Mass torts are a growing concern within the automotive industry. With millions of vehicles on the road, even a single defective part or design flaw can cause significant harm to drivers and passengers. These types of cases often involve multiple plaintiffs who have suffered similar injuries as a result of the same defect.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident and you suspect a vehicle defect or flaw could be the cause, please give us a call to speak with one of our attorneys. We will provide you with a free consultation to help you feel confident about moving forward with your case.
Call (855) 659-4457 or contact us online today.
What Is Automotive Product Liability?
When a vehicle or one of its components is defectively designed, improperly manufactured, or sold without adequate warnings, and someone is injured as a result, the law recognizes a legal theory called automotive product liability. Unlike a typical car accident claim where fault rests with a driver, automotive product liability places responsibility on the manufacturer, parts supplier, distributor, or dealer whose defective product caused the harm.
These cases matter because no driver should be injured by a vehicle that was unsafe before they ever turned the key. If a defect in your car, truck, or SUV played a role in your crash or injuries, you may have a product liability claim entirely separate from (or in addition to) any negligence claim against another driver.
How Automotive Product Liability Cases Arise
Automotive product liability claims generally fall into three categories:
- Design defects occur when an entire product line is inherently unsafe because of choices made in the engineering phase — even if the vehicle was built exactly as intended.
- Manufacturing defects happen when a specific vehicle or part deviates from its intended design during production.
- Failure to warn (or marketing defects) arise when a manufacturer knows of a risk but fails to adequately disclose it to consumers.
In practice, many automotive product liability cases involve a combination of these theories. A brake component may have been poorly designed and improperly assembled. A tire may have known delamination risks that were never disclosed to buyers. An experienced automotive product liability lawyer will analyze all three angles when building your case.
Automotive Product Liability Case Types We Handle
Breit Biniazan represents clients injured by a wide range of defective vehicle components. Below are the most common case types our attorneys handle.
Brake Defects and Brake Failure
Brake systems are among the most safety-critical components on any vehicle. When calipers seize, brake lines fail, ABS modules malfunction, or pads and rotors are defectively manufactured, the results can be catastrophic. Brake defect cases often involve questions about whether the manufacturer knew of the failure mode and failed to issue a timely recall.
Airbags are designed to save lives, but a defective airbag can kill or seriously injure the very person it was built to protect. Whether an airbag deploys with excessive force, fails to deploy at all, or ruptures and sends metal shrapnel toward occupants (as seen in the Takata airbag crisis, which affected tens of millions of vehicles), victims have strong grounds for an automotive product liability claim.
Seatbelt Defects
A seatbelt that unlatches on impact, fails to lock during a crash, or frays and tears under load provides no meaningful protection. Defective seatbelts are particularly dangerous because occupants rely on them as their last line of defense in a collision. Manufacturers who design or produce faulty restraint systems can be held accountable for the enhanced injuries that result.
Fuel System and Fuel Injection Defects
Defective fuel systems including faulty fuel injectors, cracked fuel lines, and malfunctioning fuel pumps can cause fires, explosions, and sudden stalling at highway speeds. When a vehicle catches fire due to a fuel system defect rather than the force of impact, it is the manufacturer's design or assembly choices, not the crash itself, that caused much of the resulting harm.
Tire tread separation occurs when the outer tread layer peels away from the steel belt beneath it, often at highway speeds and without warning. The loss of control that follows frequently causes rollovers, head-on collisions, and fatalities. These cases typically involve defects in the tire's bonding process during manufacturing, and they may implicate both the tire manufacturer and the vehicle manufacturer if the vehicle's weight or design placed excessive stress on an underrated tire.
Roof Crush and Rollover Accidents
Federal safety standards require vehicle roofs to withstand a minimum amount of crush force, but many manufacturers, especially in the SUV and truck segments, have historically built roofs that collapse into the occupant cabin during a rollover. Roof crush injuries are often catastrophic, resulting in traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, or death. If your vehicle's roof failed to provide adequate protection during a rollover, you may have a viable automotive product liability claim against the manufacturer.
Why Automotive Mass Tort Cases Are Complex
Automotive product liability litigation is among the most technically demanding in personal injury law. It requires accident reconstruction experts, mechanical engineers, metallurgists, and industry insiders who can explain to a jury exactly why and how a component failed. It also requires legal teams who understand how to access internal manufacturer documents that often reveal what a company knew, and when. These documents may include pre-release testing data, warranty claim databases, and engineering change orders.
Many of these cases also involve recalls. It is important to understand that a recall does not eliminate a manufacturer's liability; in many instances, the existence of a recall is direct evidence that the manufacturer knew its product was defective. Nor does the absence of a recall mean there is no defect. Some manufacturers resist recalling products for years even in the face of mounting evidence.
Statute of Limitations for Automotive Product Liability
Every automotive product liability claim is subject to a statute of limitations: a legal deadline that, if missed, can permanently bar your right to recover. The applicable deadline varies by state and by the specific legal theory being pursued. Evidence also degrades: vehicles are repaired, crushed, or lost; electronic data from onboard diagnostic systems is overwritten; witnesses' memories fade.
If you believe a vehicle defect contributed to your accident or injuries, contacting an automotive product liability lawyer as soon as possible is essential to preserving your claim.
Call (855) 659-4457 today to discuss your case with an attorney.
What Compensation May Be Available
Victims of defective vehicles may be entitled to recover:
- Medical expenses, including future care costs
- Lost income and diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability and disfigurement
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members
In cases involving particularly egregious corporate conduct, (such as a manufacturer that concealed known defects) punitive damages may also be available.
Contact The Attorneys at Breit Biniazan Today
If you or a loved one was injured because a vehicle or vehicle component failed the way it should never have failed, Breit Biniazan is ready to help. Our attorneys have the resources, the professional network, and the litigation experience to take on major automakers and parts manufacturers on your behalf.
Contact us today at (855) 659-4457 or fill out a form online for a free consultation. There are no fees unless we recover for you.
