When a Defective Vehicle or Part Causes Serious Harm
A serious vehicle crash is not always caused solely by driver error. In some cases, a defective automobile, tire, airbag, seat belt, brake system, or other vehicle component causes an accident or worsens the resulting injuries. A Santa Ana auto product liability lawyer can investigate the vehicle, identify responsible companies, preserve evidence, and pursue compensation for injured victims.
Automotive defect claims can be difficult to recognize because the problem may be hidden within the vehicle’s design, manufacturing process, software, or safety systems. A crash may initially appear to involve only negligent driving, but a detailed inspection can reveal that a defective part contributed to the collision or failed to protect the occupants. Prompt legal action can help prevent the vehicle from being repaired, destroyed, or transferred before experts can examine it.
What Is Auto Product Liability?
Auto product liability is the area of law that holds manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and sellers responsible when an unsafe vehicle or component causes an injury.
Defects may affect braking, steering, acceleration, occupant protection, structural integrity, tires, electrical systems, or driver-assistance technology. Some defects directly cause crashes, while others increase the severity of injuries during a collision.
Why Choose Lara Law Firm?
Lara Law Firm provides personalized representation to injured clients in Santa Ana and is guided by a commitment to justice, truth, and accountability. The firm helps clients understand their legal options, preserve important evidence, and pursue compensation from negligent individuals, manufacturers, insurers, and other responsible parties.
- Richard Lara was recognized as a Top Ranking Attorney by the American Association of Attorney Advocates.
- He was selected as one of the 10 Best Attorneys by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys.
- Richard Lara is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, connecting him with a respected organization dedicated to protecting injured consumers.
- His legal scholarship was published in the Journal of the Philosophy of International Law in an article titled The Problem of Sovereignty, International Law, and Intellectual Conscience.
- Lara Law Firm maintains a local office in Santa Ana, allowing the firm to serve injured individuals and families throughout the community.
- The firm offers free consultations for personal injury cases, allowing potential clients to discuss their claims without an upfront consultation fee.
Pursue Accountability for a Dangerous Vehicle Defect
Lara Law Firm helps injured clients pursue compensation from manufacturers, suppliers, and other responsible parties. The firm can review crash reports, medical records, repair histories, recalls, and expert findings. Call Lara Law Firm at (626) 872-6607 for a free consultation and take the first step toward holding the responsible parties accountable.
How Do You Know Whether You May Have a Case?
You may have a claim if a vehicle or component did not perform as safely as expected, contained an unsafe design, was manufactured incorrectly, or lacked adequate warnings.
Possible warning signs include:
- Sudden brake or steering failure
- Unintended acceleration
- Airbags that fail to deploy or deploy unexpectedly
- Seat belts that unlatch or tear
- Tire blowouts or tread separation
- Fuel leaks or post-crash fires
- Roof collapse during a rollover
- Seat backs that break during impact
- Doors that open during a collision
- Electric vehicle battery fires
- Malfunctioning collision-avoidance technology
A defect does not have to be the only cause of the accident. Another driver may cause the initial collision, while a defective airbag, seat belt, roof, or fuel system causes additional injuries.
What Are the Main Types of Automotive Defects?
Most claims involve a manufacturing defect, design defect, or failure to warn.
What Is a Manufacturing Defect?
A manufacturing defect occurs when a vehicle or component differs from its intended design due to an error during production or assembly.
Examples include missing bolts, weak welds, defective wiring, contaminated materials, improperly installed brake lines, or an airbag assembled with the wrong part.
What Is a Design Defect?
A design defect exists when a product is manufactured correctly, but the design itself creates an unreasonable danger.
Examples may include a vehicle with a high rollover risk, a poorly positioned fuel tank, a weak roof structure, or a seat that fails during a foreseeable rear-end crash.
What Is a Failure-to-Warn Defect?
A failure to warn occurs when a manufacturer or seller does not provide adequate instructions or warnings about a known or reasonably knowable danger.
These claims may involve battery fire risks, tire limitations, airbag hazards, maintenance requirements, or situations in which a safety system may not function properly.
Which Vehicle Parts Commonly Lead to Claims?
