When your car’s brakes fail on a busy New Jersey highway or your airbag doesn’t deploy during a collision, a defective automotive part may have caused your injuries rather than driver error. In these cases, defective product liability law provides a legal pathway for you to seek compensation when faulty car parts contribute to your accident and injuries. With an experienced lawyer by your side, you can better understand if you have grounds for a claim beyond traditional car accident litigation.
When Does Defective Product Liability Apply to Automotive Parts?
Defective product liability may apply when an automotive part fails to perform as intended and causes or contributes to an accident. In New Jersey, manufacturers have a legal duty to design, manufacture, and test their products to ensure they meet reasonable safety standards. When they breach this duty, they can be held liable for resulting injuries.
Three Types of Product Defects
New Jersey recognizes three main categories of product defects that can apply to automotive parts. Manufacturing defects occur when a part is improperly made, even though the design itself is safe. For example, a brake pad that contains the wrong materials or wasn’t assembled correctly falls into this category.
Design defects involve flaws in the product’s blueprint that make it unreasonably dangerous. An airbag system designed with components that are prone to exploding rather than inflating safely represents a design defect. Warning defects happen when manufacturers fail to provide adequate instructions or warnings about known risks associated with their products. We can help you identify the category your case fits into and the strategies needed to achieve justice and maximum compensation.
How to Prove Defective Product Liability
Proving a defective product liability case involving automotive parts requires establishing the following key legal elements:
- The part contained a defect when it left the manufacturer’s control
- This defect caused or substantially contributed to your injuries.
The defective part itself serves as crucial evidence in these cases. Preserving the failed component allows automotive engineers to analyze what went wrong and determine whether the failure resulted from a defect or normal wear and tear. Additionally, maintenance records help establish proper vehicle care and that the part failure wasn’t due to your neglect or misuse.
Who Can Be Held Liable for Defective Automotive Parts?
Defective product liability cases often involve multiple parties in the automotive supply chain because several groups are responsible for ensuring parts are safe and function properly. In most cases, the part manufacturer bears primary responsibility for ensuring their products meet safety standards. However, liability may also extend to the vehicle manufacturer if they knew or should have known about defects in components they installed.
Parts distributors and retailers can face liability in certain circumstances, particularly if they continue selling products after becoming aware of safety issues. Even auto repair shops may bear responsibility if they installed defective parts while knowing about potential safety problems. We can help you determine whose negligence caused your injuries and pursue justice while you focus on recovery.
