In early 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition from General Motors (GM) asking for a finding of “inconsequential noncompliance” in the case of 5,690 GM trucks with mislabeled tire placards. The NHTSA’s decision, which was released June 27, granted GM’s petition.
At issue in the request were Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles, as well as GMC Sierra and Yukon vehicles, manufactured in model years 2007 to 2013, according to the agency. Some of the vehicles had been sold with a tire placard that said the vehicle had three front-passenger seats. In fact, the vehicles have only two front-passenger bucket seats with a center console between, according to the automaker.
In most vehicle mislabeling cases, a recall is required to ensure that drivers have the proper information about their vehicles. An inaccurate label may be considered a product defect if a person is injured by the product in a way that would not have happened if the label had been corrected.
However, the NHTSA allows automakers to petition for a finding of “inconsequential noncompliance,” which eliminates the need for a recall. The NHTSA did so in the case of GM’s mislabeled tire placards, agreeing with the automaker that no recall was necessary because whether the vehicles have two front seats instead of the three listed on the label does not affect vehicle safety.
At Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers, our skilled San Diego auto product liability attorneys can help you seek compensation after a hidden defect or a failure to warn of dangers inherent in a product causes serious injury. Contact us today to learn more. Your initial consultation with our office is free and confidential.
