What are the Most Common Defective Car Parts?
Vehicle manufacturers owe a great responsibility to their consumers. They must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of a vehicle’s design, manufacture and marketing. Unfortunately, automakers and distributors do not always fulfill their responsibilities, resulting in defective car parts that put consumers at risk of serious and fatal car accidents. Learn some of the most common defective car parts to better protect yourself from this type of accident.
Brakes
A vehicle recall means that the manufacturing company or a safety organization has stopped selling the product in question because of a hazard. A recall comes with an announcement that warns the public about the dangerous product and gives instructions for people who purchased the product. One of the most commonly recalled car parts is brakes. Defective brakes may malfunction and fail to stop a vehicle. The brake pads may wear out too quickly, for example, resulting in premature brake failure. Defective brakes can cause rear-end collisions, intersection accidents and high-speed collisions.
Tires
A vehicle’s tires are one of the most critical components of the car. They are what connect the vehicle to the road. If a tire is defective, the tread may wear out at an unusual speed, resulting in uneven tread or a tire blowout. A blowout is when a tire explodes instead of having a slow air leak. A tire blowout can cause a vehicle to flip or crash due to the inability of the driver to control the car. Tire blowouts are especially common in connection to commercial trucks.
Steering System
If the steering system of a vehicle contains a defect, including the power steering and steering column, the vehicle may lose its steering capabilities in transit. This can cause partial or complete loss of vehicle control and a related accident.
Fuel System
Another system that may contain a defect is the fuel system. Any type of issue or defect with a vehicle’s fuel system or components can result in a fuel leak if the vehicle is involved in a crash. This could potentially cause a vehicle fire or explosion after a collision, dramatically increasing the risk of catastrophic or fatal injuries.
Safety Components
Sometimes, a defective car part does not cause a car accident but fails to properly protect vehicle occupants in a collision. A defective seat belt may unbuckle at a critical moment, for example, failing to keep an occupant safely in his or her seat. Airbags can also contain defects. One major example is the Takata airbag recall, which involved about 67 million defective airbags and at least 400 injuries and 19 deaths. Takata airbags contained a defect with the chemicals used to deploy the bag, resulting in airbag explosions.
Seats and Seatbacks
Seatback failure is a common vehicle defect that involves the back part of a seat snapping backward in a vehicle collision. The back of a seat is meant to remain in place in a collision, keeping a driver securely in the best position to withstand an impact. If the back of the seat breaks in a crash, it can cause serious back and spinal cord injuries, including paralysis and wrongful death.
What if a Defective Car Part Causes an Accident?
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash that you believe is related to a defective car part, contact a personal injury attorney in Massachusetts right away. An attorney can investigate your collision to determine its cause and the liable party or parties. If you have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit for a defective or recalled car part, your attorney can help you negotiate for maximum financial compensation from the vehicle manufacturer. Contact Merrimack Valley Injury Lawyers today for a free car accident case review.