On Thursday, December 20, 2012, General Motors announced that the company is recalling more than 145,000 pickup trucks due to a defect in the truck hoods which could cause hoods to fly open unexpectedly. GM informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that if the hoods were to open unexpectedly, blocking a driver’s forward vision, it would possibly lead to crashes or injuries.
The recall specifically includes the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon midsize trucks from the model years of 2010 through 2012, most of which were sold in North America. In GM’s report to the safety administration, the automaker stated that some of the recalled vehicles had been assembled without a secondary hood latch. Therefore, if the main latch is not properly fastened, the hoods could open while the pickup trucks are in motion.
According to GM, the automaker does not yet know if any crashes or injuries have been caused by the problem, but they have confirmed that there have been four reports of missing secondary latches to date. Owners may now choose to check the hoods for the existence of the secondary latch or to bring the trucks in to a GM dealer to have it checked.
As one can imagine, if the hood opens while driving, vision will be severely or completely diminished, causing a hazard for anyone on the roadway in proximity. Given that many will be on the roads during the holiday season, it is imperative for affected vehicle owners to get to a dealership immediately to check and correct this safety hazard. According to GM, if affected vehicles are missing the secondary latch, the automaker will replace the hoods at no cost to the owners.
If you or someone you know have been injured by a defective vehicle, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.