Motor vehicle accidents happen all too often on Kentucky roads. The state police report hundreds of deaths and thousands of serious injuries yearly.
A traveler may consider filing a lawsuit against a manufacturer after experiencing an automotive accident or vehicle malfunction due to a defective car part. Knowing when to bring a case and who may be at fault could ensure receiving compensation for any damages due to the defect.
Determining who is at fault
A person must consider the manufacturer, distributor, retailer and installer to determine who is at fault in the case of a defective car part. The manufacturer is responsible for providing safe and effective products to consumers.
However, other parties may also be accountable if the defect occurred during distribution or installation. All parties that had a hand in bringing a product from conception to market can potentially be liable if something goes wrong.
Understanding types of automotive product defects
Automotive product defects come in many forms. Such flaws can result from poor manufacturing, substandard design, inadequate instructions or warnings about the use of the product, breach of warranty, deceptive advertising and more.
Manufacturing defects refer specifically to errors during the production process. Design defects describe mistakes engineers make in the design process.
Inadequate instructions or warnings denote the lack of information manufacturers or retailers provide regarding the proper use or maintenance of their products. Deceptive advertising refers to using false or misleading statements to deceive buyers into believing they are getting something they are not.
Different types of claims have varying statutes of limitations for filing. Determining the facts requires parties to compile information quickly to establish the kind of defect and who might be responsible.