Car Recalls Are at an All-Time High

San Diego lemon law attorneys can provide legal representation in circumstances where there are problems with vehicles that you have purchased. Unfortunately, there are more problems with cars than ever before.  The Detroit Free Press recently wrote about the record number of car recalls, and pointed out the serious problem that is occurring: many of the recalled vehicles are not being repaired.

A Record Number of Recalls Leaves Unrepaired Vehicles on the Road

According to the Detroit Free Press, there were a record number of cars recalled in the United States last year. There were a total of 927 separate recalls that involved more than 53 million vehicles with serious problems. This followed a multi-year trend of record numbers of recalls occurring. Recalls have increased each year since 2011 when there were approximately 13.6 million vehicle recalls over the course of the year.

Unfortunately, around 30 percent of recalled vehicles are not repaired and motorists are still driving the unrepaired cars on America's roads. This endangers the drivers of these vehicles, as they may be at risk of serious harm. It also endangers others on the roads who could become involved in a collision due to a recalled vehicle malfunction. 

Drivers have many reasons for not getting recalled vehicles repaired, even though they do not have to pay for the repairs. Some drivers may misunderstand how severe a recall is or feel that the problem with their car is not a serious one. Other drivers may not know that their car has been subject to a recall. This can be an especially big issue in circumstance where a motorist has bought a used car. Most drivers are not aware that car dealers can sell vehicles under recall without making the required repairs. This means drivers have no idea their car is potentially dangerous and is putting their safety in jeopardy.

Making contact with drivers is described as the biggest roadblock in the recall process. Detroit Free Press has indicated that there may be a solution in partnering with the Department of Motor Vehicles, which has information about cars driven by each state residents.  However, the Department of Motor Vehicles is not generally involved in recalls under the current system. Car manufacturers work to provide notice of recalls to consumers, but this notice doesn't always get to them so they may be unaware of the fact their car is putting them at risk.

Car manufacturers need to do better in making sure dangerous cars do not get into the marketplace in order to reduce the risks and lower the number of recalls.  If car manufacturers don't improve, 2018 will be another record year for recalls and the risk to motorists will rise even further.

Motorists also need to know their rights when a car they buy has problems. This includes not just in recall situations, but also when their new vehicle has many defects. San Diego lemon law attorneys can provide help to motorists who have issues with new vehicles they have purchased and who want to explore their options for pursing a legal remedy.