What Are The Most Common Defective Auto Parts?
While negligent drivers cause the majority of traffic accidents, defective auto parts contribute as well. The problem here is that when a necessary component fails in a moving vehicle, the consequences to the driver, passengers, and even other drivers on the road can be devastating. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the most common defective auto parts contributing to serious personal injury lawsuits.
Which auto parts cause the most injuries?
- Tires – Tires, while seemingly simple, took the entire history of human evolution to create. Tires are a long way off from wooden wheels. For one thing, they’re better. They grip the road better, they’re stronger, but they’re more complex to fabricate. When a tire fails while the car is in motion, only an extremely skilled driver would be able to maintain or regain control of the vehicle. Most attempt to turn the wheel in the opposite direction and their vehicle ends up flipping. For that reason, tires are among the most heavily litigated auto parts in the country.
- Airbags – While tails of airbags exploding in people’s faces and killing them have eaten up all the press waves, the truth is that most airbag lawsuits aren’t quite so sensational. In some cases, a manufacturing defect results in the airbag not deploying during an accident. When that happens, the manufacturer is responsible for all the injuries the airbag would have prevented had it deployed properly. In other cases, the airbag deploys for no good reason while the driver is in traffic. This too can be dangerous, albeit, not quite as dangerous as an airbag exploding directly in your face.
- Steering column – A steering wheel can fail in a number of situations. In one highly-publicized case, GM was required to recall over one million SUVs after it was reported that the power steering suddenly cut off while the vehicle was in traffic.
- Brake defects – While most folks won’t drive a car off the lot if it can’t brake properly, the components can become worn down over time and periodically need to be replaced. When this happens too quickly, the driver can be taken by surprise.
- The wheel – While the wheel may have been one of the first things mankind invented, it has become increasingly more complex since the Egyptians were using war chariots. Today, wheels have tire pressure monitoring systems to ensure that drivers know if their tires need to be inflated or replaced. Sometimes the TPMS fails, resulting in an accident. In other cases, the wheels can fail causing injury to the tire which results in a blowout accident.
- Seatbelts – Seatbelts have become increasingly the subject of personal injury lawsuits. If a seatbelt fails, it can cause serious injury to a passenger or the driver. Since they expected the seatbelt to work as advertised, the company is liable for any injuries that would have been prevented if the seatbelt functioned properly.
Talk to a Florida Auto Part Liability Attorney
Not all accidents are caused by bad drivers. Some are caused by defective auto parts. Call the Coral Gables tire defect attorneys at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert today to discuss an auto part failure with a trained litigator and we can go over your options for filing a lawsuit and recovering damages for your injuries.
