Mack Trucks, Inc. Recalls Certain 2015 CXU Trucks Due to Risk of Fire

Mack Trucks, Inc. has recalled certain model year 2015 CXU trucks manufactured between May 20, 2014 and November 12, 2014 equipped with certain Haldex Life Seal Type 30/30 Long Stroke Air Brake actuators manufactured January 9, 2014 to October 28, 2014.  The recall is said to affect 274 trucks.  

According to Mack Trucks, Inc., the affected actuators may have an incomplete attachment of the internal rubber diaphragm to the actuation mechanism of the parking brake section of the actuator.  And, if the diaphragm is not completely attached, there may be internal leakage from the service section, potentially trapping air pressure in the parking brake section.  The air pressure, if not vented, may prevent full release of the actuator unit, induce brake drag, and result in overheated wheelend service brakes.  Mack Trucks, Inc. admits that this these circumstances increase the risk of a fire. 

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration ("NHTSA"), Mack

Trucks, Inc. will notify vehicle owners directly, and its authorized dealers will inspect the brake actuator and replace, as necessary, free of charge.  The recall is expected to begin February 27, 2015.  

Owners may also contact Mack Trucks, Inc. direct at 1-610-709-2131, and should reference recall SC0387. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safecar.gov.

To read more about the recall, click here.

If you have a 2015 CXU, then check to see if it is included in the recall and make sure to get it into a Mack Trucks, Inc. authorized dealer for repair.

Do you have a 2015 CXU that has been in the shop repeated times for warranty repairs, but is still not fixed?  If so, call our Toll Free Hotline, 1.888.331.6422, to see if we can help you out of your defective truck today.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running

Chrysler Recalls Vehicles for Inadvertent Airbag Deployment

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) has recalled certain model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles which were manufactured between February 13, 2001 and May 23, 20113, and 2003-2004 Dodge Viper vehicles manufactured November 1, 2001 to June 30, 2004.  The recall is said to affect 753,176 vehicles.  

According to Chrysler, electrical noise beyond the tolerance of the air bag electronic control module (ECM) may cause a component in the ECM to fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Chrysler admits that inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration ("NHTSA"), Chrysler will notify vehicle owners directly, and its authorized dealers will replace the air bag control module and front and/or side impact sensors as required, free of charge.  The parts are not currently available however, but an interim repair is available that reduces the risk of an inadvertent deployment.  This interim recall remedy was applied during earlier recall campaigns of the vehicles under safety recalls 12V527 and 13V040.  All owners who have not had the recall performed under safety recall 12V527 or 13V040 are strongly encouraged to have it performed and not wait for the final remedy to be available.  According to Chrysler, the replacement parts needed for the final remedy are expected to be available in the latter part of 2015.   

Owners will be mailed an interim notification in late March 2015 and will be mailed a followup notification when the new air bag control modules are available.  Owners may also contact Chrysler direct at 1-800-853-1403, and should reference recall R06. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safecar.gov.

To read more about the recall, and to read additional recall documentation, click here.

If you have a 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty or a 2003-2004 Dodge Viper, then check to see if it is included in the recall and make sure to get it into a Chrysler authorized dealer right away. To find a dealer near you, click here, click on "dealers and vehicles" in the upper right hand corner, and enter your zip code.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running

2015 Jeep Cherokee Under Investigation by Federal Government

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") after a California consumer’s 2015 Jeep Cherokee was allegedly engulfed in 20 foot high flames within seconds of being parked.  

According to a complaint filed by the consumer with NHTSA on January 13, 2015, the California consumer was driving her 2015 Jeep Cherokee when he noticed an oily smell.  The consumer alleges that she parked the vehicle at home, and within seconds the entire vehicle was engulfed in fire with flames up to 20 feet high.  The consumer also alleges that burning oil or fuel ran down the street from the

vehicle over 50 yards. Incredibly, no one was hurt in the incident.  To watch the two videos of the fire apparently captured by two San Diego television stations click here and here.

