There has been a record inc
rease in the amount of recalls from vehicle manufacturers in 2014 so far, and we are only halfway through the year!
So far, the largest issue has been with airbags; most recently a huge recall of vehicles using airbags has put that number sky high for the year. Several different manufacturers use these airbags that are made by one company.
Car safety and transport safety in general are big topics – are for good reason. Issues with vehicles affects our daily lives and is not a statistically insignificant issue. Just look at the number of road fatalities in the U.S. each year.
Automakers are recalling millions of vehicles to replace defective explosive charges in air bags that can send metal shrapnel flying at occupants during a crash. Car companies have now called back at least 31.4 million vehicles in the U.S. this year, breaking the industry’s record for annual recalls of 30.8 million set in 2004. The air bag issue so far accounts for about 3 million of that and is likely to grow.
The air bags, made by Takata Corp. are used in millions of vehicles made by Honda, Nissan, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda and BMW, underscoring how increasing use of common parts is amplifying safety problems. To cut costs, automakers are designing different models to share platforms and many parts, so a single defect can affect millions more vehicles than in the past.
While it is hard to argue the necessity to reduce costs, this does show that the reliance of many large corporations on one company for a critical safety component can have its downfalls.
The NHTSA has found that on some of vehicles, the propellant housed in a metal canister in the system can burn too quickly, causing the container to explode. If that happens, metal shards will spray into the passenger cabin. Sometimes the problem is with the driver’s air bag; at other times it occurs on the passenger side.
Millions of vehicles in the U.S. and elsewhere have previously been recalled for the problem. But NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation started receiving more reports of incidents of air bag inflator ruptures last year. The agency said it learned of three injuries caused by the problem.
A review found at least six incidents that occurred in hot and humid regions such as Florida and Puerto Rico. Investigators are looking into whether high humidity is causing the propellant in the air bag canisters to burn too quickly.
Read more on this issue at the LA Times.
While this highlights some large scale issues, there are smaller things that you can do to ensure that you remain safe. Be sure to check over your vehicle and ensure it is in good running shape. If you are going to ship your car soon, be sure to take the time to get your minor mechanical issues taken care of – you don’t want to end up with a non-working car being delivered!
When you are ready for a great car shipping quote visit us at: http://cobaltautoservices.com/auto-shipping-quotes/
This article, http://blog.cobaltautoservices.com/car-transport-service/car-safety-issues-increasing-2014/, was first posted at Cobalt Auto Transport Blog.
You can also read Car safety issues increasing in 2014 on E-Z Transport.
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