Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

Federal prosecutors are scrutinizing whether employees inside and outside General Motors Co.’s legal department concealed evidence from regulators about a faulty ignition switch. It is alleged that the hiding of such evidence potentially delayed a recall of vehicles with the fatal problem.

The examining of GM’s legal department comes just after the release of an internal GM report in June that faulted the company’s lawyers for failing to alert other managers to lawsuits against GM that could have helped resolve a pattern of accidents in which air bags failed to deploy. The legal department is only one area prosecutors are scrutinizing for possible criminal liability, reports indicate.

A spokesman for the largest U.S. auto maker said the company is cooperating with the investigation.

At this time, current and former employees are being reviewed as part of a larger criminal investigation into possibly misleading statements the company made to regulators about a faulty ignition switch used in 2.6 million Cobalt and other small cars. The investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan covers matters dating back a decade.

Prosecutors are under pressure from lawmakers to hold executives at GM responsible for the long-lasting product defect that has been linked to 54 accidents and at least 13 deaths.

The investigation, while at an early stage, could possibly end without any charges being brought. While it will be interesting to see how this case plays out, it is important to note that criminal cases against in-house lawyers are quite rare and can be rather difficult to prove. In many instances, these cases are further complicated by issues of attorney-client privilege.

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BMW has recalled several of its most popular models due to defective Takata airbags, a problem that is hitting much of the global auto industry.

The German automaker will recall 1.6 million 3-Series cars from model years 2000 to 2006 across the world, including 574,000 in the U.S.

The company said the recall is just a precaution because other automakers using similar systems have had issues.

The problem with the Takata airbags is that airbag inflators in these systems can rupture. When this happens, not only can the airbags not work properly, but they could blast shrapnel into passengers.

Honda, who has had similar issues with these airbags, reported two deaths in 2009 linked to the problem. They have recalled vehicles with Takata bags six times since then.

The airbag issue is responsible for millions of recalled vehicles over the past few years, including those made by Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota. The recalls have mostly been of vehicles in states with hot and humid weather, which includes Florida.

BMW said no problems have been reported in their vehicles. However, dealers will replace the passenger-side front air bags.

The new recall excludes 42,000 BMWs recalled in May 2013 for the exact same problem. The company says it is recalling all vehicles equipped with potentially defective airbag systems regardless of where they were sold.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating air bags made by Takata in June. The agency said they received six reports of air bags rupturing in Florida and Puerto Rico, resulting in three people suffering injuries.

The NHTSA estimated 1.1 million vehicles in the U.S. could be affected, but they believe that number is likely to climb.

The government wanted automakers to act swiftly to warn those in warm states while it continues to investigate the issue.

If an airbag defect in your car has resulted in an unfortunate accident, you may be struggling to recover from any injuries and unsure of what you can do to remedy your situation. While the law can be complex, you do have legal recourse against the vehicle’s manufacturer. Manufacturers have a duty to pay attention to the quality of the products they put out and issue recalls in a timely manner should a problem arise. When automakers and manufacturers fail to do this, innocent consumers can be seriously injured or killed.

Thousands of people suffer serious injuries from defective products every year. Most of these injuries could have been avoided if the makers and manufacturers of these products took extra care to ensure the safety of consumers. Every year, thousands of consumers sustain serious injuries from defective products. Many of these injuries could be avoided if the manufacturers or distributors of these products took additional steps to ensure consumer safety.

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Mitsubishi Motors Corp is recalling cars made with Takata Corp air bags in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mitsubishi has joined nine other automakers in conducting a recall in those states.

Mitsubishi has said it will conduct a limited recall of model year 2004 and 2005 Lancer sedans with Takata passenger-side air bags that have inflators that may cause them to open with too much force, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to the NHTSA website,”In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger-side frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the vehicle occupants.”

Nearly 12 million vehicles with Takata air bags or inflators have been recalled within the past five years.

The Japanese auto parts supplier announced on Friday that they have experienced a “special loss” of about 45 billion yen, which equates to $440 million, because of the problem.

Like most of the automakers participating in the recall, Mitsubishi has limited the recall to a portion of the United States and U.S. territories.

Mitsubishi released the following statement: “Due to NHTSA’s belief that humidity is a contributing factor to the inflator condition at issue, the (recall) will be limited to affected vehicles that are registered in, or were originally sold in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

Some of the other automakers have expanded the recall to include other warm-weather states or the entire country.

Mitsubishi says they do not know of any crashes, injuries or deaths related to Lancer sedans with Takata air bags. The company claims it has not found any safety defect on its own and is recalling the cars because it is working “in good faith” with NHTSA.

BMW announced earlier this week that it would recall 1.6 million 3 Series cars with Takata front passenger-side air bags.

According to a Mitsubishi spokesman, the company is “still investigating” how many Lancer sedans will be involved in the recall.

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