Nearly any automotive component can be defective. Common cases involve brakes, steering systems, tires, airbags, seat belts, seats, doors, roofs, fuel tanks, batteries, sensors, cameras, and electronic controls.
Claims involving airbags, seat belts, seats, roofs, and other occupant-protection systems are sometimes called crashworthiness claims because they concern whether a vehicle adequately protects its occupants during a foreseeable collision.
Can You Bring a Claim When Another Driver Caused the Crash?
Yes. A driver-negligence claim and a product liability claim can coexist.
For example, a distracted driver may cause a rear-end collision. However, if the victim’s seat collapses or the seat belt unlatches, the vehicle or component manufacturer may also be responsible for the resulting injuries.
Identifying all responsible parties is especially important when injuries exceed the insurance coverage available to an individual driver.
Who Can Be Held Responsible?
Depending on the facts, responsible parties may include:
- The vehicle manufacturer
- A component or tire manufacturer
- A parts supplier
- A distributor or dealership
- A repair facility
- A replacement-part installer
- A rental, trucking, or fleet company
- Another negligent driver
A case may involve strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, or other claims. Strict liability generally focuses on whether the product was defective rather than whether the manufacturer intended to cause harm.
Does a Safety Recall Automatically Prove a Case?
No. A recall can provide valuable evidence, but it does not automatically establish liability. The absence of a recall also does not prove that a vehicle was safe.
A Santa Ana product liability attorney may review recall notices, consumer complaints, service bulletins, warranty claims, prior lawsuits, engineering records, and government investigations. Vehicle owners may also check for open recalls using the vehicle identification number.
What Evidence Is Important?
The damaged vehicle is often the most important evidence and should be preserved whenever possible.
Additional evidence may include photographs, crash data, diagnostic records, repair documents, police reports, witness statements, video footage, medical records, recall notices, and the damaged component itself.
Engineers and accident reconstruction experts may inspect the vehicle, analyze fractured parts, review electronic data, and determine how a defect contributed to the accident or injuries.
Protect Important Evidence Before It Disappears
A damaged vehicle may be the strongest evidence in an auto product liability case. Lara Law Firm can help preserve the vehicle and arrange inspections of brakes, tires, airbags, seat belts, steering systems, and electronic data. Contact Lara Law Firm at (626) 872-6607 before allowing the vehicle to be repaired, sold, or destroyed.
What Should You Do After Suspecting a Defect?
Seek medical treatment immediately. Some brain, spine, internal, and soft-tissue injuries may not be obvious at first.
Do not sell, repair, dismantle, or release the vehicle before obtaining legal advice. Notify towing companies, insurers, storage facilities, and salvage yards that the vehicle must be preserved.
Save damaged tires, airbags, seat belts, child seats, and replacement parts. Keep purchase documents, repair records, recall notices, photographs, and correspondence with the dealership or manufacturer.
What Compensation May Be Available?
Compensation in an auto product liability case depends on the severity of the injuries, the financial losses involved, and the effect the accident has on the victim’s daily life. Recoverable damages may include both economic and non-economic losses.
Compensation may include:
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses may include emergency room care, hospital stays, surgery, diagnostic testing, medication, physical therapy, and follow-up appointments. An injured person may seek compensation for reasonable treatment costs connected to the defective vehicle or component.
Future Medical Treatment
Catastrophic injuries may require ongoing rehabilitation, additional surgeries, specialist care, medication, or medical equipment. Compensation may account for the estimated cost of treatment the victim is reasonably expected to need in the future.
Lost Wages
A person who cannot work while recovering may lose income from missed hours, days, or months of employment. Lost wage compensation may include regular pay, overtime, commissions, bonuses, and other employment earnings.
Reduced Earning Capacity
Some injuries prevent victims from returning to the same job or working at the same level as before the accident. Reduced earning capacity reflects the long-term difference between what the person would likely have earned and what the person can now earn.
Property Damage
A defective vehicle accident may cause damage to the victim’s car, personal belongings, or other property. Compensation may cover repair costs, replacement value, towing charges, storage fees, and other related losses.
Physical Pain
Physical pain damages recognize the discomfort and suffering caused by injuries, medical procedures, and the recovery process. The amount may depend on the seriousness, duration, and expected permanence of the pain.
