Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have experienced exponential growth over the last few years. People who use these services enjoy greater convenience as compared with traditional taxi services, which can be more difficult to hail and ride. However, the vehicles used by the drivers with ridesharing companies are equally susceptible to faulty design or manufacturing as traditional taxi cabs. Therefore, they are covered by federal recall requirements.

However, recent news sources suggest that taxi operators and ridesharing service providers may not be actively ensuring that safety recall work is completed on their vehicles. These defective vehicles may cause accidents that result in injuries for passengers and other motorists on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were a record 51.2 million vehicles affected by over 868 separate safety recalls in 2015 alone.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident with a vehicle that should not have been in operation due to a safety recall, Bhatt Law Group’s attorneys may be able to help you obtain compensation for your injuries. You may be able to file claims against both the manufacturer of the defective vehicle and the operator, depending on the circumstances of your case.

Don’t hesitate to call our Jersey City car accident lawyers today at (201) 798-8000 for a free initial consultation so we can discuss your case with you and help you determine your next steps.

Failing to Complete Recall Work

According to AutoAp Inc., a recall notification service, as many as 22 percent of private vehicles that are part of a ridesharing operations like Uber may have open safety recalls. Only a small portion of these vehicles are actually fixed, which means that a large number of them are in operation with an unaddressed open recall issue.

A similar survey was conducted by Cars.com focusing on specific metropolitan areas where there are greater concentrations of ridesharing providers and taxi operators. The survey revealed a troubling pattern – that many of these areas don’t have any particular regulations ensuring that these providers and operators satisfy all outstanding recalls prior to taking any paying passengers. In fact, the survey also revealed that neither Uber nor Lyft have instituted any policies requiring their drivers to repair all outstanding recall defects on their vehicles, even though both companies require their drivers to pass specific vehicle inspections. In New York City alone, the study found that 27 percent of for-hire vehicles surveyed had outstanding recalls, many of which involved serious safety issues, and 20 percent of these recalls were issued two years ago or more.

Accidents in Recalled Vehicles

If you’ve been injured in a car accident because of a defect in how the vehicle was designed or manufactured, recovering compensation from negligent parties will be a complex legal issue that requires careful analysis. The manufacturer may be liable for failing to initiate a safety recall, provide adequate, free repairs, or provide adequate means of notification for affected vehicle owners. However, the operator or service provider in the case of an accident involving a taxi, Uber, or Lyft car may also be liable. The injured passenger or third party in these cases would have to prove that the operator was provided with notice of the safety recall and failed to act reasonably by getting the vehicle fixed as indicated in the notice.

Accident Attorneys in Jersey City

Car accidents caused by safety defects often result in very serious injuries. In recent years, common defects the necessitate recalls include explosive air bags, unreliable braking systems, sudden acceleration, and faulty seat belts. These issues can cause serious accidents that result in disabling injuries – even death.

Bhatt Law Group has car accident injury attorneys with decades of combined experience in helping the people of Jersey City get the compensation they deserve for their injuries. Call Bhatt Law Group at (201) 798-8000 for a free consultation to discuss your options for filing a claim.