In many cases, car accidents are caused by a negligent or reckless driver. However, there are circumstances under which a catastrophic automobile accident may occur due to a defective part or component of a car on the highway resulting in serious injuries or death. In fact, approximately 44,000 accidents occur every year throughout the United States as a result of manufacturing defects on vehicles according to the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Defective Parts and Components of Automobiles
Most people rely on the NHTSA or their car manufacturer to warn them of any safety issues of their vehicle through either a recall notice or some sort of other notification. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are established by the NHTSA and these organizations have the responsibility to ensure that vehicle manufactured parts are compliant with all safety regulations. Unfortunately, thousands of accidents happen every year to manufacturing defects including:
- Defective tires
- Broken seats or seatbacks
- Flawed airbag deployment
- Broken gas accelerators that either fail or stick
- Loss of light from the electrical system
- Fires from the electrical system of from the fuel system
- Wheels that are either cracked or broken
- Failure of steering components
- Flawed or broken windshield wipers
- Fuel system failures resulting in fires
Types of Accidents
Accidents related to automobile defects either directly cause the accident, or cause a more serious accident to occur. For example, if the brakes or steering wheel on a car completely fail, the accident will be as a direct result of the manufacturing defect. However, if the driver was already operating the vehicle in a negligent way causing an accident and the airbags failed to deploy, the accident was not directly caused by the airbag’s failure, however, the injuries to victims of the car accident will be much more serious due to their failure. In these cases, both the negligent driver, as well as the manufacturing company will have the responsibility to compensate a victim for their injuries.
Manufacturing Liability
Manufacturers of vehicle parts and components have a high duty to ensure that there are no dangers or damage to their products. In fact, manufacturers must follow stringent standards and if they do not, they are held to “strict liability” laws, which means that a victim simply needs to prove that a manufacturing defect exists in order to bring a claim against the manufacturing company.
Contact Us Today
If you were involved in a car accident that was caused by a defective design, part or component of a vehicle, the case will likely be complex and challenging. In many cases, expert witnesses are needed to testify to the manufacturing defect. If you were injured in a car accident in Kansas or Missouri, contact an experienced lawyer at Griggs Injury Law at (816) 474-0202 to help you determine how to build a strong case against a manufacturer responsible for your injuries.
