These facts highlight the need for a consumer culture that warns “buyers beware.” Fortunately, those groups that want to make buyers more aware have better tools than they had in the past.
How consumers can learn about a defect
The manufacturer is expected to notify vehicle owners. Meanwhile, dealers are allowed to sell defective cars. There is no law that can keep the auto industry from returning a defective product to the market.
What consumers should ask, in an effort to be more aware?
How do we know for sure that any vehicle that will be returned to the market has been fixed?
How long has a rejected auto been resting in storage, before returning to marketplace?
Why should consumers trust a manufacturer that has lied to them before? In other words, why should any consumer feel comfortable about buying a car that was recalled, fixed and then put back on the market?
How manufacturers have put the consumer in a Catch 22 situation
According to the law, a consumer must produce evidence linking an accident and a defect, in order to sue the manufacturer of a defective automobile. When manufacturers deny the existence of a defect, the consumer gets deprived of the only means for pursuing a lawsuit against the company that made a defective vehicle, one that was involved in an accident.
When manufacturers come forward with an unproven claim that a defective part has been fixed, that has the same effect as denial of a defect’s existence. Faced with the existence of that denial, the average consumer finds it hard to launch a lawsuit against a company that increased the chances for injuries by producing a vehicle with a defective component. If there is any accident due to the faulty mechanics of the car or vehicle, it is important to consult with a Personal Injury Lawyer in Burlington.
Online help for the consumer
Such help can be found online. Earlier, Volkswagen recalled a number of vehicles. Now it is claiming that the vehicles’ defective part has been fixed, and Volkswagen plans to put the fixed vehicles back on the market.
Still, anyone that buys such a set-of-wheels must accept on faith the Company’s claims. Moreover, Volkswagen has provided no timeline, concerning the speed with which the defective part was altered and improved. What happened to each “bug” once its malfunctioning component had been fixed?
Those are all legitimate questions. Any car buyer has the right to ask such a question. The website caseforconsumers.org makes available to car-buyers known information about the product that the company has re-introduced. In that way, the same website increases the amount of information that can be used to create evidence, if someone gets injured, following the return of certain, previously recalled vehicles.
