Defective cars and auto components cause a great number of auto accidents and subsequent injuries each year in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) works to issue recalls after accidents and auto defects are reported, however, defective automobiles are on the road at all times, endangering motorists and passengers.
Consumer Safety Attorneys and your auto defect lawyer can assist in trying to hold car manufacturers responsible for the damage and harm of an auto accident, and recover rightful compensation following a preventable injury.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Auto Defect Lawyer and Product Liability Attorney reviewing auto accident cases and related defective car parts for plaintiffs nationwide.
The Lyon Firm works with automotive engineers and Accident Investigators to determine the root cause of accidents and specific auto defects. Lawsuits can recover rightful compensation for plaintiffs.
Defective Auto Parts & Auto Recalls
Auto recalls are issued regularly after road accidents and injuries have already taken their toll on consumers and motorists. Thousands of recalls are announced each year, though can involve defective cars that have been on the road for many years already. Cars may be recalled but defective auto parts may be all too common on America’s roads. Common auto defects include:
- Seat Back Collapse–When a seat collapses, the seat belts will also fail, and passengers in the rear may be crushed.
- Airbag Defects–There have been a number of huge airbag recalls in recent years, due to faulty airbags that fail to deploy or deploy without any collision. Takata airbags have been part of the largest auto recall in history.
- Defective Wipers–Functioning wipers may be taken for granted, but when windshield wipers fail to work properly, a small bit of rain can turn into a very dangerous situation.
- Defective Brakes–Braking malfunction have affected a wide range vehicles, and can be particularly deadly. Brake defect recalls have been issued in recent years.
- Defective Software–In the modern era, automobiles are built with computer software that controls most of the vehicle. This can be convenient, but when auto software is defective, major safety components of the car might fail.
- Suspension Defects–Suspension defects have led to rollaway accidents and serious injury.
- Car Jack Defects–Crush injuries have been reported when car jacks fail to hold the weight they are meant to. Design defects and poor materials have been implicated in many auto defect lawsuits.
- Window Defects–Power window defects can lead to a variety of hand crush injury and children have reportedly had their head and neck caught in defective power windows.
- Defective Fuel System–Fires and car explosions are not as uncommon as one might think. Trucks, busses and cars have all been involved in fire accidents that have proved exceedingly dangerous.
- Throttle Defects (leading to unintended acceleration)–Throttle defects have been a target for auto defect litigation as sudden acceleration cases have popped up across the country. The NHTSA has linked a number of accidents and deaths to throttle issues, though car manufacturers have denied responsibility. Motorists report throttles being stuck and vehicles accelerating as they attempt to apply the brakes.
- Tire malfunction–Tire blowouts and tire failure are one of the most common auto defects seen in the auto industry. Almost weekly, there is another tire recall. Tread separation lawsuits have been filed on behalf of injured plaintiffs.
- Car seat defects–Children’s products are not always tested properly and defective child car seats have been released to the public with shocking results.
- Defective Cruise Control–Cars have been stuck in cruise control and auto software defects have increased the risks of auto accidents.
- Collision Avoidance Defects–With new technology comes new safety issues. Not all collision avoidance systems work as intended and motorists pay the consequences. Defective auto software cases are piling up and automakers have a duty to produce safer technology.
- Defective Engines: automakers have been hit with a number of lawsuits involving engines poorly manufactured, with emissions issues, burn too much oil, or are inefficient.
Other Automotive Defects
- Electrical Defects
- Gas Tank Defects
- Defective RV Components
- Automatic Braking Malfunction
- Trailer Hitch Failure
Auto Defect Lawsuits
Following a serious car accident related to defective automobiles or auto components, a plaintiffs has the right to take legal action and seek compensation for those liable for injuries sustained. The Lyon Firm has years of experience engaging car manufacturers after an auto defect has been discovered.
The Lyon Firm is dedicated to protecting the consumer and holding large corporations accountable for their negligence. Joe Lyon can help recover expenses related to medical costs and long-term disability, as well as seek punitive damages to ensure America’s roads are safer into the future.
Auto defects are very common causes of road accidents and injuries. Each year millions of cars and other vehicles are recalled due to faulty parts that increase the risk of accidents and deaths. The Lyon Firm works with industry experts to ensure that when an automotive defect or a recalled vehicle leads to an injury, the plaintiffs receive compensation.
Aftermarket Auto Defects
It may be tempting for some car owners to enhance a vehicle’s performance or aesthetics with aftermarket automotive products, but such products may not be regulated, or they may be installed by negligent auto dealerships or mechanics. Improper installation or defective aftermarket automotive products can pose safety hazards to car owners and motorists. Some common aftermarket auto defects may include the following:
- Spinning rims and wheel hubs
- Cold air intakes
- Performance mufflers and exhaust
- Turbochargers
- Superchargers
- Suspension
- Lift kits
- Scissor doors
Crashworthiness Doctrine
The Ohio crashworthiness doctrine or “second collision” doctrine takes into account injuries that occur in automotive accidents where the occupant of the car sustained injuries that could have been prevented or would have been less severe had the vehicle been designed differently.
Crashworthiness cases involve seat belt defects, air bag defects, as well as structural aspects of the car that failed to provide sufficient survival space or protection to the injured occupant. Without the crashworthiness doctrine, an automotive manufacturer would simply be able to point to another cause of the accident as the sole proximate cause and not absorb any liability for a poorly designed restraint system.
In Leichtamer v. American Motors Corp., the plaintiff argued that the jeep was defective in design due to the materials used in the roll bar. Plaintiffs presented evidence that had the design utilized stronger materials, the roll bar would not have collapsed in the roll over accident, and the occupants would have suffered less severe injuries.
The Lyon Firm has the resources and knowledge to work alongside design and bio-mechanical engineering, accident reconstruction, human factors, pathology and other medical experts determine the root cause of the death and to develop the compelling evidence to present the highest quality evidence and arguments on behalf of the injured party and the family.
