Firestone Tire Accidents Show Why You Need to Pay Attention to Recalls
On August, 9th, 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. and Ford announced the recall of 14.4 million tires that contained a fatal safety defect. At the time of the recall, Firestone’s tires had been connected to 46 fatal car accidents. Another 80 accidents involving Firestone tires were connected to serious injuries. Crashes occurred because Firestone’s tires would peel their casings off after being exposed to high speeds and heat. When Firestone’s tires failed, people would lose control of their vehicles.Eventually, Firestone and Ford recalled almost 20 million tires. It turns out that 271 people died and more than 800 were injured from accidents caused by the defect.The Firestone and Ford recall crisis of late 2000 can teach us that it is extremely important to pay attention to recall information. Never entrust your life or the lives of your loved ones to recalled products.While automakers are required by law to notify consumers of recalls, sometimes people do not receive the message. Some people continue using vehicle parts after they have been recalled. Earlier this year, investigators with NHTSA determined Takata’s defective airbag caused the death of a Fort Worth teenager. The owners of the vehicle had been sent multiple recall notices over the last several years.In 2016, you can easily and quickly receive information on auto part recalls. Here are several ways to stay informed on recalls by using the internet.
Want to Check for Auto Part Recalls? This Guide May Help
Here are four ways you can stay informed on auto part recalls.Use safercar.gov: Safercar.gov is a recall information website operated by NHTSA. You can use the website’s search engine to pull information on tire, seat, vehicle and equipment recalls. To search for recalls, you will need the brand names, parts numbers, or tire lines and sizes to plug into the search engine. If you are looking for brand and tire line information, check the tire’s sidewall.Use NHTSA’s app: NHTSA has an app that can automatically send recall information to your smart phone. The SaferCar app is available for Android and iOS. If you wish to manually search for information using the app’s search engine, you will need the same information required for safercar.gov.Follow NHTSA on social media: NHTSA’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will send updates to followers when major recalls have been issued. By following NHTSA, you will be among the first to hear about recalls. In addition, NHTSA’s social media accounts offer helpful vehicle safety information.Follow Mike Love & Associates, LLC on Facebook and Twitter: Our social media accounts and blog will discuss recalls, both past and present. We also post guides on how you can check for recalls (much like this one!).Staying up to date on recalls is an easy task to accomplish in 2016. It is also a matter of great importance, as defective auto parts have killed thousands of people over the last several decades.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, are dedicated to improving the safety of our community.