road. As a responsible driver, it is important to keep unsafe vehicles off the road by maintaining and monitoring a vehicle’s safety record.
A safety recall occurs when an automotive manufacturer files a public report describing a particular safety-related defect in one or more of their vehicles. While the manufacturers initiate many recalls, they can be authorized to do so by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), especially if they find there is a serious and potentially hazardous defect that could put drivers in harm’s way.
The case that may well have kicked off the national media frenzy over Toyota’s product recall has been settled for an undisclosed fee, ending a long and troubled chapter in the Japanese car manufacturers previously untroubled safety history.
The publicized audio tape of a 911 call documented a Lexus SUV speeding out of control after its gas pedal became stuck, reaching 120 miles per hour before striking another car, killing the driver and all four passengers.
After the case broke in late 2009, a host of other safety violations were documented at Toyota, which was forced to issue multiple large-scale recalls, covering millions of cars. The automaker was fined $16.4 million in April 2010 by the government for failing to act quickly enough to recall faulty vehicles.
Toyota Motors recalled 680,000 vehicles in two new rounds of recalls in March 2012. The manufacturer recalled 500,000 Toyota Tacoma trucks that were sold from 2005 to 2009 because of a faulty steering wheel mechanism rubbing against the cable assembly, which could deactivate the airbag. The second recall, involves 70,500 Toyota Camry sedans and 116,000 Toyota Venza crossover SUVs that were produced between 2009 and 2011 due to silicon grease on the car’s brake lamp switches, which interferes with the electrical system that controls the car’s “shift interlock” safety device. The “shift interlock” device safeguards the car from accidental acceleration when the car is started and shifted into drive or reverse without the brake pedal being depressed.
Experts say that consumers should keep up to date on the latest news about their vehicle’s safety records, as a missed recall notice could have potentially deadly consequences. In addition, overlooking this type of risk factor could cause hikes in auto insurance rates.
The NHTSA provides information for vehicle safety and recent vehicle safety recalls.
