General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced three separate car product defect recalls for several brands and models of General Motors vehicles. These vehicles include the Chevy Camaro, various 2009 model sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks including Chevy Traverse, Colorado, Suburban, Avalanche, Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Canyon and Yukon models. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, these product recalls involve about 43,824 cars.

The largest chunk of the recalls is for the 2009 model year SUVs that apparently have a faulty seal in the fuel control system. This allows water to seep into a module causing a short circuit, which could in turn lead to the engine stalling when the vehicle is in operation. This could of course, result in a car crash. When this product recall begins, dealers will install a fuel-system control module at no charge to consumers. The second recall involves Chevy Traverse SUVs. These vehicles fail to comply with a federal brake safety standard. If the shift lever is in any position other than park and the keys are left in the ignition, the cars can roll away when parked on a slope. Dealers will replace a cable link for the parking brake to fix the defective product.

The third recall is not new but was recently expanded and involves the 2010 model year Chevy Camaros with V8 engines. A positive battery cable in these cars can chafe on the starter motor housing. If the insulation wears through, the vehicle may stall or in the worst case scenario cause the car to catch on fire. Dealers will fix this problem for free by rerouting the cable. If you own one of these defective cars, please see a GM dealer immediately to get them repaired. GM officials say that if the company declares bankruptcy June 1, all warranties will still be covered. New car warranties for GM and Chrysler vehicles will be backed by the U.S. government, President Obama has said.

All these are extremely serious car product defects that could lead to major car crashes and cause catastrophic injuries or death to consumers. GM's lack of compliance with federal brake safety standards is nothing new to Bisnar | Chase. In fact, we are spearheading a $350-million car product defect class action lawsuit against GM, which alleges that the auto maker installed defective emergency brakes in several models of its trucks and SUVs. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed as a result of these or other car products, or if you would like to join this class action, please contact the Bisnar | Chase law firm. My staff or I will be more than happy to provide you with additional information about your rights and arrange for a free consultation.

KTM North America Inc. is recalling its defective motorcycles made for off-road use because of a front fork failure, according to a consumer safety alert issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The front fork inner tube on the off-road motorcycles can crack and separate from the front fork axle posing a risk of injury or death to the rider. This defective product recall involves model year 2009 KTM off-road motorcycles. The model name and logo are located on the right and left shrouds. The recalled models include: 125SX, 150SX, 250XC-W and 300XC-W. These products, made in Austria, were sold by KTM dealers nationwide from December 2008 through April 2009 for between $6,000 and $8,000.

So far no personal injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of these product defects. Consumers are, however, asked to stop using these motorcycles immediately and contact their local KTM dealer to schedule a free repair. Registered owners of the recalled off-road motorcycles are being sent a direct notice. If you would like more information about this recall, please call KTM at 1-888-985-6090.

This is apparently not the first time KTM has had product defect issues. In fact, KTM issued an identical product recall in April of its 2009 Duke and SMC motorcycles. In those products too, the company said the front forks could develop cracks resulting in the possibility of the inner tube separating from the axle clamp. This defect was caused, officials say, by improper heat treatment of the front fork inner tubes from the factory. So, essentially, it was a manufacturing defect.

Most product defects usually involve manufacturing defects or design defects. Either can be extremely dangerous because in vehicles what these defects mean is there is an increased potential to crash and cause serious personal injury or death to the occupants. If you have been seriously injured, or if you have lost someone as a result of a defective product, please contact a reputed product defect law firm to find out more about your legal rights and options.

Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling about 170,000 of its 2001-2003 Elantras and 2003 Tiburons because of a problem with these defective cars front control arm. This recall involves vehicles sold or registered in 20 states and the District of Columbia. According to an article in Consumeraffairs.com, salt used to de-ice roads may result in internal corrosion and thinning of the steel in the front lower control arms. This could result in a fracture of the metal, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash.

When the recall begins, dealers will inspect the suspension, add drainage holes and treat the front lower control arms with rust-proofing material. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-327-4236 or the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at 1-888-327-4236.

Since last year, we have written about several dangerous car defects and problems relating to the Hyundai Elantra. In August 2008, Hyundai recalled 150,000 of its 2002 and 2003 Elantra models for Hyundai defective airbags that would fail to deploy in the event of a car crash. Apart from those serious car product defects, the NHTSA was also investigating claims of catastrophic suspension failure in some Hyundai Santa Fe and Sonata models.

Apparently, the federal agency received 40 consumer complaints about severe corrosion in Sonatas, model years 1999 through 2002. In fact, some consumers reported large holes in the frame that could cause the vehicle's suspension control arm to detach and result in a car crash. No recalls related to these defective suspensions have been issued yet, although they seem to mirror the corrosion problems with these most recent Hyundai Elantra and Tiburon recalls.

Defective suspension caused by corrosion is a serious car defect problem, especially in the cold-weather states. Such defects put the lives of the people using these vehicles in danger. Hyundai, like several other large auto makers, does have the reputation of failing to report product defects and issuing prompt vehicle recalls. It's the consumer who ultimately pays for these auto makers' irresponsible behavior. Thousands of consumers pay for it with their lives! If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or if you have lost a loved one as a result of a defective car, please contact nationally renowned car product defect attorneys to find out how you can pursue your legal rights.