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Defective Vehicle Parts

Defective vehicle parts are referred to as product liability cases. Generally there are two types of defects: manufacturing and design. A manufacturing defect exists if the product itself is different from the manufacturer’s intended result, or if the product is different from apparently identical products made by the same manufacturer. A design defect exists if the product fails to perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect when used in an intended or reasonably foreseeable manner, or, if there is a risk of danger inherent in the design which outweighs the benefits of that design.

Defective vehicle parts result in approximately 42,000 passenger fatalities a year. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act originally enacted in 1966 gives the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the authority to issue vehicle safety standards and to require manufacturers to recall vehicles with safety-related defects. Since then, more than 215 million cars, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds, as well as 24 million tires, have been recalled to correct safety defects.

Below are just some examples of defective vehicle parts:

1. Steering components that may break suddenly causing partial or complete loss of vehicle control.
2. Problems with fuel system components, particularly in their susceptibility to crash damage, that may result in leakage of fuel and possibly cause vehicle fires.
3. Improperly designed or constructed tires that may blow out unexpectedly.
4. Accelerator controls that may break or stick.
5. Wheels that may crack or break, resulting in loss of vehicle control.
6. Fuel system defects that can cause vehicle stalling or fires.
7. Wiring system problems that could result in a fire or loss of lighting.

If you or a loved one has been injured because of a defective vehicle part, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified product liability attorney.