There’s another safety warning out of the Chinese assembly lines, and this time it involves your car.

There are at this time approximately 36 million Chinese-made tire-valve stems on cars in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) is investigating claims that the rubber, foreign air-valves sold between September 2006 and June 2007 crack prematurely, causing tire failure. Complaints of tire failure include reports of fatal car accidents and rollovers.

According to auto-safety consultant Sean Kane, cracks in the rubber near the rim hole of the tire-valve could appear in as little as six months. The defect is most likely caused by the improper mixing of the rubber compound used to make the valve.

The NHTSA has yet to complete their investigation and issue a national alert. Until then, you can protect yourself and your family by continuing to regularly check your tire pressure. If you routinely come up with low pressure, take your vehicle to a trusted mechanic and request an inspection.

43,200 Americans were killed in motor vehicle accidents on highways in the United States in 2005.

One fourth of those fatalities – 10,816 people – died from vehicle rollovers, and rollovers accounted for less than 5 percent of all vehicle accidents in that year. More than 5,000 people suffered from injuries that caused them to become quadriplegic. Injuries and fatalities from rollovers are caused by the roof of the vehicle crushing the passengers, or from glass shattered from the roof crush.

Common sense would say that the the automobile industry is working to cut the amount of injuries – but it is not. In fact, these manufacturers are trying to use a federal agency, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), to eliminate the rights of car crash victims seeking justice and compensation from their injuries – injuries that could be prevented with stronger roof crush standards.

Hopefully, with pressure from Congress and consumer advocate groups, the NHTSA will maintain citizen’s access to our court system and revise their standard to more stringent – and safer – levels.

          The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating consumer complaints of suspension failure in the 2001 model year Hyundai Santa Fe. Two consumers have reported to the NHTSA that their Santa Fe “nearly rolled over” after their suspension failure, and the NHTSA has received six consumer complains about failed suspension parts in their Hyundai vehicle that say the rear trailing arm has failed because of excessive corrosion. Three people have reported that they lost control of their vehicle while traveling in excess of 55 mph.

          The NHTSA is also holding the Hyundai Sonata under scrutiny because of reports of severe corrosion in the 1999 to 2002 model year vehicles that has lead to suspension failure. These reports include “fist-sized holes in the frame” that can cause the suspension control arm to detach from the vehicle. This can cause “wheel collapse or separation, half shaft detachment resulting in sudden vehicle disablement and or steering anomalies,” according to the NHTSA. The Administration has also received reports of corrosion in the engine cradle and front cross-member. The corrosion has been reported as being discovered during routine maintenance on the vehicles, but a greater number of the complaints “allege that the corrosion was not detected until it resulted in suspension failure” or a wheel came off, according to the NHTSA.

          If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a dangerous vehicle or a wreck, contact the attorneys at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP today, at 1-800-460-0606.