Product liability suits against auto manufacturers have been in the news
recently. They are a serious matter. According to one consumer organization,
“Every year, there are about 500 to 1000 serious injuries or deaths
due to cars that are designed or built with defects.” Fortunately
for consumers, lemon law can provide relief from a car with a serious
safety defect without having to wait for a tragic accident. It’s
sometimes hard to understand why manufacturers often fight completely
legitimate lemon law claims. Aside from the human costs, buying back a
lemon is far, far cheaper than paying out a multi-million dollar product
liability judgment.
There has been recent media interest on this subject due to the Chrysler
and General Motors bankruptcies and whether the “new” companies
emerging from bankruptcy will be responsible for product liability claims
brought against the old. Many articles have described the horrific details
of people whose lives have been devastated forever due to defective vehicles.
Anyone who has worked in the field of lemon law is continually amazed at
the ways owners manage to cope with their problem cars and trucks. But
when safety is at issue, putting up with a defect is the wrong thing to do.
Lemon laws in California and many other states have special provisions for serious safety defects.
If you think your car may fall into that category and you’ve been
brushed off by the dealership or manufacturer, you should
contact a lemon law attorney.