Product Liability
When the part that was supposed to protect you is what hurt you
A ruptured airbag inflator, a tire that loses its tread at freeway speed or a seatbelt that releases on impact turns a survivable crash into a catastrophic one.
About defective auto parts claims
Vehicle component cases are rarely about driver error. They are about whether a part performed as an ordinary consumer would expect and whether a safer design was feasible when the vehicle left the factory. Under California law a manufacturer can be strictly liable for a manufacturing defect, a design defect, or a failure to warn. That means we do not have to prove the company was careless, only that the product was defective and that the defect caused the injury.
The failures we see repeat across makes and models: airbag inflators that rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin, airbags that fail to deploy at all or deploy without a crash event, tire tread and belt separation from poor adhesion or aged stock, seatbelt buckles that release under load and retractors that spool out, roof structures that crush in a rollover, fuel systems that feed a post-collision fire, and driver-assistance or anti-lock braking systems that misread the road or fail to engage.
These cases turn on physical evidence and engineering, not on the police report. The vehicle itself is the most important piece of proof, which is why the single most useful thing an injured person can do is make sure the car is not repaired, crushed or released to an insurer before it has been inspected and preserved.
Common injuries
Injuries we see most often in these cases. Every claim is different, and this list is not exhaustive.
- Traumatic brain injury and skull fracture from airbag non-deployment or roof crush
- Spinal cord injury and paralysis in rollover and ejection crashes
- Facial, eye and neck lacerations from ruptured airbag inflator shrapnel
- Internal organ damage and abdominal injuries from seatbelt failure
- Severe burns from post-collision fuel-fed or battery fires
- Crush injuries and amputation resulting from occupant compartment intrusion
Who can be held liable
Responsibility often extends well beyond the most obvious company. We look at every party in the chain.
- The vehicle manufacturer that designed and assembled the car
- The component supplier that made the airbag, tire, seatbelt or brake assembly
- The dealership, retailer or tire shop that sold or installed the part
- A repair shop that installed a counterfeit, salvaged or incorrect component
- A distributor in the chain of commerce that placed the product on the market
Evidence that matters
What we work to preserve and obtain early, because this proof tends to disappear with time.
- Preservation of the vehicle and the failed component before repair or salvage
- Event data recorder ("black box") download showing speed, braking and belt status
- The vehicle history, recall record and NHTSA complaint history for that part
- Manufacturer testing records, design change history and internal warnings
- Independent accident reconstruction and metallurgical or materials analysis
Do not wait on the deadline
California generally allows two years to bring a personal injury or product liability claim under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, and two years from the date of death in a wrongful death case. Shorter deadlines apply when a government entity is involved, and deadlines can be extended for injured children. Exceptions are fact-specific. Talk to us before you assume anything about your own timeline.
Answers
Defective Auto Parts: common questions
Injured by defective auto parts? Let us review it at no cost.
A conversation costs you nothing and there is no obligation. No fee unless we recover compensation for you. In some matters a client may still be responsible for case costs and expenses, and we will explain exactly how that works before you decide to hire us.