Defective products can cause serious injuries or death to consumers. Ford lost a trial in 2010 and must pay a woman $16 million after an accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. The lawsuit stemmed from allegations that Ford knew about the inadequacies of lap seat belts for over 30 years yet continued to use them. In California, a boy and his family sued a football helmet manufacturer after an accident on the field paralyzed him. The family alleges that the manufacturer used an unsafe helmet design despite knowing about the defect for 10 years.
Recent products that companies have recalled due to safety concerns include the following:
- 1.53 million Lexus Avalons for brake fluid and fuel pump problems
- 4,000 Cadillac SRXs for problems relating to power steering
- BMW models MW 5 series, 6 series, and 7 series that date from 2002 through 2010 because a power braking system leak could result in weakened braking abilities
- 139,500 Sonata sedans due to defects that could result in steering loss
- 18,000 Evenflo baby booster seats that may crack and fail in crashes
- Drop-side cribs available at JC Penney that have defects that could lead to strangulation
- Valco jogging strollers with gaps that an infant could fall into and that could cause strangulation
- Certain Quattro and Metrolite strollers from Graco also for problems relating to entrapment and strangulation
- Ryobi cordless drills from Home Depot because their switches could overheat and cause a fire
Persons or their loved ones injured because of a dangerous and defective product may wish to consider speaking to a Washington, D.C. personal injury attorney. For more information on holding companies responsible for products that harm consumers, contact David M. Schloss, a Washington, D.C. personal injury lawyer, at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.