Beware of aftermarket additions to your vehicle. As the recent spate of major recalls by Mazda, GM, Toyota, and other automakers demonstrates, plenty of things can be wrong with a car, truck, or SUV even after designers, engineers, and manufacturers have spent intense amounts of effort trying to build a perfect vehicle. Designers, engineers, materials experts, and others spend endless hours trying to make sure that all the parts of a vehicle are appropriate for its intended purpose and that these parts will work in harmony to give you a ride that is safe, stylish, and worry free.
But our Pearland, Texas car accident lawyers warn that this doesn’t always work. For instance, with the almost 3 million GM vehicles that have just been recalled, a spring in the ignition switch isn’t wound tight enough. So any jarring of the switch, such as from a heavy key ring or a bump in the road, might move the ignition out of the “run” position into the “off” or “accessory” position. This might not only kill the engine, but the power brakes and power steering as well, and leave the airbag triggering system without the electrical power to deploy the airbag when you then crash. Multiple deaths have been linked to this flaw that was built into the GM vehicles.
You might compound potential problems when you seek aftermarket enhancements to your vehicle. For instance, some GM ignition switches bought to repair the flaw were apparently just as defective as the ones they replaced, since both the improved part and the old part were made and sold under the exact same part number.
Some other enhancements, like the backup cameras you can add, are almost invariably a positive add-on. Others, like stereo systems and their components, have little potential to damage your vehicle other than perhaps leading to additional vehicle break-ins or to moments of distracted driving. But the Pearland, Texas car accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC caution you that replacing integral parts of your vehicle, like substituting new wheel rims, might lead to dangerous safety hazards that you won’t even know are present until they cause a crash.
Many heavy duty trucks come with sturdy tires and heavy duty wheel assemblies. But these are generally lackluster in appearance. Truck designers up in Michigan may not realize that here in Texas, our trucks are integral parts of our lives and identities. We want them to look good too.
But when you’re upgrading the appearance of your truck, be sure to do your research, because chances are the salesfolk at the shop won’t always do it for you. Know the maximum weight load your tires are rated for. The wheels of different vehicles, even different variations on the same year, make, and model, are carefully rated for the weight they can safely bear. Some trucks are specially built to haul trailers and other very heavy loads. If you tow heavy trailers, supplies, or equipment, know the added weight you’re rated to carry. And find rims that are designed for your vehicle and rated for those loads.
Our Pearland, Texas car accident lawyers note that even the same rim might come in several different versions specifically designed to go on particular variations of trucks. Aftermarket rims are also rated according to weight. Find the one that’s right for you and your specific truck. We reiterate that those selling you aftermarket rims might not check to make sure that the rim you selected is appropriate for your vehicle. They might think you’ve already done that. Or they might not know to do it. And the NHTSA won’t issue a recall because you and an auto parts shop have installed the wrong accessory on your vehicle.
If your vehicle overloads your aftermarket rims, the stud bolts holding the wheel onto the vehicle might crack and break over time from metal fatigue. The Pearland, Texas car accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC emphasize that then the wheel might suddenly come off as you are driving.
Crashes caused by wheels separating from the vehicle are often called wheel runoff crashes. These wrecks can result in rollovers, severe injuries, and death. The crashes come about due to failures in the wheel mounting system relating to the lug nuts and studs. These wheel system failures are mostly caused by the improper installation of a wheel that causes it to be loose or to become loose, such as failure to sufficiently tighten the lug nuts. The failures can also be caused by the metal fatigue that results when rims can’t adequately support the weight placed on them. And severe deterioration of the wheel and hub conditions caused by improper tightening of lug nuts and the sale and installation of unsuitable rims for a vehicle might inevitably lead to sudden wheel separation from the truck. Go to part 2 to learn more about the problem and how to prevent it.