It’s GM Again: Hummer Drivers at Risk for Personal Injury

Our Charleston personal injury archives are rife with tales of poorly-made GM vehicles. Arguably, the worst part is that the company does not seem to care about consumer safety at all. Some of their recalls involve parts that General Motors knew were defective at inception, yet they carried on with production for years. Despite all the media coverage GM has been receiving for their dangerous vehicles, they don't seem to have gotten the message. Now, the iconic Hummer has become part of a recall, and yet again, GM failed to act until they were pressured into it by the NHTSA. Nearly 200,000 Hummers Recalled Due to Fires General Motors issued a "voluntary" recall of 196,000 Hummers last week, according to the New York Times. Exact numbers are difficult to come by, as GM and the NHTSA have different reporting systems. Although GM is required to report possible safety concerns to the NHTSA on a monthly basis, the company failed to do so despite the fact that the first report of a fire was made in 2008. The NHTSA has reports of at least 20 fires, while complaints made directly to GM place the number of fires at more than 40. Michael Ballaban of Jalopnik counted at least 74 incidents in his exclusive report. It's also worth noting that at least two vehicles have been totaled in blazes, and three people have been burned. Consumer reports on the NHTSA website include fears of personal injury and demand action from either the safety agency or GM. The Recall Affects H3 and H3T Models According to General Motors, Hummer H3s manufactured between 2006 and 2010, as well as H3Ts from 2009 and 2010, have defective heating and cooling systems. Faults within the electrical components can cause the dash to heat up, resulting in a fire. NHTSA and GM Failed to Follow Normal Protocols The NHTSA is the government agency responsible for ensuring manufacturers follow certain safety standards. As such, they allow individuals to make reports directly to them, so that trends may be picked up and safety concerns can be identified. General Motors is also responsible for reporting safety concerns to the NHTSA on a monthly basis. Although reports of Hummer fires flooded both reporting systems for years, no action was taken. AutoBlog reports that GM launched an internal investigation near then end of 2014 and discovered the underlying problem, yet still closed the case without taking action. Per Ballaban at Jalopnik, GM did not take any recall action until the NHTSA told them they were going to launch a formal investigation last month.

Charleston Personal Injury Attorney

There is no excuse for this. General Motors has failed to take action to protect consumers in a timely manner yet again. How many people have to be hurt or killed before safety takes precedence? If your vehicle has failed to act as it should or contains a manufacturing defect and you or your loved ones have been hurt as a result, you may be entitled to compensation. Your story may also help put an end to these needless incidents, by forcing auto manufacturers to put safety first. For a free consultation, please contact us online or speak to one of our attorneys now by calling 1(800)610-2546.