People typically cause car accidents by making mistakes or driving in a negligent manner. Sometimes, defective equipment might also cause an accident or an injury when it does not work as designed.
Car manufacturers install a variety of safety equipment that is supposed to help protect you against injury. You might have active systems that monitor your vehicle and traffic, and you can either adjust mechanical systems or sound alerts to help prevent accidents from happening.
Passive safety systems, like seat belts and airbags, are designed to protect you against injury. The accident might make it impossible to walk away without an injury, but the passive safety systems are supposed to help make that possible.
When installed safety systems fail, people could suffer very serious injuries. Car manufacturers might be liable for those injuries.
All carmakers and their suppliers are liable for any defective equipment. If that defect causes an accident, you can file claims against the carmaker, part manufacturers, and/or distributors. An experienced lawyer could help build a strong products liability case that shows a defect caused your accident injury.
Types of Defects
Manufacturers might create a defective vehicle in one of two ways. Both could lead to accident injuries when a vehicle or its parts do not work as intended.
The design of the vehicle might have one or more defects. A defective design means a vehicle or one or more of its systems will not function the way that it is supposed to work. For example, an exposed fuel tank might catch fire when a vehicle is rear ended. A better design could protect the fuel tank against potential damage during a car accident.
A manufacturing defect also might occur that causes a vehicle to be dangerous. The parts and mechanical systems might have a safe design, but the manufacturing process might create a defect that defeats the intent of the design.
What Are Common Defects?
Just about any mechanical system might suffer from a defect and make your vehicle less safe to drive. In extreme cases, one or more defects might make your vehicle downright dangerous to drive.
The mechanical components that often suffer from design or manufacturing defects include:
- Electrical systems.
- Brakes.
- Wheels.
- Engines.
- Transmissions.
- Chassis.
- Tires.
- Cooling systems.
Virtually any part of the vehicle that suffers from a defect might make it more dangerous to drive. For example, a hood that does not latch and stay closed might suddenly open and make it impossible for the driver to see where the vehicle is going. Defective brakes could make it impossible to stop safely, and defective tires have been cited as the cause of rollover accidents.
Atlantic City Car Accident Lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm Help Hold Liable Parties Accountable for Defective Auto Parts
If you have been injured in an accident that was caused by a defective auto part, contact one of our experienced Atlantic City car accident lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm. Call us at 609-926-3300 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation today. We are located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and we proudly serve clients throughout South Jersey, including Atlantic City, Linwood, Galloway Township, Cape May, Vineland, Millville, Bridgeton, Ocean City, and Woodbury.