What are some common vehicle defects?
Cars and trucks are, at their base, large machines with a lot of moving parts. A defect or flaw in even the smallest part can cause a chain reaction of failure, leading to a crash or collision. Common vehicle safety defects include the following:
Defective tires. When tires are either manufactured or repaired improperly, they can wear down more quickly or even blow out on the road. Typical tire defects include tread separation and zipper failure, either of which can cause driver loss of control.
Seat belt defects. Seat belt failure often leads to fatal injuries, as they are a key safety feature and prevent occupants from being ejected from the vehicle during a crash. Seat belts may fail to latch or stay latched, fail to unlatch and trap an occupant in a vehicle, or fail from weak or defective webbing.
Defective airbags. Another extremely dangerous vehicle defect, if airbags fail to deploy during a collision, drivers and front-seat passengers can suffer serious injury. In the same vein, if an airbag suddenly deploys for no reason, a driver could lose control of their vehicle, causing an accident.
Brake failure. Malfunctioning braking systems often aren’t discovered until it’s too late – after a rear-end collision or loss of control of the vehicle. This type of defect can occur in the manufacturing process or when a repair shop uses faulty parts.
Electrical malfunction. As more and more vehicles rely on technology, and some vehicles have gone all-electric, the risk of electrical malfunction rises. Defective electrical components can cause fires and explosions.
When any of these defects cause you or a loved one to suffer injury, the attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger work to find out why. We understand the overwhelming effect a serious or catastrophic injury has on both the victim and their family, and we want the responsible party held accountable.
