Auto Defects: Full Speed Ahead?

When news came down that Chrysler was finally acknowledging the defect in more than 1.5 million of their Jeeps that left the gas tank prone to explosion in the case of rear-end collisions, most people assumed the worst was over. Though it had taken a great deal of prodding to get Chrysler to acknowledge the problem in the first place, at least a solution had been reached. Chrysler would fix the defective Jeeps by installing a tow hitch, an elegant solution to the difficult issue.

But just when it seemed that everything might finally work out, the NHTSA has discovered that Chrysler hasn’t actually followed through on the fixes. In fact, Chrysler has done next to nothing to address the issue, leaving millions of people still in danger of a catastrophic event if they are rear-ended.

The NHTSA has written a letter to Chrysler, urging them to address this ongoing issue. The problems continue, including:

• Dealers informing individuals there are no parts in stock, when Chrysler insists they have 400,000 parts available
• A completion rate of only 3 percent, despite over a year to fix the problems
• Dealers informing individuals they can’t install the new tow hitch due to rust in the area of installation
• Issues with other Chrysler vehicles, including Dodge Rams
• Delaying installation of airbags for another recall

If you have suffered injury of lost a loved one due to negligence on the part of a car company, don’t hesitate to contact an attorney. As Chrysler continues to prove, it is only when enough pressure mounts that something is actually done to address these problems. And when car companies are ignoring the NHTSA, the only avenue left for people to force change is the courtroom.