Automotive Products Liability

The manufacturer or seller of a product is liable for any defect in a product they have sold to their customers. Automotive products liability is an area of products liability law that specifically addresses the failure of products and components in automobiles, such as seatbacks, airbags, seat belts, steering wheels, drive shafts, door latches, tires, and roofs.  Some examples of situations that are likely to give rise to automotive products liability issues are fuel-fed fires, SUV rollovers, and metallurgic failures. Manufacturers and sellers are held strictly liable for the failure of products that they have placed into the stream of commerce even if they were unaware of the defect.  However, if a customer has altered a product, and that alteration can be identified as a proximate cause of the injury, the manufacturer or seller will not be held liable.