Recalls are a reality across the automotive world. Your own car may have been the subject of a recall at some point, and you were probably inconvenienced when you had to bring it back to the dealer to fix. Though the recall may have disrupted your plans that day, ultimately you knew it was a safety issue and had to be fixed to protect you and all the other drivers on the road.
The commercial trucking industry is no different. Large trucks make it off the assembly line with defective parts that go undiscovered until either someone gets hurt or someone gets lucky enough to uncover the problem. But as with everything truck related, the sheer size and damaging potential of an 18-wheeler raise the stakes for recalls. Serious injuries and fatalities are the norm in truck wrecks, so it’s critical to get defects fixed quickly.
We’ve noticed a series of rather high-profile recalls in the trucking industry so far this year, so we wanted to share them with you. As Texas personal injury lawyers, we feel it is important for the public to remember that the causes of truck accidents aren’t limited to driver error, DUI, or improper loading. The trucks themselves may be defective.
April: Navistar International Corp. recalled more than 24,000 trucks due to problems with the exhaust tailpipe falling off the trucks, which could cause a crash if it struck other vehicles. 2016-2020 International LT and 2017-2018 Prostar models are affected by the recall. The brackets and hangers that hold the exhaust system to the underside of the vehicle were not made strong enough, leading to failure. The NHTSA recall number is 19V-122.
March/April: Volvo Trucks North America recalled nearly 11,000 sleeper cab trucks from model years 2018-2020 because their rear windows can fall out. The hinges that bond the glass to the truck body tend to fail, causing the window glass to fall out of the truck and potentially onto the road or onto cars following the truck. The NHTSA recall number is 19V-208.
March: Daimler Trucks North America recalled 3,365 trucks because the driver’s airbag may deploy unintentionally, injuring the driver or causing a loss of vehicle control. The recall affects 2018-2020 Freightliner Cascadia models. Daimler suspects damaged steering wheel clock springs may cause the airbags to deploy, but as of now, that is not official. The NHTSA recall number is 19V-066.
February: Hino Motor Sales USA recalled 7,231 trucks from model years 2007-2019 because of faulty brakes that perform dangerously in wet conditions. The trucks were built without brake drum shields, allowing water to saturate the brakes. Under hard braking, the brakes grab unevenly and can cause the truck to lose control. The NHTSA recall number is 19V-044.
These are just a handful of the recalls during a busy 2019. Here at Ted B. Lyon & Associates in Dallas, our attorneys are highly experienced in pursuing compensation for people injured in truck accidents, including those caused by defective trucks. If you would like to talk, contact us anytime for a free initial consultation.