According to NHTSA, the investigation involves about 50,000 2015 Jeep Cherokees.

Surprisingly, the California fire is not an isolated incident.  A separate complaint was filed with NHTSA by another 2015 Jeep Cherokee owner on January 5, 2015, stating that the vehicle was traveling at 60 miles per hour when the driver noticed smoke under the hood. The vehicle reportedly only had 45 miles on it. 

To read more about the defect investigation, and the consumer complaints submitted to NHTSA, click here and here.

Do you own a 2015 Jeep Cherokee?  Has your vehicle had an oil or fuel odor, an oil or fuel leak, or smoke or flames coming from the engine compartment?  Or, has your Jeep Cherokee been in the shop repeatedly for repairs but the problems are still not fixed?  You may have a lemon!

Take the Ohio Lemon Law Test at www.OhioLemonLaw.com, or in Kentucky at www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com to see if you are entitled to get a new truck or your money back.  If so, call us on our Toll Free Hotline at 1-888-331-6471.  And, if you are thinking about getting a new 2015 Jeep Cherokee, then you may want to hold off until Chrysler figures out how to fix the current models under investigation.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running

General Motors LLC Recalls Police Patrol Vehicles with Safety Defect

General Motors LLC (“GM”) has recalled 7,598 model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles which were manufactured between March 24, 2011 and December 6, 2013.  

According to GM, the vehicles are equipped with a specific transmission selector lever that contains two pins.  These pins can become displaced and, if they do, the driver may be able to shift the vehicle from “Park” without depressing the brake pedal or remove the ignition key without the transmission being in “Park”.  GM admits that either of these malfunctions could cause an accident and/or increase the risk of injury to occupants and bystanders.

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration ("NHTSA"), GM will notify vehicle owners directly, and its authorized dealers will replace the shift lever roll pin, replace the base pivot pin, and attach a break transmission shift interlock retention enhancement clip, all free of charge.  Owners may also contact Chevrolet direct at 1-800-222-1020. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safecar.gov.

The company has now reportedly recalled approximately 30,011,650 vehicles in North America this year, after promising to take react more quickly to problems in light of its failure to recall 2.6 million cars with an ignition switch problem for about 11 years.

To read more about the recall, and to read additional recall documentation, click here.

If your police department has a 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle, check to see if it is included in the recall and make sure to get it into a GM authorized dealer right away.  To find a dealer near you, click here.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running

A Car Dealer Sold You A Wrecked Car...What Now?

It's illegal for a car dealer to sell you a wrecked car without disclosing the vehicle's true condition to you, but some do.  The car dealer may lie to a consumer about the vehicle's condition, purposefully ignore obvious signs of the vehicle's true condition, keep the vehicle's true condition a secret from the consumer, or just simply not know of the vehicle's checkered past either.

If you discover that your vehicle was in a wreck and suspect the car dealer that sold you the vehicle knew about its wrecked condition, then 

Get a Vehicle History Report
A vehicle history report can tell you if the vehicle has been in any reported accidents.  However, it is important to note that if the accident was not reported, then it will not appear on a vehicle history report.  There are three main sources of vehicle history reports online: Carfax, AutoCheck, and NMVTIS.

Carfax is probably the best known and most trusted of the three. You can get a Carfax vehicle history report online for $39.99. According to Carfax, their vehicle history reports check for a long list of problems, including: prior accidents, mileage rollbacks or rollovers, multiple owners, structural damage, lease, taxi, or police use, salvage, rebuilt salvage, other vehicle brands, flood damage, total loss history, airbag deployment, hail damage, recall information, service and maintenance history, warranty information, and more. Carfax claims to have the most extensive vehicle history database in North America, with over 6 billion records. And, according to Carfax, they receive data from over 34,000 different sources. Vehicle history reports can be viewed on your computer, tablet, or smart phone, and CarFax also offers a 100% money back guarantee. To request a Carfax vehicle history report, click here.

