A new legislation introduced to the senate this week, would force states to inform drivers about safety recalls on their vehicles and require them to have repairs done before renewing their registration. The Repair Every Car to Avoid Lost Lives, or RECALL Act, has been introduced to address the millions of vehicles that have unfixed recalls and concerns that less that 70% of vehicle repairs are done within 18 months of being recalled. The bill has already received support from several consumer groups including the Center for Auto Safety, the Consumer Federation of America, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and even some automakers.

Almost immediately after purchasing her 2013 Dodge Charger, a California resident was returning her vehicle to the manufacturer for repairs. She purchased the car in March 2013, had her first repair attempt in June 2013, and by August 2013, a Chrysler dealership had been given five (5) more opportunities to fix the vehicle. The Charger’s problems included a defective transmission control module which caused the vehicle to surge and hesitate, a defective torque converter, and a check engine light that would always illuminate. Continue reading

The owner of a 2012 Ford Mustang with multiple safety defects, recently contacted the Law Offices of Delsack & Associates, P.C. looking for advice about her vehicle and the California Lemon Law. She purchased her Mustang in July 2011 and had been trying to get it fixed since August 31, 2011. A Ford dealer had been given at least four (4) opportunities to repair the problems which included: defective suspension, defective control arms, defective transmission, defective power windows, and a defective wheel alignment. Continue reading

Two years after purchasing his 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 in March 2012, the owner started to experience problems that the manufacturer was unable to fix. Defective suspension, Airmatic system, and struts caused the vehicle to lean 1.5 inches lower on the right hand side making it difficult to handle. He had given his dealer two (2) opportunities to repair the defects which resulted in the ML350 being out of service for over 35 days. Because he felt the problem was safety related, he decided to contact the Law Offices of Delsack & Associates, P.C. for advice. Continue reading

According to a recent investigation report, the NHTSA have opened a probe into the 2013 recall of certain 2011-2012 Ford F-350, F-450, and F-550 Ambulance package vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engines. In October 2013 these vehicle were recalled due to an exhaust sensor problem that led drivers to experience loss of power followed by an engine stall. To date, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has experienced 30 more complaints affecting vehicles both within and outside the scope of the subject recall. Continue reading

A defect affecting certain 2014 Ford Escape and 2015 Lincoln MKC SUVs will have approximately 10,000 owners returning to their dealers to have their fuel pump replaced. According to reports filed with the NHTSA, contamination due to improper nickel plating could cause excessive pump friction and eventual pump failure. The engine could stall without warning and/or fail to start. An engine stall without warning while driving could increase the risk of an accident. Continue reading

After giving four (4) opportunities to repair the defects on her 2012 Nissan Rogue, a California resident decided to contact the Law Offices of Delsack & Associates for help. She purchased the vehicle in March, 2012 and by December 2013 had given a Nissan dealership the first opportunity to repair her vehicle. These problems included: Engine and/or other manufacturing non-conformities causing the vehicle to lose power under normal operating conditions, a defective transmission, defective trans-axle assembly, and a defective brake switch. Continue reading