Auto makers, in 2009, recalled the most number of defective autos since the last five years, according to an article in Detroit News. Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that in 2009, auto makers recalled 16.4 million vehicles, which is the highest annual tally since 2005. Leading these recalls was Toyota Motor Corp., which recalled 4.87 million vehicles, most of those for sudden acceleration problems. Ford came in second with 4.5 million vehicles largely because of its recall involving faulty cruise control switches that posed a fire hazard. General Motors recalled 2.2 million vehicles; Chrysler 590,000; Honda recalled 454,000 primarily for airbag defects; Nissan 706,000; Hyundai and Kia about 1.3 million.

Massive Toyota Recall

Toyota’s troubles in 2009 started in the fall, with a fatal San Diego car accident, which killed California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor and three of his family members. Saylor was driving a loaner Lexus, which accelerated out of control and crashed. Toyota is now replacing and shortening accelerator pedals as well as changing floor mats and in other cases, reprogramming vehicle software. The number of recalls issued in 2009 however, was the lowest since 2006. Auto makers launched 492 recall campaigns last year compared to 684 in 2008. The 2009 recalls accounted for a greater number of vehicles, though.

Vehicle Defects are Still a Huge Problem

What do all these numbers mean? In my opinion, they are interesting to read about, but do not mean much in terms of the key issue we are talking about here — auto safety. I believe that auto makers do not issue these auto defect recalls because they genuinely care about you and I — their consumers.

In most cases, especially in Toyota’s case, we have been reading that federal officials had to arm-twist them into recalling more than 4 million defective vehicles. The sudden acceleration problem has existed for more than a decade. It has caused numerous personal injuries and several deaths, according to various news reports. But the auto maker did not bring it out in the open. They did not want to break their impeccable image and lose their “most reliable” stamp. So they continued to sell these defective autos not really caring about the impact it could have on consumers. Ford, GM, Chrysler and the other auto makers are no different. It’s the culture of corporate greed that runs deep.

Need for New Auto Safety Regulations and Better Enforcement

As long as our government continues with its antiquated standards and lack of enforcement, auto makers will push the envelope some more, just to see what they can get away with. And believe me, as someone who has represented and continues to represent people who are injured by defective autos, I know that they’ve gotten away with quite a lot.

For more information about auto product defects and how they can affect your life, order a copy of Brian Chase’s book “Still Unsafe at Any Speed: Auto Defects that Cause Wrongful Deaths and Catastrophic Injuries.”

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.