Articles Posted in Motor Vehicle Defect

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Pretty much every car or truck made in the United States comes equipped with windows. Yeah, sure, some millionaires and billionaires may drive what’s best described as a race car without windows (or a roof or backseats for that matter). But the vast majority of us will spend our entire lives driving cars with windows. And that’s because windows are important: windows keep rain and snow out of our cars, ensuring driver safety; keep us in the vehicle in the event of a crash; and offer an alternative exit in the event doors don’t work after an accident. Car windows are critical to vehicle safety, and most automotive manufacturers make sure power windows work as intended.

Unfortunately for owners of model year 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima vehicles and 2017 Kia Sportage vehicles, their windows will eventually stop working. In some cases, the windows in 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima and 2017 Kia Sportage cars will fall straight into the door, unable to be rolled up again to ensure loved ones are protected from the elements and that our possessions are safe from theft.

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That’s because the 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima and 2017 Kia Sportage suffer from a defect in the window regulator drum gear. According to Kia, the window regulator in the 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima and 2017 Kia Sportage fails because the regulator’s drum gear may separate or break, preventing the regulator from moving the window up or down. Continue reading

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Model Year 2014-2020 Dodge Durangos have a serious water problem. Durango owners have consistently reported that their rear tail lights and the unique LED “racetrack light” located on the tailgate assemblies of their Dodge Durangos flood with water. The resulting water damage results in a host of serious issues such as failure of the tail lights and brake lights, dimming, flickering, or complete failure of the racetrack lights, and other electrical issues such as failure of the rearview camera and license plate lights. And as we all know, water and electronics don’t mix – and the Durango’s racetrack and tail lights are no exception.

Working tail lights are essential for safety. Durango owners report experiencing near miss rear end collisions while driving at nighttime because their LED racetrack lights or tail lights have shorted out, or are flickering, due to water intrusion. Numerous other Durango owners recount being pulled over by law enforcement or failing safety tests because their racetrack lights and tail lights fail to operate because of water saturation and damage. Naturally, many Dodge Durango owners are concerned that such an important vehicle component is so easily susceptible to water intrusion due to water leaking into the racetrack and tail light assemblies. (See below picture of water draining from the taillight assembly after a Durango owner removed a bolt on the tailgate to drain out the accumulated water).

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Indeed, the Durango racetrack light water intrusion defect poses considerable safety risks, since the racetrack light and tail lights illuminate the rear of the Dodge Durango to ensure that the Durango is visible at night, in fog, and other low-light driving environments. One Durango owner even reported smelling a strong electrical fire smoke scent and seeing a faint smoke trail when the racetrack light and lighting assembly shorted out due to water pooling in the tailgate light assembly. Continue reading

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How confident are you that your car’s brakes are functioning properly?  If you own a 2013-2015 Toyota Avalon or Avalon Hybrid; a 2012-2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid; or 2010-2015 Toyota Prius or Prius Plug-In, you may want to rethink your answer.  Many owners of these cars, some of which are Toyota’s most popular offerings, have noticed something is not right with their brakes.

Even Toyota has noticed the problem with the brakes on the Avalon, Camry and Prius because it appears Toyota may have implemented a limited warranty extension program, agreeing to provide necessary repairs free of charge or to reimburse consumers for money paid to repair the brake booster assembly on these cars.

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However, Toyota is not as generous as it appears because it is not going to reimburse consumers or perform the repairs unless customers experienced one of five brake system warnings, indicating the Diagnostic Trouble Codes C1391; C1252; C1256; or C1253.  This means Toyota is only going to fix a driver’s brake system after it has failed or malfunctioned, leaving drivers to wonder when their brakes may fail.

Many drivers complain about their car’s brakes being “too soft” or the brake assist and stability control not working when it should or initiating at times it should not.  This brake defect can result in an increased stopping distance or an inability to stop, and has caused accidents. Continue reading

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