Car manufacturers (like any manufacturer) have a responsibility to make sure that the products placed on the market are designed and manufactured to be safe when used by consumers. We all generally expect that a brand new car or truck will function properly and protect us from unreasonable risks of danger when driven properly. Yet, from time to time, car manufacturers may need to recall a product due to a potential safety issue.

Chrysler announced last week that roughly 1.2 million trucks (generally Ram trucks) may have an issue in the steering mechanism that can pose risks to consumers. Obviously, if any vehicle has a problem in the steering mechanism, a driver, passengers and anyone near the vehicle when in use can be exposed to serious dangers. Missouri residents who own the affected Chrysler products should be aware of the issue and take heed.

Chrysler says that more than 450,000 pickup trucks subject to the recall may have a misalignment issue in the steering mechanism that can cause a failure in the system, exposing people to the risk of a motor-vehicle accident. The manufacturer says that it has learned of seven accidents, with two injured people, associated with the issue. Details about the accidents and injuries were not detailed in a recent CNN story covering the auto recall.

Chrysler says that it is recalling 1.2 million vehicles. The majority of the affected trucks are Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks from the model years 2003 through 2008. But, the company is also recalling a variety of other Dodge Rams from the 2008 to 2012 model years, including specific 1500 4×4 Mega Cabs and various 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 models.

When a vehicle has a safety issue, the problem may not always be apparent. At times, a car accident may actually occur do to a design or manufacturing defect in the vehicle, or parts of the vehicle, including tires. Government accident investigations may not always look at vehicles or a possible mechanical failure as a potential contributing factor to an accident.

Source: CNN Money, “Chrysler recalls 1.2 million trucks,” James O’Toole, Nov. 8, 2013