6 Common Car Manufacturing Defects To Watch Out For

Whether you’re headed to the grocery store, out of town, or across the country, it’s important to know that the chances of experiencing a car accident are increased under certain conditions. If you aren’t careful, if the weather conditions are terrible, or worse, if there’s a defective part that you don’t know about, your next stop may be the emergency room. Although every car comes with a manufacturer’s guarantee of safety in regards to what the company can control (basically, the car itself), a significant number of accidents on the road are the result of defective parts. Malfunctioning brakes, transmissions, and engines are far beyond a driver’s control, and it’s important to establish in the accident report that a defective part caused the car accident.

Every year, millions of cars are recalled due to manufacturing defects, errors, or defective parts. These things can greatly increase the chances of a driver experiencing an accident. Unfortunately, while manufacturers do their best to ensure minimal defects, some drivers may overlook the announcements and continue to drive their cars without worrying about a potentially defective part in their car. When an accident occurs because of a defective part, a victim can sue the car manufacturer and file for a product liability lawsuit due to cover all the costs stemming from the car crash.

Common car manufacturing defects
Although the idea of suing over defects might seem alluring at best, it’s important to consider the fact that defects tend to be easy to overlook in the midst of a post-accident haze. In order to distinguish between an accident resulting from a defective part and one from driver negligence, here are a few common instances of defective parts that you should be aware of:

1. Airbags suddenly deploying
When a minor accident occurs, your airbags may not deploy. If your airbags deploy after something as small as a tap, there is a chance that you might sustain even more injuries than you should due to the amount of force that your body is subjected to when your airbag deploys.

2. Airbags failing to deploy
If an accident happens and your airbags fail to deploy, the risk of sustaining even more injuries becomes higher. Whether or not your caused an accident or someone else’s negligence did, if your airbags fail to deploy, then that is a manufacturing defect that you should definitely sue for due to the fact that even more risk was put into the equation.

3. Airbags that deploy in a forceful manner beyond what is prescribed
Speaking of airbags, there is a possibility that your devices could deploy in an even more forceful manner than expected. This can result in broken bones and even death. Although they’re meant to cushion impact, airbags that deploy too suddenly and forcefully can make the situation even worse, making for a rock-solid basis for a lawsuit.

4. Faulty, broken, or self-unbuckling, seat belts
Another safety device in your car that’s prone to defects during car accidents is your seatbelt. If a seatbelt breaks, unbuckles by itself, or doesn’t clip, then chances are death or severe injuries may be even more imminent.

5. Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA)
As modern technology such as ABS, ECUs, and reverse sensors grow in importance over time, the risk of running into a technologically driven issue increases in likelihood as well. One of the most common defects that come with a car’s electronic components is sudden unintended acceleration. This is an issue that arises when your car’s ECU suddenly malfunctions, causing your car to suddenly accelerate without the press of a pedal. This often results in an accident.

6. Brake failure
One of the most important vehicle components that help you avoid crashes are your brakes. The ability of your car’s brakes to stop on a dime can mean the difference between walking away without damage or getting into a severe accident. But what if they don’t work at all? As one of the most important safety components of a car, brakes must be made with high quality and no defects as all, as they can cause the chances of death in a car crash to grow exponentially.