You don’t have to be victimized by a negligent driver to end up in a serious motor vehicle accident. Sometimes, faulty equipment in your own or another person’s vehicle can cause a crash.
For example, General Motors (GM) just issued a massive recall notice to 3.4 million vehicle owners. Acting in response to pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM reluctantly put out the notice that numerous trucks and sports utility vehicles may have a problem with their brakes. The NHTSA has been investigating at least 111 complaints since last year — including nine crashes.
The problem is that the pump inside the power-assist brakes in several different models of GM vehicles can start putting out less vacuum power as it ages. That increases the time and distance it takes for a driver to stop. You can probably imagine how startling it would be to have your brakes change their performance on you unexpectedly — and how easily that could lead to an accident.
Among the recalled vehicles are the GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 pickups models from 2014 through 2018. The Chevrolet Silverado from those years is also part of the recall, as are Tahoes and Suburbans made from 2015 to 2018. GMC Yukons from 2015 to 2018 are also affected, as are Cadillac Escalades from 2015 to 2017. Dealerships will recalibrate the module in the vehicles’ brakes at no cost to the owners as part of the recall.
Faulty equipment in a car can lead to accidents even when a driver does nothing wrong. If you’ve been hurt in a car accident caused by a defective vehicle, make sure that you understand all your rights to compensation for your losses.
