We like to imagine new cars as flawless and safe, but not even cars rolling off the assembly line are perfect. Cars constantly get recalled for problems and defects, some of which threaten to cause accidents.
Defective tire causes fatal crash
One person was killed and two people injured when a pickup truck crashed into a guard rail near Colorado City, Texas on December 11, 2017. The crash occurred on Interstate 20 just east of the city. The accident happened when the tread separated on one of the truck's tires, causing the vehicle to spin out of control before it hit the guard rail and overturned.
Fuel system defects cause thousands of vehicle fires each year
The fuel system in a car has the potential to make that vehicle a bomb on wheels. A single spark or a drop of gasoline on a hot surface can suddenly produce a huge fire that spreads extremely quickly. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were approximately 174,000 vehicle fires in 2015. These fires killed 445 people and caused 1,550 injuries.