New Jersey Personal Injury Blog
Category – Fuel System Defects
General Motors Recalls Approximately 10,000 Vehicles due to Fire Hazard
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall of 9,389 Chevrolet and GMC vehicles by General Motors, LLC. (GM) due to a fuel system defect, which can cause road contaminants and water to become trapped in the fuel filter pipe’s protective conduit. This may cause the pipe to corrode and result in fuel leakage during refueling.
This recall includes model year 2003 to 2004 GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express vehicles equipped with a cargo door on the left-side. The recall is for vehicles which are currently registered and/or were originally sold in the District of Columbia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Vermont, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Delaware, and Connecticut.
GM has not announced a notification schedule as of yet, but will notify owners of the recall and dealers will retrofit the affected vehicles with a new fuel filter neck at no-cost. For additional information, owners can call GMC at (866) 996-9463 and Chevrolet at (866) 694-6546. The NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline is also available at (888) 327-4236. GM’s campaign number for this recall is 12166.
If you have been injured as the result of a vehicle defect in New Jersey, the NJ defective fuel system lawyers at Blume Goldfaden can examine the details of the injury-causing incident to determine whether you may have a meritorious claim against the auto manufacturer. To learn more about your legal rights and options, call us at (973) 635-5400 for a no-cost consultation.
Ford Motor Company Recalls Escape Vehicles due to Fuel System Defect
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford Motor Company is recalling 9,320 Escape vehicles due to a defect in the fuel system, which could cause a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire and/or personal injury.
The recalled SUVs include model year 2013 Escapes equipped with a 1.6 Liter engine that were manufactured from October 5, 2011 through July 11, 2012. The engine compartment fuel line in these vehicles may split and cause a fuel leak. If the leak is in proximity to an ignition source, the possibility of an engine fire and burn injuries increase.
Ford Motor Co. will notify owners of the recall and instruct them to stop driving their vehicles and to contact a Lincoln or Ford dealer to arrange the pick-up of the defective vehicle as well as a rental car, if necessary. The dealer will replace the vehicle’s engine compartment fuel line at no cost to the owner. For more information, owners can call Ford at (866) 436-7332 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236. The Ford recall number is 12S35.
Auto manufacturers are responsible for the safety of their vehicles. If a defect contributes to a traffic accident resulting in an injury, the auto manufacturer may be held liable.
At Blume Goldfaden, our experienced New Jersey fuel system defect lawyers have the knowledge and resources to investigate your accident in order to determine whether you may have a meritorious claim. If you would like to learn more about your legal rights and potential options, contact us for a no-cost consultation at (973) 635-5400.
Ford Recalls Over 1,000,000 Vehicles due to Fuel System Defect
Ford Motor Company, in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is recalling approximately 1,100,000 vehicles due to a fire hazard caused by potentially severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle. This corrosion may be caused by prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals. The corrosion may cause both fuel tank straps to fail, causing either the fuel lines to separate from the tank or the tank falling to the ground. The safety recall will begin on approximately September 12, 2011.
The recalled vehicles include certain model year:
- 1997 through 2003 Ford F-150 pick-up trucks;
- 2004 Ford F-150 Heritage pick-up trucks;
- 1997 through 1999 F-250 pick-up trucks less than 8,500 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR); and
- 2002 and 2003 Lincoln Blackwood pick-up trucks.
The aforementioned vehicles were manufactured from June 20, 1995 through August 4, 2004 and were originally sold or are currently registered in the following states:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania,
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- District of Columbia
Ford will notify owners of the affected vehicles and instruct them to take their pick-up truck to a Lincoln or Ford dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with ones that have an increased level of corrosion protection. If replacement straps are not available, the dealer may install a support cable under the strap as a temporary repair, or, a steel reinforcement over the strap as a permanent repair. Any remedy will be done at no-cost to the vehicle’s owner. For more information, owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236. The recall campaign number is 11S21.
Since auto manufacturers are responsible for the safety of consumers who purchase their products, the negligent manufacture or design of auto parts that cause injury can result in the auto company being held responsible for the injuries, losses and damages that result.
At Blume Goldfaden, our experienced gas tank defect attorneys in New Jersey can examine the circumstances of your accident and determine whether you have a meritorious claim. To learn more about your legal options, contact us at 973-635-5400 for a free consultation.