Auto safety issues seem to be making Philadelphia headlines daily. Honda yesterday announced a recall of Element and Odyssey models to repair squishy brakes. A vehicle stability assist modulator connected to the brake assembly appears to be faulty and has been linked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to several car accidents. The recall comes on the heels of Honda's recall of nearly half a million vehicles for malfunctioning air bags that can burst and cause serious personal injury, peppering vehicle occupants with metal fragments.
Toyota's acceleration problems continue to worry Philadelphia car owners and baffle federal regulators. Despite several repair efforts, sudden acceleration on Toyota vehicles remains a problem. Federal regulators are now investigating whether cosmic rays from space, known to affect airplane and space shuttle systems, might be interfering with car computer systems. NHTSA has also tracked fatal acceleration car accidents to Ford and Chrysler vehicles.
In their nationally syndicated column Car Talk, Tom and Ray Magliozzi advise drivers to shift their car into neutral if the gas pedal sticks or the car starts to accelerate on its own. Shifting into neutral disengages the engine from the wheels so that even if the engine continues to rev, the car will slow down and eventually stop. Shifting into neutral is preferable to turning off the key because it allows the driver to maintain control of the car. In neutral, the power steering, power brakes, ABS and other vehicle systems continue to work. Turning off the key shuts down all these systems and can activate the steering wheel lock, giving the driver absolutely no control over the runaway vehicle.
If you are in a car accident caused by uncontrollable acceleration or vehicle malfunction, a personal injury attorney can provide a free case evaluation and advise you of your legal rights.
