Louisiana owners of Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks may be interested in the most recent auto part defect recall issued. Vehicles issued from the years of 2010 through 2012 are affected. The auto part defect recall concerns an issue over hoods in some of the vehicles.

Some of the vehicles may be missing an important part of the hood latch. Apparently the vehicles have both a main latch and a secondary latch. The recall addresses the secondary hood latch which may not have been installed in the affected pickup trucks. The defect could cause the hoods to fly open when someone is behind the wheel.

So far, the company has claimed there have been no injury reports or crashes due to the issue. They have received four reports of the vehicles missing their secondary latches and were able to pinpoint the problem back to one of their auto part suppliers. GM will replace the hoods for free. Owners are encouraged to check for the missing latch or bring their vehicle to a dealership so technicians there can check it. The recall affects over 100,000 vehicles in this country.

Louisiana residents who were involved in a crash or injured in some way due to the auto part defect may have the right to seek a personal injury claim. All consumers have the right to safety when they make such a large purchase on a product used every day. When manufacturers fail to ensure quality standards, injury or even death can result, and a legal claim may very well follow.

Source: Detroit Free Press, "GM recalls pickup trucks to fix problem with hoods," Dec. 20, 2012