Lemon Law for California

Build Dates : April 01, 2006 - August 30, 2006

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V254000

Date Owner’s Notified: 20060731
Date Received by ODI: 20060713
Date Added to Databse: 20060713

Manufacturer’s Involved: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Manufacturer’s Responsible for the Recall: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Manufacturer Campaign Number: 06054

Component: PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL:AIR

Potential Number Of Units Affected : 1184

Summary: 

Certain medium duty trucks equipped SR-7 bendix brake valves, the check valve inside the valve cavity may not properly set, causing internal air leakage. If the check valve does not properly seat, the resulting leakage can cause a delay in the application of the spring brakes to park the vehicle after operator pulls the dash valve button.

Consequence: 

The delayed parking brake application can occur without warning, leading to unintended vehicle rollaway increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 

Dealers will inspect the valves and replace it free of charge. The recall began on July 31, 2006. 

Defective vehicle parts are referred to as product liability cases. Generally there are two types of defects: manufacturing and design. A manufacturing defect exists if the product itself is different from the manufacturer’s intended result, or if the product is different from apparently identical products made by the same manufacturer. A design defect exists if the product fails to perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect when used in an intended or reasonably foreseeable manner, or, if there is a risk of danger inherent in the design which outweighs the benefits of that design.

Defective vehicle parts result in approximately 42,000 passenger fatalities a year. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act originally enacted in 1966 gives the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the authority to issue vehicle safety standards and to require manufacturers to recall vehicles with safety-related defects. Since then, more than 215 million cars, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds, as well as 24 million tires, have been recalled to correct safety defects.

Below are just some examples of defective vehicle parts:

   1. Steering components that may break suddenly causing partial or complete loss of vehicle control.

   2. Problems with fuel system components, particularly in their susceptibility to crash damage, that may result in leakage of fuel and possibly cause vehicle fires.

   3. Improperly designed or constructed tires that may blow out unexpectedly.

   4. Accelerator controls that may break or stick.

   5. Wheels that may crack or break, resulting in loss of vehicle control.

   6. Fuel system defects that can cause vehicle stalling or fires.

   7. Wiring system problems that could result in a fire or loss of lighting.

People injured by a defective product may be able to obtain payment for their lost income, damages, and medical expenses. This area of the law is known as products liability law. It allows people whose reasonable expectation of safety has been violated by a poorly designed or improperly manufactured product to claim compensation for the injuries caused by the product.

Injured consumers can bring product liability cases on grounds of poor design, manufacture, or labeling:

    * vehicle rollover or (electronic stability control)

    * Poor design that made vehicles not crashworthy

    * Consumer products of all kinds

    * Industrial machinery

    * Medical devices, such as stents

    * Power tools, such as saws, drills, and nail guns

    * Toys marketed to the wrong age segment

    * Unsafe playground equipment

    * Bicycles and bike helmets

    * Camping and recreational equipment, such as stoves, folding chairs, and boats