Tampa Auto Product Liability Lawyer

Injured by a Defective Car or Faulty Automobile Parts?

Were you harmed by a defective vehicle or faulty car parts? You may have an auto product liability claim against the manufacturer. When auto manufacturers knowingly develop unsafe products – such as airbagsseat beltstires, etc. – and people are harmed as a result, victims have the right to seek financial compensation.

At Robert Sparks Attorneys, we have spent decades representing accident victims throughout Florida, and have successfully recovered millions of dollars in recoveries on their behalf. Let us do the same for you.

If you were injured, contact a Tampa auto defect attorney at Robert Sparks Attorneys to discuss your potential auto product liability claim.

Examples of Common Auto Product Defects

With each new advertisement, car manufacturers extol the safety features of their vehicles, citing numerous awards and ratings that indicate their cars will keep you and your family safe in the event of a crash. The improvements to safety devices and features have, in fact, increased our safety on the road, but even the smallest manufacturing defect or error can render these safety features useless, or even dangerous.

Just about any car component can be defective, either by faulty manufacturing or faulty design.

Below are some of the most recognizable auto product defects cases:

  • Ignition switch defects
  • Stability problems (roof crush and rollover accidents)
  • Seat belt defects (latching problems)
  • Airbag defects (failure to deploy, serious injury upon deployment, etc.)
  • Tire defects (tire tread separation and blowouts)
  • Gas tank position (could cause car fires)

If you were injured in an accident that you believe was caused by an auto product defect, whether a product recall has been issued or not, you have the right to take legal action. Contact our Tampa car defect lawyers at Robert Sparks Attorneys to see if you have a claim. Your initial consultation is free and confidential.

Defective Airbag Injuries

We expect our airbags to help keep us safe if we’re ever involved in a car crash, but sometimes, they fail to work as intended. There are a number of sensors that control the airbags in your vehicle. When triggered, they activate a series of components that signal the airbag to begin the rapid expansion of the cushion itself. Unfortunately, manufacturing errors can cause these systems to catastrophically fail, as shown in the Takata airbag recall.

In Takata airbags, the explosive component that provides the necessary force to inflate the airbags in time to cushion a vehicle’s occupants during a crash has been shown to be at risk of blasting a spray of metal shrapnel throughout the vehicle. The recall was first announced in 2013 and affected an estimated 14 million vehicles across the globe – that number is now closer to 100 million vehicles, with an estimated 70 million vehicles in the United States.

Sometimes, the defect may prevent an airbag from deploying at all. When your airbag fails to work as intended, it can easily lead to serious injuries, or worse. If you were seriously injured in a car crash and believe an automotive defect may have been to blame, contact our Tampa airbag injury attorneys at Robert Sparks Attorneys.

Defective Seat Belt Injuries

You’ve probably seen the signs that read “Click It or Ticket,” but failure to wear a seat belt is against the law for a reason: Seat belts save lives in the event of a traffic collision. So what happens when these seat belts fail? When passengers are not protected by seat belt restraints, their injuries are, on average, much worse and often fatal. If you were involved in a car accident where your seat belt failed, you may be able to take legal action.

Seat belt defects can be caused by design or manufacturing defects, which may result in:

  • Improper seat belt placement: If the seat belt is placed in an inappropriate position, it can be easier for an occupant to accidentally hit the release button.
  • Failure to latch: Some seat belts, even though they appear to be latched, are not actually latched fully and can come undone in the event of a collision.
  • Failure to retract: A seat belt’s retractor is what causes it to tighten in the event of sudden braking. If this is broken, the occupant can be violently tossed.

Florida’s seat belt law, known as the “Florida Safety Belt Law,” is detailed in § 316.614. Florida wrote this legislation to correspond with federal automatic crash safety standards. According to this statute:

A violation of the provisions of this section shall not constitute negligence per se, nor shall such violation be used as prima facie evidence of negligence or be considered in mitigation of damages, but such violation may be considered as evidence of comparative negligence.

In other words, if you are involved in an accident that was not your fault, but you were not wearing your seat belt at the time of the collision, this could indicate that you were partially at fault and could affect the damages you receive. To discuss this, and more, contact our defective seat belt lawyers at Robert Sparks Attorneys.

Tire Defect/Tire Blowout Injuries

Tires can burst for a variety of reasons, ranging from manufacturer errors to vehicle owner negligence.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), tire blowouts cause approximately 11,000 crashes each year in the United States. The NHTSA reported that one of the top causes of tire blowouts is under-inflated tires, and while tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) have managed to drop the number of people driving on deflated tires by about half, that still leaves countless drivers unaware of potential risks.

Not only do under-inflated tires increase the risk of a blowout, they can also cause vehicles to handle sluggishly, increase the distance it takes to come to a complete stop, and decrease the overall grip of the tire. Drivers need to keep a close eye on their tires to ensure their safety, and retailers and manufacturers are required to provide customers with accurate information on their products. Failure to do so can lead to deadly accidents.

If you believe your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve the chance to fight for the compensation you need. Call our defective tire lawyers at Robert Sparks Attorneys for help.

Call Our Auto Defect Attorneys in Tampa for a FREE Review

If you or someone you love was seriously injured as a result of defective auto parts, you deserve the chance to file a claim to secure compensation for any property damage, medical bills, or other losses you may incur. When you contact us, our Tampa auto product liability attorneys will be available to discuss your concerns and keep you informed throughout every step of the process. We pride ourselves on being fully responsive to our clients.

Call Robert Sparks Attorneys for a free consultation with a committed lawyer who can advise you of your rights and answer all of your questions.