Emotional Distress
A traumatic collision may lead to anxiety, depression, fear, sleep problems, or post-traumatic stress symptoms. Compensation may be available when emotional distress affects the victim’s well-being, relationships, or ability to function normally.
Disability
A temporary or permanent disability can limit a person’s mobility, independence, employment, and ability to complete daily tasks. Compensation may reflect the practical and personal impact of those limitations.
Disfigurement
Burns, scars, amputations, and other visible injuries may permanently change a victim’s appearance. Disfigurement damages may account for physical discomfort, emotional harm, embarrassment, and reduced confidence.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Injuries may prevent a person from participating in hobbies, exercise, travel, family activities, and other meaningful parts of life. Compensation may recognize the reduced ability to enjoy the activities and experiences the victim valued before the accident.
When a defect causes a death, qualifying family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim for funeral expenses, lost financial support, and the loss of companionship, guidance, care, and assistance.
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?
Auto product liability claims are subject to legal deadlines. The filing period can depend on when the injury occurred or was discovered, the defendants involved, and other circumstances.
Waiting may also result in the vehicle being repaired, sold, crushed, or transferred to a salvage facility. Electronic data may be overwritten, and witnesses or video footage may become unavailable.
How Can a Santa Ana Auto Product Liability Lawyer Help?
An attorney can investigate how the crash happened and how the vehicle performed during the collision.
A Santa Ana personal injury lawyer may preserve and inspect the vehicle, obtain electronic data, investigate recalls, identify manufacturers and suppliers, consult engineers, document damages, communicate with insurers, and file a lawsuit when necessary.
Automobile manufacturers and suppliers have substantial legal and technical resources. Early representation helps injured victims begin developing their cases before evidence is lost.
Get Help From a Santa Ana Auto Product Liability Lawyer
Defective brakes, tires, airbags, or safety systems can cause devastating injuries. Lara Law Firm helps Santa Ana clients investigate dangerous vehicles, preserve evidence, and identify responsible manufacturers, suppliers, dealerships, or repair companies. Call Lara Law Firm at (626) 872-6607 for a free consultation and learn whether a vehicle defect caused your crash or made your injuries worse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have a case if my vehicle was not recalled?
Possibly. A recall is not required. Physical inspections, expert analysis, service bulletins, consumer complaints, testing, and company records may establish a defect.
Can a used vehicle be involved in a claim?
Yes. A used vehicle may contain an original defect, although modifications, repairs, maintenance, and the vehicle’s condition must also be evaluated.
What if I was partly responsible for the accident?
Partial responsibility does not necessarily eliminate a claim. Fault may be divided among drivers, manufacturers, repair facilities, and other parties.
Should I allow the vehicle to be destroyed?
No. Do not authorize repairs, salvage, or destruction before speaking with an attorney. The vehicle may be the most important evidence in the case.
Can defective airbags cause injuries?
Yes. Airbags may fail to deploy, deploy too late, activate unexpectedly, release fragments, or inflate with excessive force.
Can replacement parts support a claim?
Yes. Defective replacement tires, brakes, batteries, wheels, airbags, and suspension parts may lead to claims against manufacturers, sellers, or installers.
Who pays compensation?
Compensation may come from manufacturers, suppliers, dealerships, repair companies, drivers, insurers, or other responsible parties.
What does a product liability lawyer cost?
Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning attorney fees are generally collected from a recovery rather than charged hourly.
How long does a case take?
The timeline depends on the injuries, number of defendants, engineering issues, available evidence, and whether the case settles or proceeds to trial.
What should I bring to a consultation?
Bring photographs, medical information, police reports, insurance correspondence, repair records, recall notices, towing information, and the vehicle identification number.
Meet Our Santa Ana Auto Product Liability Lawyer
Richard Lara
Richard Lara is the founder of Lara Law Firm and an advocate for injured individuals and families in Santa Ana. Guided by a passion for justice and truth, he provides attentive, personalized representation in complex personal injury matters. His recognitions include being selected as a Top Ranking Attorney in 2020 and as one of the 10 Best Attorneys in 2018. Richard also belongs to the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and works to help clients move from victim to victorious.