California readers of this blog have seen auto manufacturer after auto manufacturer recall millions of vehicles in recent years. However, considering the many different makes, models and years of cars that have been recalled, who can keep track? This problem is compounded for car dealers, who are constantly working with different kinds of cars on their lots — cars that may or may not have had the recalls associated with them repaired. Even if the car dealer identifies a car that has had a recall, it is difficult for the dealership to know for sure whether the defect has actually been fixed. This is a particularly grave problem because an unfixed recall can result in serious car accidents.
Fortunately, a technology company called AutoAp has created an application called Dynamic Recall Management, which gives auto dealers daily updates on recall news relating to new and previously owned cars. The product saves time for dealerships because they will no longer have to check and re-check their inventory of cars, and they will no longer have to keep apprised of manufacturer and government websites for news, which is often inaccurate and replete with errors.
Believe it or not, in 2013, about 36 million cars with open recalls were driving on American roadways. By 2014, over 63 million cars had been affected by the safety-related defect announcement. This means that 25 percent of the registered automobiles in the United States have been hit with recalls, and many of these automobiles have not been repaired.
Historically, a large percentage of automobiles in a recall never get fixed, so anything that can be done to address this problem through the use of new technology is laudable. The more defective cars in California that get fixed, the better it is for everyone on the road because less defect-related car accidents will occur.
Still, in the event that a fatal or injurious defect-related accident does happen, drivers who are injured and the families of drivers who are killed may have the right to pursue damages in court. Possibly, those claims will be against a driver, a manufacturer or an auto dealer that negligently allowed a defective car to remain unfixed.