In California, the Lemon Law keeps consumers protected from defective vehicles. But how exactly do defective vehicles affect consumers? A range of statistics on automobile accidents, vehicle safety recalls, and automobile product liability show just how dangerous lemons can be. Not only have defective vehicles led to accidents and injuries, some have even caused deaths. Read on to learn more about the statistics of auto accidents and safety recalls in the U.S.
Automobile Accidents Statistics
Automobile accidents are extremely common in the U.S. While many of these accidents are caused by human error, safety defects in vehicles have also led to numerous accidents, some of them fatal. Here are the stats of auto accidents in the U.S.
- Every year, close to 6 million auto accidents occur in the U.S.
- Annually, auto accidents take the lives of about 42,000 people in the U.S.
- In addition to causing deaths, auto accidents cause injuries to about 2.75 million people in the U.S. each year.
- Auto accidents are the number one cause of lasting, debilitating injuries in the U.S.
- Auto accidents are also the top cause of death for people under 34 in the U.S.
- The annual loss to society because of auto accidents amounts to over $230 billion.
Safety Recalls: The Numbers
Looking at the numbers on safety recalls allows us to see just how common motor vehicle defects are. Here are some major safety recall statistics from recent years.
- Since 1966, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been forced to recall over 390 million vehicles due to safety defects.
- Takata Corp., a supplier of airbags to major brands such as Toyota, Honda, Ford, BMW and Nissan, has recalled more than 70 million vehicles due to explosive and dangerous airbags. At least 11 deaths and 180 injuries resulted from these defective airbags in the United States alone.
- The NHTSA has also had to recall over 46 million tires and 66 million vehicle components with such defects.
- In 2011, 15.5 million vehicles were recalled in the U.S. While this number decreased from the 20 million that were recalled in 2010, it is still higher than the numbers from 2008 and 2009 (8.6 million and 15.2 million).
- Honda/Acura recalled the most vehicles in 2011: 3.8 million. Toyota followed with 3.5 million, then Ford with 3.3 million.
- Other manufacturers recalled drastically fewer cars than those top three manufacturers. Chrysler came in fourth with 773,000 recalls, and Subaru took the number five spot with recalled 591,752 vehicles. The next five manufacturers on the recall list were Hyundai (503,418), General Motors (500,000), Nissan, (302,013), Volkswagen (289,740), and BMW (276,368).
- Recently, Toyota was forced to recall 7.5 million vehicles for door fires. This included multiple models made from 2007-2009. Toyota also recently recalled 2.77 million of its 2001-2011 vehicles (multiple models) due to faulty steering.
Many of the defects associated with recalls have led to death or injuries. For example, in 2010, GM recalled 1.5 million vehicles due to engine fires, which caused 14 accidents. In 2009, Toyota recalled 8.5 million vehicles due to power steering failure, which caused 2,000 accidents, 243 injuries, and 16 deaths.
What the Statistics Tell Us
There are a lot of statistics related to auto accidents and safety recalls, but what exactly do those statistics tell us? First, the statistics tell us that auto accidents are a major cause for concern in the U.S. Not only are they prevalent, but they are also a leading cause of death for the younger demographic. Furthermore, auto accidents do even more harm than taking lives – they also lead to major injuries that can last a lifetime and to economic devastation.
When it comes to safety recalls, the statistics tell us that lemons are more common than we may think. Major auto manufacturers are recalling hundreds of thousands, even millions of vehicles each year for a wide range of defects, including engine fires, faulty steering, door fires, air bag defects, headlight failure, sudden loss of power, and more. In some cases, the defects associated with these recalls have led to major accidents, causing severe injuries and claiming lives, which shows how dangerous lemons can be.
Contact Johnson Attorneys Group Today
If you believe that your new motor vehicle may be a lemon, do not hesitate to begin prosecuting your claim. At Johnson Attorneys Group, we are dedicated to protecting your consumer rights and will ensure that you receive the compensation you are entitled to. Don’t allow manufacturer defects to cause you any more harm than they already have. Contact Johnson Attorneys Group today for a free consultation about your case.
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