Archive for October 2007

Home Archive for October 2007

Online vehicle research for used cars is getting easier every day. The online title check companies are putting more and more info into their database records for millions of motor vehicles. That will make it easier for consumers to identify wrecked cars that have been rebuilt, flooded cars that have been resold, and car dealers who ply such dangerous "bargains" to sometimes-naive consumers willing to plunk down their hard earned money because they trust people to tell them the truth.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. But it probably isn't your neighborhood car dealer.

Experian is adding new info to its multi million vehicle AutoCheck database on used cars and trucks nationwide. The end result will only help consumers and it will likely spur other online vehicle history sellers to increase their database information too.

The Autocheck data will include the severity of a collision, where it happened, the vehicle area involved, and whether or not airbags were triggered in the crash. That will really help prospective buyers learn the full truth about a vehicle's prior history.

The company says that new records will include some exclusive frame damage records that come from actual physical inspections that occur at auction yards where car dealers buy their inventory, commonly across state lines.

Indeed, the simple fact is that if a consumer has a choice between a database that includes details about prior wreck damage and one that doesn't include it, it is pretty obvious what they will want. The numbers show that 75% of consumers say that whether a vehicle has been in an accident is the most important piece of information that want to know about in an online used vehicle history.

Experian is making a smart move. Carfax and others will have no choice but to do at least as good, if try to one-up them.

If you bought a wrecked used car that was rebuilt, and the dealer didn't warn you before you bought it, that's called fraud. We can help. Sueing car dealers who rip off consumers --- that's what we do every day. Contact us, we can help.

Burdge Law Office
www.BurdgeLaw.com
Helping Consumers, and Consumer Law Attorneys, Since 1978

The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration is the federal agency responsible for investigating unsafe motor vehicles in the US. Often working quietly to investigate and analyze vehicle safety issues, their dedication to protecting the public often goes unnoticed until a vehicle recall is announced.

But recalls are just the proverbial tip of the investigation iceberg, so to speak.

There are 4 levels of investigation for Nhtsa safety investigators. The lowest level is the "Preliminary Evaluation" which starts after enough consumer complaints or factory service bulletins occur to suggest a safety defect may exist. It usually last about 4 months and if the issue looks serious, the results of the PE investigation go "up the ladder."

The second phase of a federal safety investigation is the "Engineering Analysis" and it is the final phase of any informality. Here the data from the PE is closely examined to see if a potential safety defect is so serious that a recall should be required. This part usually takes about a year.

Obviously, during this whole time the manufacturer is aware of the investigation process because they are required to provide responses to Nhtsa requests for more information. Direct dealings between those people often tell the manufacturer where the investigation is headed and how likely it is that it will get to a recall point.

Often the manufacturer will try to head off the seriousness of the problem by announcing the recall themselves, which also serves as a public relations move to brag about their self-proclaimed concern for public safety.

When the manufacturer announces a recall, it still isn't over with though because Nhtsa's safety investigators will then pour over the recall announcement to make sure that the scope of the recall is proper, the recall work is being doing timely, and that the repair work described by the recall will fix the defect involved. If federal safety investigators seriously question if the recall is adequate, they start a "Recall Query." This is where they investigate whether or not the scope of the recall should be expanded or if the factory's fix is adequate.

Finally, if Nhtsa safety investigators think the factory is ignoring a defect, or the factory won't cooperate with what Nhtsa thinks is the proper scope of the recall or the repair work really needed to fix a defect, Nhtsa can file to investigate a safety defect "on the record" or to investigate whether a manufacturer has successfully carried out a recall. They call this a "Defect Petition" or "Recall Petition." If the Nhtsa position is justified, federal safety investigators open this most serious investigation but it rarely gets this far.

Part of the reason is the very conservative position taken on enforcing safety laws by the current and recent Nhtsa regulators, but that's a story for another day. The point is that federal safety investigators are supposed to be watching out for you, but that may not be the case after all.

One thing is for sure. If you've got a bad vehicle with a problem the manufacturer won't fix, whether they recalled it or not, contact us. We can help.

Burdge Law Office
www.BurdgeLaw.com
Helping Consumers, and Consumer Law Attorneys, Since 1978

Apparently “parts is parts” ain’t necessarily so. At least not at Ford.

Ford has admitted that it does not have enough repair parts on hand to fix all the 1.25 million passenger cars it recalled for a deadly cruise control switch fire hazard.

Worse yet, Ford says the parts won’t be available until late 2007, even though they were all promised to be out by early October. I guess the moral of the story is that your Ford needs to always be driven near a fire station?

In August 2007 Ford recalled some 3.6 million cars and trucks, ranging over a dozen models plus that were built between 1992 and 2004. It was just another in a series of recalls during the last 8 years of what now amounts to more than 10 million vehicles because of engine fires that safety investigators say are linked to the cruise control systems in Ford trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles.

If you’ve got a Ford or Lincoln Mercury car, your parts are in short (or nonexistent) supply. But if you’ve got one of the popular and hotter selling Ford trucks or sport utility vehicles? Well, guess what? “Them parts we got” seems to be Ford’s answer because there have been no supply problems for parts for the recalled SUVs and pickup trucks covered by the recall.

So, if they’re a slow seller, Ford apparently will get around to fixing them when they can. But for the bread and butter profit building vehicles, Ford’ll get right on it! How’s that for taking care of all your customers, folks? Yes, Virginia, blue oval sometimes makes lemons.

Meanwhile, Ford dealers are installing a fused wiring harness into the speed control electrical system as part of the recall just as fast as they get the parts and as fast as they can get the customers in.

Vehicles that are affected by the Ford parts shortage include the 1992-1997 Lincoln Town Car, 1992-1997 Ford Crown Victoria, 1992-1997 Mercury Grand Marquis, 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, 1993-1995 Taurus SHO and 1994 Mercury Capri.

If you’ve got a flammable Ford lemon, don’t put up with “no problem found” and don’t put up with “no parts yet” either. Call us. We know what to do because we’ve been doing it to Ford (and all the rest of the manufacturers whenever they build a lemon too) since 1978. It's what we do.

Burdge Law Office
www.BurdgeLaw.com
Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons Since 1978

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

About Me

Other Consumer Law Blogs