Auto Crashes: Rust Can Compromise Your Safety

Car owners have a right to expect their new vehicles will be free from defects and will hold up for a reasonable length of time. When cars start having repeated problems after purchase, a Sacramento lemon law attorney can provide help to motorists in taking appropriate legal action to pursue a remedy.

Unfortunately, over time, wear-and-tear and other problems can affect vehicles. One common problem that arises on many cars is that vehicles begin to rust. Many people view rust as merely a cosmetic problem with cars, but this is actually not the case. In fact, as Motor Authority reports, rust can compromise the safety of your vehicle if your car becomes involved in a crash.

Rust Compromises Car Safety in an Auto Accident

According to Motor Authority, a Swedish insurance company published a video recently demonstrating how severely rust can impact the crashworthiness of a motor vehicle.

The video featured a first-generation Mazda 6 vehicle. This particular car was chosen because it has a well-known reputation for rusting out in circumstances where the car is exposed to salty conditions on the road. The Swedish company put a rusted Mazda 6 through a crash test and the results demonstrate just how severely the rust can compromise the safety and integrity of a vehicle in the event of a motor vehicle accident.

The crash test with the rusted-out Mazda 6 showed that when an accident happened, the chassis rail separated from the vehicle's floor. The footwell also ruptured on the rusted vehicle, and the sill gave out because of the accident.  There were also big problems inside of the car as well. For example, the seat mountings moved in the crashed vehicle. This led to the crash test dummy sustaining a blow to the head when his head hit the B-pillar because of the movement of the seat mountings.

Because so many components were affected by rusty conditions, the crash test revealed that driving a rusted car significantly increased the chances of a serious or even fatal injury among the vehicle occupants. Motor Authority reports that an occupant of a rusted car would have as much as a 20 percent higher risk of death in a motor vehicle accident compared with a motorist in a car that was in good condition.

A second video highlights the contrast between a car that is rusted and a car that is better protected from rust. The second video shows a Volkswagen Golf being put through a crash test. While the Golf has some rust on it, it has less than the Mazda and it performs much better in the collision test.

Both of the crash tests were performed using older standards from 2003 in order to be fair in comparing the cars since the vehicles were much older. All essential safety components on both vehicles were still functional; the only difference was the level of rust compromising the car.

Drivers should be aware of the risks of rust and should maintain their cars in a safe way to try to reduce the chances their vehicles will leave them vulnerable in a collision due to rusting out. Drivers also need to know their rights in all situations where a new car turns out to have problems. A Sacramento lemon law attorney can provide help to motorists with vehicles that have serious defects.