Access To Justice

Around 35,000 Dodge Calibers are being recalled due to a potential hazard posed by sticky gas pedals, the same problem that led to a recall of millions of Toyotas earlier this year.

The Associated Press reports that Chrysler will recall about 25,000 2007 Calibers in the U.S. and some 2007 Jeep Compass SUVs. The remaining recalled vehicles were sold outside the US.  Nearly a third of those recalled may need the pedal assembly replaced, according to the AP.

Chrysler says it is not aware of any related accidents or injuries. The auto company says its “smart brake” technology can bring the vehicle to a safe stop by overriding the gas pedal, according to the AP.

We blogged about the Dodge Caliber in April when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  launched an investigation into reports of sticky accelerator pedals in this vehicle. We noted then that the CTS Corporation, which made the Caliber pedals, also produced the pedals on the 2.3 million Toyotas that were recalled for sudden acceleration problems.

Here’s a little tidbit that I came across last week that made me laugh.  Chrysler has decided (presumably out of the goodness of their hearts) that they will actually accept liability for defective products that they manufactured.  This my friends is the kind of high standards of corporate citizenship that all companies should aspire too. (I’m hoping you’re picking up on my sarcasm).

The news last week, according to the Michigan NPR affiliate is that customers who have a Chrysler made before the bankruptcy, or buy a used car of that period, will be able to sue the manufacturer if they are in an accident caused by a vehicle defect.

As a spokesperson for Chrysler explained:

“The leadership of the company feels a lot more comfortable that the company’s long-term viability will be strong,” he says, “and we can accept these claims and absorb them over time without burdening the company and perhaps throwing it back into bankruptcy.”

Oh I see, so when somebody is hurt because your product is defective, the question is not whether that person should be compensated, but rather whether compensating that person might ‘burden the company’.   Thank you Mr. Chrysler spokesperson for clearing up that murky area of tort law.