Defects in Trucks Leads to Major Inquiry

The Danger Posed by Defective Trucks

In a recall affecting almost a quarter-million trucks on the road today, the National Highway Safety Administration, or NHTSA, has determined Freightliner Cascadia trucks should be off the road for certain potential dangerous defects.

One of the defects is thought to affect the steering capacity of roughly 50,000 2016-17 Cascadia trucks. The NHTSA has shown that the cap screws that are used to hold the lower steering arm together with the steering knuckle on the tie rod can fail without warning.   This failure has resulted in truck accidents and led to the recall of 2016 Freightliner Cascadia and other models back in September of 2016, totaling 11,000 trucks. It was discovered that the Mexico-built axles were constructed without proper torque applied to the steering arm cap screws.

Surprisingly, just under two-thirds of those trucks affected by the defects have been repaired. This defect was responsible for an October 2016 truck accident in which a Cascadia truck experienced a steering linkage separation in Illinois.

Another defect involved the wiper motor of nearly 200,000 2015-16 Cascadia trucks. These defects were causing the wiper motor to stop intermittently which resulted in a loss of visibility. Multiple accidents have been blamed on defective wiper motors during poor weather.

Protect Yourself & Your Rights

Large trucks pose a substantial threat to passenger vehicles as it is. The added danger posed by defected truck parts means drivers need to be extra vigilant when driving in the vicinity of a truck. Be cautious and keep a safe distance at all times: even the average truck takes much longer to stop and has much larger blind spots than your vehicle does.

Truck accidents can be devastating—the injuries to you and other passengers on top of the property damage involved can be catastrophic. Victims of truck accidents should not have to suffer alone and with no means of covering their related expenses. If you were injured in a truck accident, especially one caused by a truck with defective equipment, you deserve to have a Los Angeles truck accident attorney in your corner who will fight for you.

To set up your consultation with the Law Offices of Jacob Emrani—call us at (888) 952-2952 today!