As consumers, we expect products, vehicles, and toys to be safe. When they are not, it is especially scary because it can affect our families and loved ones. The top product recall categories last year were home products, children’s products, and toys. Following the countless product recalls in the news lately, you may be wondering exactly how product recall and product defect situations arise.
Manufacturers are the companies that produce a product to the general public and sell it to consumers. Sometimes these products are found to be dangerous not only to the consumers who purchased the product, but to the general public as well. The problems associated with products can be discovered by the manufacturing company’s employees, or even when a consumer alerts the manufacturer of dangers or injuries that occurred because of their defective product. These manufacturers then have the option to announce a product recall to the general public. Typically, if a manufacturing company decides to announce a recall of a product, they contact a government agency first in an effort to issue the defect together in a press release. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers and businesses decide to announce product recalls, even after they are suggested to be defective. Recalling a product after it has already been released to consumers is often very expensive to the manufacturer. Sometimes the company will decide to forego a product recall announcement and simply pay legal claims that are brought against them as a result of the defective product, as it can be cheaper. Not only is a product recall expensive for manufacturers, but consumers often view a company in a more negative light after a product has been recalled for safety reasons. There are a variety of reasons that manufacturing companies many decide to forego a recall announcement, but at a certain point they are forced to acknowledge the safety concerns of a product if it gets out of hand.
The most common hazards associated with products that were recalled in 2013 involved fire, choking, and laceration. In the event that you or a loved one are injured because of a dangerous or defective product, you may have a legal claim for compensation against the manufacturer of the item. There have been countless product recalls in 2014 alone, so it is important that you stay up to date by visiting consumer recall sites, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, ConsumerReports.org, and Recalls.gov. If you believe that a family member may have been injured or killed due to a defective product, whether it was recalled or not, do not hesitate to contact our office today for information on what steps to take next. We are here to help and will fight for justice on your behalf.
