Automotive Recall Defects

Automakers have a legal duty to design their vehicles to protect occupants in a crash. If you were injured when your vehicle malfunctioned, contact the experienced Philadelphia automotive recall defect attorneys at Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig.

Check for Vehicle Recalls and Mechanical Safety After Car Accidents

Whether you are a driver or passenger, you have the right to expect the vehicles that you travel in to be safely designed and to have all necessary features to protect you in the event of a crash. Yet, after an auto accident, most people tend to focus on who is at fault rather than whether an auto defect played a role in the injuries sustained by the driver and/or passengers.

Whenever a person sustains a serious injury or death in a motor vehicle crash, vehicle defects MUST be investigated as a potential cause. Not every law firm goes the extra mile to inspect each vehicle, but the experienced automotive recall lawyers at Feldman Shepherd investigate every aspect of your case.

This may include fronting the costs necessary to retain an expert mechanic and diligently researching product recalls, “recommended” safety enhancements, and similar cases.

What Are Auto Defect Cases?

Auto defect cases, also referred to as crashworthiness claims, are automotive product liability lawsuits involving serious injuries and deaths. These claims are brought when a vehicle’s unsafe design, manufacturing flaws, or absence of necessary safety features either cause a crash or fail to adequately protect the driver or passengers in a foreseeable crash.

Some Defects are Not Obvious

Some of these defects, such as an airbag’s failure to deploy, can be obvious. But some defects, such as the failure of a collision avoidance system to operate as designed, are more subtle.

More Tech, More Defect Potential

Product defect claims involving vehicle software – such as backup cameras, built-in GPS systems, and self-parking features – are increasingly common. The more technology is incorporated into vehicles (and marketed and priced as features you can rely on), the more accidents result from sudden technological glitches and failures.

Investigating Safety Failures

Vehicles with these so-called advanced safety features generally also have black boxes that record potential glitches prior to accidents. At Feldman Shepherd, we may request this data along with potential dashcam footage and analyze it for potential safety failures.

Categories of Vehicle Product Liability Claims

Auto defect cases generally fall into nine major categories:

Fuel Tank Design
Airbag Deployment
Rollover/Roof Crush/Vehicle Stability
Seat Design/Restraints
Tire Defects
Child Safety Seats
15 Seater Passenger Vans
Structural Integrity
Collision Avoidance Systems

At Feldman Shepherd, we have the knowledge and resources to investigate your accident and determine whether a defective vehicle component or system caused the accident or made the injuries worse than they otherwise would have been. We have a team of attorneys dedicated to this distinct area of legal practice, and they work closely with experts in automotive design, accident reconstruction, biomechanics, federal regulations, and specialized vehicle crash testing to hold all culpable parties accountable for your injuries.

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Dedicated Trial Lawyers for Life’s Most Challenging Moments

Millions in Complex Cases Turned Down by Other Law Firms

For more than 30 years, Feldman Shepherd has been achieving multimillion-dollar recoveries in auto defect cases, including eight-figure results in cases that other law firms turned down. We litigate auto defect cases nationwide and travel across the U.S. on many occasions to personally inspect vehicles following a collision.

Going the Distance Against Powerful Auto Industry Lawyers

Feldman Shepherd is one of only a few law firms that have gone the distance in high-stakes litigation against the auto industry. Automakers have formidable lawyers and unlimited money to defend against these complex claims. For obvious reasons, they are not eager to acknowledge that their vehicles could have been better designed to prevent serious injuries or deaths.

Auto Companies Have Chosen Money Over Lives

Vehicle recalls cost millions, and in a famous case known as the Ford Pinto Case, the auto company actually knew of a design flaw likely to cause (and that had caused) death, but it refused to recall the car. Ford’s executives determined it would cost less to pay out wrongful death claims than issue a national vehicle recall, so they left innocent motorists to their fate and tried to bury evidence. Trust us. Auto attorneys are prepared to take a case to verdict, but so are we.

Real Case Results for Tragic Losses Caused by a Defective SUV

In 2011, our clients were driving a rented SUV from New York to Washington, D.C. The 53-year-old father was driving, his wife was in the passenger seat, and their three teenage daughters were seated in the rear. The SUV was designed with a rollover airbag system to keep occupants within the vehicle in the event the vehicle rolled over in an accident.

The vehicle did just that. Tragically, the side curtain airbags failed to deploy during a rollover accident, killing the father when he was partially ejected from the vehicle in front of his wife and children. The family wisely contacted our automotive recall lawyers shortly after the crash, allowing our investigators to preserve the vehicle in ‘as is’ condition to determine whether the airbag system malfunctioned.

One daughter's injuries also indicated that her seatbelt failed to properly function, which our experienced attorneys quickly noted.

Our dedicated negotiators were able to obtain a high-value settlement from the vehicle manufacturer to support our clients after this tragic accident.

Frequently Asked QuestionsAutomotive Recall Defect

Is every car accident case potentially an auto defect case?

Yes, nearly every motor vehicle accident case can potentially involve vehicle defects. This could involve safety failures in your vehicle or defects, such as brake failures, in the other driver’s vehicle. Though car crashes are serious events, often resulting in fatalities and injuries even when vehicles function properly, it’s essential to analyze each case for vehicle safety failures.

How much does it cost to retain the dangerous vehicle team from Feldman Shepherd?

Because these are personal injury cases, our dedicated automotive liability lawyers might take your case without charging you any upfront attorneys’ fees. Feldman Shepherd might even cover the initial costs of the accident investigation and litigation expenses, only getting paid if our Philadelphia product liability attorneys recover needed compensation for your family.

Is the car dealership liable for a defective vehicle?

Yes, it could be. Product liability claims involve strict liability, meaning we might hold the dealership you purchased the vehicle from, the vehicle manufacturer, and the vehicle design firm liable for your damages. In most cases, viable claims settle with the manufacturer, i.e., Ford, Nissan, or GM.

Trust Our Experienced Philadelphia Auto Defect Attorneys

When you need help following a catastrophic car accident, you can trust the Philadelphia automotive defect recall lawyers at Feldman Shepherd to make your best interests our top priority.

Call us to learn how we can help you with your auto defects case at (877) 595-9761 or contact us online.