Quite suddenly, it seems, cheap, Chinese-made motorcycles are all the rage.

Over the last decade or so, these cheap under-powered knock-offs have been filling up cities across the globe because, well, they’re cheap. Like, 400 USD for a 50cc bike that will get you around Mumbai or Shanghai.

Now, we’re beginning to see more and more of them imported to this country.

The problem is that they really are cheap. This means they aren’t always built to the standards of American products.

It also means that the product liability aspect of the things has not been tested.

U.S. manufacturers and the established majors from Japan and Europe have to contend with laws that hold them liable for defects in their products.

Has anyone had to deal with this issue on a Chinese motorcycle? The local dealer certainly can’t accept the liability and what are your chances with a company from China responding to your claims or concerns, especially if it’s one of the smaller ones? Further, it’s something of a Chinese cottage industry. There are hundreds — if not thousands — of small manufacturers.

With the rapidly increasing Chinese presence, someone ought to think about this because if you hold everyone else liable, you can’t give them a pass. It may be a while before the laws catch up to the reality of the market.

If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident and you were on one of these cheap motorcycles, you should contact an attorney experienced with Texas vehicle accident law. The vehicle accident lawyers at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP have over 80 years of experience and can help you with professional insight.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into the design of some recreational off-highway vehicles after reports of fatal accidents involving the new, unregulated products.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the  Rhino was a focus of the inquiry because at least 30 deaths might be attributed to the machine. The newspaper said the estimate was made based on CPSP  methods.

The probe spotlights gaps in oversight of the vehicles, which have been produced for about five years. Used by off-road enthusiasts and hunters, the models are larger than all-terrain vehicles and have two side-by-side seats, a steering wheel and protective roll cage.

The inquiry began several months ago after the agency identified that there seemed to be an increase of deaths.

Models similar to the Rhino include Polaris’s Razor, Honda Motor Co.’s Big Red, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.’s Mule and Arctic Cat Inc.’s Prowler.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an off-road accident involving one of these vehicles, an attorney experienced with defective product and car accident laws can provide professional insight.

Nissan Motor Co  will recall 204,361 cars from its 2007 and 2008 model years in the United States because a passenger side airbag could fail to deploy properly in an accident.

The voluntary recall covers 2007 and 2008 Nissan Altima, Altima Coupe, 350Z, Murano and Rogue; and Infiniti G35 Sedan, G37 Coupe and EX35 built from March 12, 2007 to May 27, 2008, the company said in a notice to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nissan said it began to investigate the issue in November 2007 after receiving several warranty reports of airbag warning lamps flashing. In late September, Nissan determined that a safety-related defect existed and it should conduct a recall.

In some vehicles, the passenger side airbag could fail to receive a proper signal and a supplemental airbag warning light could flash and a status light would illuminate to warn the driver that it is not working properly.

Nissan believes less than 1 percent of the vehicles actually contain the defect. It plans to test the vehicles and replace the hardware if necessary. The recall is expected to begin November 3.