Product recalls are supposed to be rare things. Companies expend millions on research and development and safety testing of their products before they go to market in order to prevent just such a thing from happening. However, serious defects can and do still happen, and recalls become a necessity. Here are some of the worst.
Toyota felt the burn of a mechanical defect in 2010 when they had to recall nine million Toyota Corollas, after thirty two deaths were reported. The mechanical defect was a serious issue which was caused when the driver put their foot on the accelerator pedal. The problem was the pedal ended up stuck in the down position, forcing the car to hurtle forward with no way of stopping it.
Toyota have been hanging their heads in shame ever since, trying to make up for this disastrous mistake which cost several live and millions of dollars in recall costs and liability claims against them.
It appears that Ford have struggled with many of their vehicles over the years. To be fair, with a company of the size and age of Ford, it’s hardly surprising that it hasn’t all be plain sailing from the beginning, but a few models have been subject to some pretty eye-opening safety concerns. The most recent of these occurred in 2000, when the company had to recall all of the Ford Lincoln Navigators manufacture between 1992 and 2003. The cruise control on these vehicles would cause the car to overheat and, in particularly bad cases, cause the vehicle to catch fire.
Ford then had to recall over five million Ford Rangers in 1996, after it was found that the suspension bolt would loosen leaving the steering column disabled. This followed the recall of over one million Ford Pintos which were recalled in 1978. The bumper-less design was an appeal to many buyers, but the fuel tank was so close to the back of the car, that it was easily damaged if the car was hit from behind. Accidents of this kind therefore created a major fire hazard. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was then found that the car’s doors had a habit of sticking shut after an accident, trapping the passengers inside the burning car.
While they were warned about the Ford Pinto by Japanese developers, Ford chose to ignore the concerns under the belief that the problem had been repaired.
Chevrolet didn’t get away easily either when they were forced to recall over four million of their Chevrolet Silverado trucks in 2004. While the fault wasn’t mechanical it was dangerous for anyone driving behind the truck. The problem was with the cables that held the tailgate flap into place; these were corroding rapidly, leaving the tailgate prone to flying off while driving. Couple this with high speed and a busy freeway and it’s not difficult to foresee the danger.
Honda has also experienced the pain of recalling a number of their vehicles when almost four million car were recalled in 1995 when it was found that their new push button release on the seat-belts didn’t work, potentially trapping passengers in the car. Clearly, this was a real hazard in the event of an accident. To add insult to injury, this same seat-belt system had been installed across multiple product ranges, including Civics, Preludes, Accords, Legends, NSX and Integras.
So take this as a lesson: be careful when buying second hand! Take care to research the back history of any prospective buy and keep an eye on the wire for any further recalls!
You can depend on safety with quality car hire from Birmingham airport and around the UK from Vroomvroomvroom.co.uk.
Toyota Mechanical Defect
Toyota felt the burn of a mechanical defect in 2010 when they had to recall nine million Toyota Corollas, after thirty two deaths were reported. The mechanical defect was a serious issue which was caused when the driver put their foot on the accelerator pedal. The problem was the pedal ended up stuck in the down position, forcing the car to hurtle forward with no way of stopping it.
Toyota have been hanging their heads in shame ever since, trying to make up for this disastrous mistake which cost several live and millions of dollars in recall costs and liability claims against them.
Multiple Ford Recalls
It appears that Ford have struggled with many of their vehicles over the years. To be fair, with a company of the size and age of Ford, it’s hardly surprising that it hasn’t all be plain sailing from the beginning, but a few models have been subject to some pretty eye-opening safety concerns. The most recent of these occurred in 2000, when the company had to recall all of the Ford Lincoln Navigators manufacture between 1992 and 2003. The cruise control on these vehicles would cause the car to overheat and, in particularly bad cases, cause the vehicle to catch fire.
Ford then had to recall over five million Ford Rangers in 1996, after it was found that the suspension bolt would loosen leaving the steering column disabled. This followed the recall of over one million Ford Pintos which were recalled in 1978. The bumper-less design was an appeal to many buyers, but the fuel tank was so close to the back of the car, that it was easily damaged if the car was hit from behind. Accidents of this kind therefore created a major fire hazard. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was then found that the car’s doors had a habit of sticking shut after an accident, trapping the passengers inside the burning car.
While they were warned about the Ford Pinto by Japanese developers, Ford chose to ignore the concerns under the belief that the problem had been repaired.
Chevrolet
Chevrolet didn’t get away easily either when they were forced to recall over four million of their Chevrolet Silverado trucks in 2004. While the fault wasn’t mechanical it was dangerous for anyone driving behind the truck. The problem was with the cables that held the tailgate flap into place; these were corroding rapidly, leaving the tailgate prone to flying off while driving. Couple this with high speed and a busy freeway and it’s not difficult to foresee the danger.
Honda
Honda has also experienced the pain of recalling a number of their vehicles when almost four million car were recalled in 1995 when it was found that their new push button release on the seat-belts didn’t work, potentially trapping passengers in the car. Clearly, this was a real hazard in the event of an accident. To add insult to injury, this same seat-belt system had been installed across multiple product ranges, including Civics, Preludes, Accords, Legends, NSX and Integras.
So take this as a lesson: be careful when buying second hand! Take care to research the back history of any prospective buy and keep an eye on the wire for any further recalls!
You can depend on safety with quality car hire from Birmingham airport and around the UK from Vroomvroomvroom.co.uk.
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