Dec 15, 2021 | Blog, Car Problems Car Complaints
Subaru of America, Inc. Recalling Certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy And Outback Vehicles – Drive Chain May Break Causing Loss Of Drive Power
Your vehicle MAY be involved in a safety recall which MAY create a safety risk for you or your passengers. If left unrepaired, a potential safety defect could lead to injury or even death. Safety defects must be repaired by a dealer at no cost to you. The following MAY APPLY to your vehicle if it is listed below. Please click on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) Recall ID Number below to learn more about the safety issue and the reason for the vehicle recall.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc. (“Subaru”)
Components: POWER TRAIN
Potential Number of Units Affected: 198,255
Summary & Remedy
Subaru is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (“TCU”) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 7, 2022. The remedy is expected to be available in April 2022. This recall includes all vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855. Vehicles previously recalled under 19V-855 will need to have the new remedy performed for this recall once available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru’s number for this recall is WRK-21.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to nhtsa.gov.
What Is A Vehicle Recall?
When a manufacturer or the NHTSA determines that a vehicle creates an unreasonable risk to safety or fails to meet minimum safety standards, the manufacturer is required to fix that vehicle at no cost to the owner. The fix, or repair, can be accomplished by repairing, replacing, offering a refund (for equipment) or, in rare cases, repurchasing the car/vehicle.
What Should I Do If My Vehicle Is Included In This Recall?
If your vehicle is included in a specific recall, it is very important that you get it fixed as soon as possible given the potential danger to you and your passengers if it is not addressed. You should receive a separate letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer, notifying you of the recall and explaining when the remedy will be available, whom to contact to repair your vehicle, and to remind you that the repair will be done at no charge to you. If you believe your vehicle is included in the recall, but you do not receive a letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer, please call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, or contact your vehicle manufacturer or dealership.
For additional recall information, please click Vehicle Recall FAQs.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
VEHICLE OWNERS AND LESSEES AFFECTED BY AUTOMOTIVE DEFECTS OR SAFETY RECALLS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT KEHOE LAW FIRM, P.C., [email protected], FOR A FREE, NO-OBLIGATION EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL LEGAL CLAIMS.
Dec 15, 2021 | Blog, Data Breach
Company’s Data Breach Potentially Impacted 750,000 Patients And 522 Current/Former Oregon Anesthesiology Group Employees
In a December 6, 2021 Notice of Data Breach, Oregon Anesthesiology Group, P.C. (“OAG”) stated that OAG “. . . experienced a cyberattack on July 11, [2021] after which [OAG was] briefly locked out of [its] servers.”
The data breach notice stated that
[o]n October 21, the FBI notified OAG that it had seized an account belonging to HelloKitty, a Ukrainian hacking group, which contained OAG patient and employee files. The FBI believes HelloKitty exploited a vulnerability in [OAG’s] third-party firewall, enabling the hackers to gain entry to the network. According to the cyber forensics report obtained by OAG in late November, the cybercriminals, once inside, were able to data-mine the administrator’s credentials and access OAG’s encrypted data.
Patient information potentially involved in this incident included names, addresses, date(s) of service, diagnosis and procedure codes with descriptions, medical record numbers, insurance provider names, and insurance ID numbers. OAG does not store patients’ full medical records or their Social Security or credit card numbers, and these data were not involved. The cybercriminals also potentially accessed current and former OAG employee data, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other details from W-2 forms on file.
OAG also stated in its data breach notice that “[t]he data breach potentially impacted about 750,000 patients and 522 current and former OAG employees.” [All emphasis added.]
Have You Been Impacted By A Data Breach?
If so, please complete the form on the right or contact Kehoe Law Firm, P.C., [email protected], for a free, no-obligation evaluation of potential legal claims.
Examples of the type of relief sought by data privacy class actions, include, but are not limited to, reimbursement of identity theft losses and of out-of-pocket costs paid by data breach victims for protective measures such as credit monitoring services, credit reports, and credit freezes; compensation for time spent responding to the breach; imposition of credit monitoring services and identity theft insurance, paid for by the defendant company; and improvements to the defendant company’s data security systems.
Data privacy class actions are brought on a contingent-fee basis; thus, plaintiffs and the class members do not pay out-of-pocket attorney’s fees or litigation costs. Subject to court approval, attorney’s fees and litigation costs are derived from the recovery obtained for the class.
Dec 15, 2021 | Antitrust, Blog
Executive Charged For Playing Key Role In Long-Running Antitrust Conspiracy That Illegally Limited Workers’ Career Prospects And Earnings
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut unsealed a criminal complaint accusing a former aerospace outsourcing executive of participating in a long-running conspiracy with managers and executives of several outsource engineering suppliers (“Suppliers”) to restrict the hiring and recruiting of engineers and other skilled laborers among their respective companies.
According to the filed documents, Mahesh Patel (“Patel”), of Glastonbury, Connecticut, a former director of global engineering services at a major aerospace engineering company, enforced this agreement while serving as an intermediary between conspiring Suppliers. Patel appeared remotely before a federal court in Hartford, Connecticut after his arrest on the complaint charging him with conspiracy in restraint of trade. He was released on conditions including travel restrictions and a $100,000 appearance bond. The charge against Patel is the first in this ongoing federal antitrust investigation.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Patel upheld a conspiracy among aerospace companies not to hire or recruit one another’s employees. At times, Patel confronted and berated Suppliers who cheated on the agreement, often at the direct behest of another Supplier, and threatened to punish nonconforming Suppliers by taking away valuable access to projects. In addition, as the complaint alleges, Patel and co-conspirators recognized the mutual financial benefit of this agreement — namely, reducing the rise in labor costs that would occur when aerospace workers were free to find new employment in a competitive environment.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to restrain trade under the Sherman Antitrust Act is 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of $1 million for individuals. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, justice.gov.
Dec 15, 2021 | Blog, Car Problems Car Complaints
Nissan Pathfinder (2013-2016) & Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid (2014-2016) Subject Of NHTSA Office Of Defects Investigation
Components: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
Summary
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified fourteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (“VOQ”) alleging hood latch failures, while subject vehicles were being driven, resulting in the hood opening and obstructing the vision of the driver. The office has also received Early Warning Reports (“EWR”) on this issue. Sudden and unexpected opening of the hood can startle drivers, block their visibility, and could lead to a crash into other vehicles or objects.
Nissan is currently collecting field parts to asses the alleged failure of the hood latch. A root cause has not been identified at this time.
ODI has opened a Preliminary Evaluation to evaluate the scope and risk to motor vehicle safety.
The VOQs can be found with ID numbers:11436637, 11431131, 11427702, 11423321, 11406574, 11398825, 11389741, 11387952, 11375938, 11349105, 11306735, 11302647, 11190468, 11166607.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
