Two major auto recalls may affect Louisiana police officers as well as the general public. An auto part defect has led to the recall of 36,000 Chevrolet Impala police cruisers and 8,700 Mercedes-Benz floor mats. The GM recall will not affect the general public, but the Mercedes recall may. The recall noticed was posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website with detailed information on the reasons for the recall.

The GM recall affects police cruisers from 2008-12, but none of the recalled vehicles were sold to the public. This recall is due to the possibility of a fracture in the lower-control arm, which has the potential to affect the vehicle's handling and steering capability. If the vehicle is traveling at a high rate of speed, the potential exists for the driver to lose control and crash. GM began investigating the issue in February when reports of the fracture were received from police fleets. GM is unaware of any injuries or crashes related to the lower-arm issue.

The Mercedes auto part defect recall involves the 2012-13 ML Class SUV. Mercedes reports that the floor mat may not fit properly, potentially causing the gas pedal to become stuck, even if the driver were to let up on the gas pedal. This could lead to the vehicle being unable to decelerate, potentially leading to deadly accidents. Anyone affected by this can have their mats replaced with a mat that properly fits their vehicle.

Any time an automaker becomes aware of a safety issue within their vehicles, the company is required by law to report the issue to the safety agency within a period of five days and must also detail their plans for the recall of the vehicle or part. If a company fails to do so, it could potentially face a fine. Although injuries or crashes were not reported in either of these incidents, sometimes accidents can happen that people may not immediately link to a defect. Anyone in Louisiana who believes they may have been injured by either of these auto part defect recalls or any other defective vehicle part may have legal options available to them.

Source: The New York Times, "G.M. Recalls 36,000 Impala Police Cruisers, and Mercedes-Benz Will Replace 8,700 Floor Mats," Christopher Jensen, Aug. 13, 2012