Safety defects in consumer products can lead to tragic, life-altering accidents for Missouri and Illinois residents, especially when they exist in motor vehicles. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it is rolling out a free online search tool that will assist individuals with ascertaining if a specific vehicle is involved in any kind of uncompleted product recalls. This could help those who may be using defective products without being aware of that fact. Unfortunately, this tool may come too late for those who have already fallen victim to safety defects. Those individuals may benefit from seeking further information regarding pursuing a personal injury claim in civil court.
According to the NHTSA, motor vehicle manufacturers recall millions of vehicles each year due to either safety-related defects or a failure to conform with federal safety laws. In an effort to make it easier for vehicle owners to track such recalls, the government agency developed the new electronic tool that will allow them to look their vehicles up by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This will make it much easier for them to see if any sort of uncompleted product recall has been initiated on their vehicles, or any parts inside their vehicles.
The new online search tool can be accessed by typing www.safercar.gov/vinlookup into a web browser. Consumers can search for all major brands of motorcycles and light vehicles via the website. They simply need to enter the VIN into the search tool. The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx, stated that he considers safety one of his agency’s top priorities, and said that both existing car owners and shoppers or renters considering a specific vehicle will be able to determine if any particular vehicle is subject to safety defects that need to be repaired.
Along with the rollout of this new search tool, the NHTSA also established a mandate requiring all motorcycle and light vehicle manufacturers to take this one step further: by providing VIN search tools on their own company websites to allow consumers to look up uncompleted recalls on relevant vehicles. These manufacturers must update this information no less than on a weekly basis. Since the NHTSA tool relies so heavily on the information it obtains from these manufacturers, the agency has stressed that manufacturers regularly updating product defect information will be of upmost importance for making its search tool function efficiently.
For those consumers who are unaware, the vehicle identification number is usually found on the dashboard of a vehicle’s driver side, or on the door post where a door latches shut on a driver’s side door. Once a consumer enters the VIN number into the search tool, they will either see relevant product recall information or, if none apply, the term “No Open Recalls.”
For those who have already fallen victim to defective products, they may be able to file Missouri or Illinois civil lawsuits seeking financial reimbursement of any injuries they have sustained. These injuries could have been caused due to safety defects subject to product recalls or defective products that have not been recalled. To find out more information about the rights you may have surrounding your injuries, or the tragic death of a loved one, please call us toll-free at 1-888-586-7041. We take cases on a contingency basis, which means you will pay us nothing until, and only if, we obtain financial compensation on your behalf.
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Source Article: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/New-free-online-search-tool-for-recalls-using-VIN-released