Starting in 2016, the auto parts manufacturer Takata began to recall airbags that had been installed in tens of millions of vehicles; these airbags had been installed by dozens of auto manufacturers, ranging from Ford to Toyota to Ferrari, and accounted for the largest auto recall in history to date.
These airbags, meant to protect passengers in the event of an accident, contained a material that degraded over time, leading to dangerous explosions. This defect resulted in over a hundred injuries and 14 deaths. While the Takata airbag defect is an extreme example, vehicle defects account for thousands of car accidents every year.
If your crash was caused by a defective car part, you may have a product liability claim. This means that you can file a personal injury claim with a product liability attorney serving New York against the distributors, manufacturers, or retailers to recover damages for your injuries.
Common auto defects—sometimes leading to serious injury or death—include airbag malfunction, tire blowouts, brake failure, and electrical failure.
What Makes a Successful Defective Car Part Claim?
If your crash was caused by a defective auto part, your personal injury claim falls into the legal category of product liability. For a successful case, you and your legal team need to establish three things:
- The part was defective: You must establish that the part was defective, whether that was due to its original design, the manufacturing process, insufficient safety warnings, or a combination of the three.
- The defect caused the crash and your injuries: This means that your legal team needs evidence that directly links the faulty component to the accident and your injuries. This can include accident reconstruction reports, the defective part itself, expert testimony, and your medical records.
- The vehicle and part were being used properly: You must have been operating the vehicle in a reasonable way, as intended by the manufacturer. This means where and how you were driving may be relevant to your case. If you were off-roading with a vehicle unsuitable for the terrain, and your suspension failed, you may not have a strong product liability case.
Types of Car Part Defects
There are three types of auto part defects that can lead to crashes and serious injury:
- Manufacturing Defect: This is a flaw introduced during production; for example, a batch of airbags assembled with the wrong propellant (as in the Takata recall). The design may have been sound, but something went wrong in the factory.
- Design Defect: This is a flaw in the original blueprint; this means every unit is potentially dangerous. A suspension component engineered with insufficient load tolerance would fall into this category.
- Failure to Warn: This is when the manufacturer knew—or should have known—about a safety risk, but they did not provide sufficient warning or instructions. This can include unclear recall notices or missing warnings in service manuals.
When to Reach out to a Product Liability Attorney
Product liability cases add a significant layer of legal complexity to a car accident personal injury case; proving the exact nature of the defect, as well as determining the liable party, require the right evidence and the discernment that comes with years of product liability experience.
Moreover, you’re often bringing your case against corporations with enormous legal teams. At Buttafuoco & Associates, our team of product liability lawyers serving New York are ready to gather the right evidence, build your strongest case, and take the fight to those liable for your injuries.
Call 1-800-NOW-HURT for a free consultation with Buttafuoco & Associates today.