AutoCheck is a slightly less well known, but widely used, competitor. You can get an

AutoCheck vehicle history report online for $29.99. According to AutoCheck, their database is built and maintained by Experian, who has exclusive data sharing relationships with many industry sources who provide Experian with access to exclusive data to available to AutoCheck's competitors. AutoCheck also reports that industry leaders such as NADA guides, CarMax, eBay Motors, Kelly Blue Book, and Edmunds.com have chosen to provide AutoCheck vehicle history reports to their customers. AutoCheck recommends that you obtain and AutoCheck vehicle history report in conjunction with other reports to "fill in the gaps" in other vehicle history reports for issues that other providers do not cover. To request an AutoCheck vehicle history report, click here. 

NMVTIS, or the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, was developed by the federal government. A vehicle history report from NMVTIS will cost you anywhere from $0.25 to $4.95. NMVTIS is operated and managed by the US Department of Justice. According to NMVTIS, their database provides records relating to current and previous state of title data, title issue dates, latest odometer data, theft history (if any), any title brands, salvage history, and total loss history. To request a NMVTIS vehicle history report for just 25 cents, click here.

Go to a Body Shop you Trust
Take the vehicle to a body shop you trust to determine if your vehicle was in an accident and to get an estimate for accident repairs.  You should also ask the body shop if the accident damage is something that the car dealer you purchased the vehicle from should have seen or known about if they conducted a pre-delivery inspection of the vehicle.  Make sure to get the estimate in writing in case you need it later on.

Contact your State Attorney General
Most states have a consumer protection agency, which is usually headed by the state’s attorney general.  Contact your Attorney General to see if you can work it out with the car dealer with the Attorney General’s help.  The Attorney General may file a lawsuit against a dealer if the Attorney General finds that the dealer has repeatedly violated consumer protection laws in your state.  However, the Attorney General will not file a lawsuit on your behalf.  That means that if you cannot get the issues resolved with the dealer through the Attorney General, then you will need to contact a private attorney file a lawsuit in order to recover your money.

Contact an Auto Fraud Attorney in your State
If you cannot work things out with the dealer, then you should contact an attorney in your state who practices auto fraud or consumer law.  Attorneys who specialize in that area of law will know car dealers common tricks and scams, and will know what your rights are under your state law.  Many state laws require the dealership to pay your attorney fees, so often attorneys who practice auto fraud or consumer law will review your case for free.  To find an attorney in your state, click here.

Beth Wells

www.BurdgeLaw.com
www.CarSalesFraud.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running

Educating Yourself Before Your Trip to the Dealer with Your Problem Car

Educate Yourself Before Taking Your Car or Truck to the Dealer for Repair
If you have a problem vehicle and need to take it to the dealer for repair, educate yourself beforehand by going online to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) website.  Knowing that there is a trend of consumer complaints for the same problem that you are having with your vehicle, or that there is a known problem with your particular year, make, and model of vehicle, can help make your repair visit to the dealer more effective. 

Find You Car or Truck on the NHTSA Website
To find complaints, recalls, service bulletins, or defect investigations for your year, make, and model of vehicle, go online to the NHTSA website, www.NHTSA.gov, and click on the “Search for Recalls” tab.  Then enter the year, make, and model of your vehicle.  It’s that easy!  

Search for Complaints, Recalls, Service Bulletins, and Defect Investigations
Once you have enter the year, make, and model of your vehicle, and clicked submit, a tab across the top of the screen will list four items for your vehicle, in the following order: Recalls, Investigations, Complaints, and Service Bulletins.  Each of the four tabs will list a number next to them, identifying the total number of recalls, defect investigations, complaints, and service bulletins for your year, make, and model of vehicle.  Simply click on a tab to read each specific entry.  Often times, there will also be documents associated with the events, such as recalls, which you can view.  Search through the recalls, defect investigations, complaints, and service bulletins, and print out anything that you think may be related to the problem that you are having with your problem vehicle.

