Vehicle Safety Recalls: How Can You Help Save Lives

More than 42,000 people die every year in car accidents in the United States and you can do something about it. Unsafe cars shouldn’t be out on the streets and all it takes is a consumer’s phone call for massive safety recalls to begin.

The government agency in charge of researching and enacting vehicle safety recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), receives thousands of reports made by concerned drivers like you and me.

Every report is reviewed by safety experts and when they notice repeated problems with a given model, an in-depth investigation begins. In many cases these result is the NHTSA issuing a recall order of a vehicle or component.

Safety defects they look for include those that affect its operation or interfere with proper protection in case of an accident. For example:

Steering problems that cause loss of vehicle control.
Problems with fuel system components.
Accelerator controls that break or stick.
Wheels that crack or break.
Engine cooling fan blades that break.
Windshield wiper parts that don’t work like they’re supposed to.
Seats and seatbacks that fail unexpectedly.
Critical vehicle components that break or fall off the car.
Problems with wiring systems that can start fires or reduce lighting.
Airbags that deploy when they’re not supposed to.
Child safety seats and restrains that create a risk of injury.

Since 1966, when the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was first enacted, more than 299 million vehicles, 43 million tires and 84 pieces of motor vehicle equipment have been recalled by the NHTSA.

For more information and to make a report visit www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Vehicle Safety Recalls: How Can You Help Save Lives

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