Atlanta Auto Product Liability Attorneys

If a Defective or Dangerous Car Part Caused You Serious Injury, Call Us

Buying a car is a stressful yet exciting experience. You did your research, found the vehicle that best fit your driving needs, and took it on the road. Unfortunately, many drivers find a wide array of problems with their cars that have nothing to do with their driving and everything to do with dangerous defects.

Auto manufacturers are required to design and produce reasonably safe vehicles. But some auto manufacturers and car dealers sell vehicles that use poor-quality or defective parts. When vehicles are not adequately crash-tested, hurried through production, or badly designed, their occupants are much more likely to suffer serious injury.

At Grant Law Office in Atlanta, we deal in auto liability cases that involve serious or fatal injury. Please call local (404) 995-3955 or toll-free (866) 249-5513 to set up a free consultation.

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Common Motor Vehicle Defects and How They Harm You

Cars, trucks, and motorcycles are complex machines. They have both electrical and mechanical parts; they have an exterior "shell" as well as interior "guts"; newer vehicles also have computer technology. Technological advances are making cars "smarter" than ever, but this also increases the likelihood of an electric malfunction. Defects may range from inoperative turning signals to the gas tank falling onto the road, but all defects have the potential to cause a violent crash.

Some of the more common defects or design flaws include:

• Brake failure: If a vehicle’s brakes fail, the vehicle cannot come to a stop. This could lead to a high-speed crash, including a head-on or T-bone collision. The momentum of the vehicle, upon impact, will shake the occupants and could cause coup-contrecoup injuries in the brain, as well as whiplash and other soft tissue injuries.
• Defective tires: A worn or faulty tire can easily blow out, sending the vehicle careening out of control, whether off the road or into another car. These accidents happen suddenly, and occupants rarely have time to brace themselves for the impact.
• Lack of crashworthiness: When a vehicle isn’t designed with safety in mind, it may lack features like airbags or seatbelts, or contain hard-edged surfaces inside the car that seriously lacerate an occupant in the event of a collision. These “second impact” injuries are the fault of the car’s manufacturer, and should be treated that way.
• Sudden acceleration/deceleration: Toyota had to issue three separate recalls over sudden acceleration in its vehicles, which led to at least 37 deaths reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unexpected acceleration is not just dangerous to vehicle occupants, but to pedestrians and bicyclists outside the vehicle as well.
• Gas/oil/other fluid leaks: Any flammable fluid that leaks from the car’s engine can start a vehicle fire or explosion. Occupants may suffer smoke inhalation, lacerations, burn injuries, or end up crashing violently when they lose the ability to control the vehicle.
• Faulty door latches: A door that won’t lock doesn’t seem dangerous, until you are in a violent collision or rollover accident—then, a door that unlocks can eject an occupant out of the vehicle and into the road, in the path of coming cars.
• Steering system defects/failure: Jammed steering wheels, faulty hydraulics or pumps, or bearing defects can interfere with a driver’s ability to steer, leading to an out-of-control wreck with catastrophic injuries. The same is true if your cruise control malfunctions and you don’t have time to react.
• Engine stalling: If your car stops moving in the middle of a busy street, you and your passengers are at extreme risk of being hit by multiple vehicles around you. Just a faulty sensor or electric component is enough to cause a vehicle to stall. If there was a design flaw in the engine, leading to the stall that allowed you to be struck by another vehicle, you may have a product liability case against the manufacturer.

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What About Vehicle Recalls?

When there are consistent reports of accidents involving a specific vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) often gets involved. The NHTSA usually conducts its own investigation, or orders an investigation by another organization in response to complaints. If the investigative body finds a defect affecting the vehicles, the NHTSA will instruct the manufacturer to recall the defective vehicle. In most cases, the defect will be repaired at no cost to the consumer. However, recalls often come too late to prevent senseless accidents.

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Getting the Legal Guidance You Need for a Serious Injury Crash

A vehicle recall does not help people who have already sustained a serious injury as the result of a defective part, design, or auto product. But there is still a way those victims can obtain justice.

At Grant Law Office, our experienced Atlanta product liability lawyers are committed to helping injured victims hold at-fault parties responsible for their negligence. We will thoroughly investigate your case to prove that a defect caused your injury and pursue financial compensation for the losses and damages you have suffered as a result. To learn more about your legal rights and determine the validity of your claim, call our law office today at (404) 995-3955 or (866) 249-5513.

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Additional Information

• Ford Issues Massive Recall For Faulty Door Latches
• Hyundai Recalls Sonatas for Transmission Defects
• Why the GM Ignition Recall Matters
• GM Issues Major Recall of Small Vehicles
• Vehicle Equipment - NHTSA