Sign Up For Email Notifications of New Recalls
You may also want to sign up for email notifications or alerts, so that you know when new recalls are issued.  You can do this from the main page listing your vehicle’s recalls, defect investigations, complaints, and service bulletins by clicking on the link “Sign-Up for Email Alerts” to the left.  You can get alerts for all makes and models of vehicles, or just your particular year, make and model of vehicle.  This email notification will warn you when new recalls are issued. 

Make Your Own Complaint on the NHTSA Website
To make your own complaint on the NHTSA website, go to www.NHTSA.gov and click on the "File a Complaint" tab.  You will be asked to enter the year, make, and model of your vehicle, and the vehicle's Vin number, to describe the problems you are having with the vehicle, and to enter your name and address.  The information that you provide will be entered into the NHTSA consumer complaint database. Your complaint, with the personal identifiers removed, will be listed on the NHTSA database online with other consumer complaints for the same year, make and model of vehicle.  It is important to report the problems that you are having with your vehicle to NHTSA, because these consumer complaints help NHTSA and motor vehicle manufacturers to determine if a safety recall is warranted, and also provide other motorists with valuable information about potential safety problems currently under review.

Take You Vehicle to the Dealer for Repair
Now that you are armed with recall, defect investigation, complaint, and service bulletin information for your year, make, and model of vehicle, and have all relevant recalls, defect investigations, complaints, and service bulletins printed out, take them to the dealer with you when you drop your vehicle off for repair.  Make sure that they note the information on the repair order and that they list all of the complaints that you present the vehicle for, and list them accurately.  If they don’t, then refuse to sign the repair invoice.  Chances are that when you do that, they will revise the repair invoice to accurately describe the problems that you are having with the vehicle.

If the Manufacturer Fails to Live Up to Its Warranty, Contact a Lemon Law Attorney
If the manufacturer fails to live up to its warranty to you by failing to repair the vehicle within a reasonable number of tries or a reasonable amount of time, contact a Lemon Law attorney in your state.  To find a consumer law attorney in your state, you can go to www.USLemonLawyers.com.  But act quickly because for every legal right you have, there is a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit in court before your rights expire. 

Beth Wells

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

www.BurdgeLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running

American Idol for Car Dealers

Have you ever purchased a new or used vehicle and ended up with "extras" that you do not need or want such as "personal assistant", "environmental package", "etch", "key care", "pro-pack", or "credit life"?  If you don't pay close attention, you could be paying thousands of dollars for these "soft add ons" that you simply don't need.  

Unfortunately, this is the direction that a lot of car dealers are going in to make money.  In fact, a car dealer magazine now sponsors F&Idol, a competition between car dealer finance managers nationwide to see who is the best and brightest at selling products for leasing, vehicle service contracts, tire and wheel, key replacement and more.  The competition is scored based on the following categories: (1) transition statements and overall flow, (2) customer rapport and engagement, (3) product disclosures, (4) product knowledge, (5) personal stories and testimonials, and (6) objection handling.  

Car dealer finance managers must submit a video of themselves selling a “soft add on” product before the August 20, 2014 deadline to be considered.  Then, winners will be chosen for each category, awarded $1,000, airfare, and a 2 night stay at Paris Las Vegas.

Category winners will professionally re-shoot their winning entries and the videos will be posted online, where magazine readers can cast their vote on the overall winner. The winner will be announced in the November 2014 magazine issue, and will receive a $2,500 cash prize, along with the coveted industry title "F&Idol".

If you paid good money for “soft add ons” that you had no idea that you were even purchasing until you walked out of the dealership, and need help, contact an attorney who practices in Consumer Law or Auto Fraud in your state.  If you need help in Ohio or Kentucky, click here and let me know about it.  We fight car dealers in Ohio and Kentucky every day and will get right to work fighting that car dealer for you.

Beth Wells

www.OhioLemonLaw.com

www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com

www.BurdgeLaw.com

Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 10 Years Running