Defective Car Seat Injury Lawyer in Michigan

Car seats are designed to do one thing above all else: protect children in moments when everything goes wrong. Parents buckle their kids in believing the product surrounding them has been tested, engineered, and proven safe. That trust is sacred—and when it’s broken, the consequences can be devastating.

Parents trust car seat manufacturers with their child’s life. They follow the instructions. They install the seat correctly. They do everything right. Yet when a car seat is defective, even a minor crash can turn catastrophic. Harnesses fail. Shells crack. Bases detach. A product meant to save a life instead causes serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

Michigan law may provide legal options. A defective car seat injury may give rise to a product liability claim against the manufacturer, distributor, or other companies in the supply chain. These cases aren’t about blame—they’re about accountability, answers, and protecting other children from the same harm.

At Marko Law, we take these cases personally. We understand the stakes. We understand the anger, fear, and heartbreak families feel when a trusted safety device fails. And we are relentless when it comes to holding manufacturers accountable for dangerous defects.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Defective Car Seat Injury Case?

Car Seat Manufacturers

Manufacturers are most often the primary defendants. They are responsible for:

• Designing safe products
• Properly testing car seats before release
• Ensuring quality control during production
• Warning consumers of known risks

When a manufacturer sells a car seat that fails under normal, foreseeable use, they can be held legally accountable for the injuries that result.

Designers and Engineers

If a car seat is unsafe by design—meaning every seat made carries the same flaw—the designers and engineers involved in development may share liability. Poor design decisions can lead to:

• Insufficient head or neck protection
• Weak structural integrity
• Unsafe harness geometry

Parts Suppliers

Many car seats rely on third-party components such as buckles, straps, padding, and plastic shells. If a defective component causes or contributes to the injury, the parts supplier may be liable under Michigan product liability law.

Distributors and Retailers

Companies that distribute or sell defective car seats—including big-box retailers and specialty baby stores—can also be held responsible, even if they did not manufacture the product.

Online Sellers and Third-Party Marketplaces

Online platforms and third-party sellers may share liability when they:

• Sell recalled or defective car seats
• Fail to provide proper warnings
• Allow unsafe products to remain on their platforms

When Multiple Companies Share Responsibility

In many defective car seat cases, liability is shared among several corporate defendants. Michigan law allows injured families to pursue claims against all responsible parties—ensuring accountability isn’t avoided by pointing fingers.

At Marko Law, we identify every company that played a role and pursue them aggressively.

Michigan Product Liability Law Explained

Michigan product liability law exists to protect consumers—especially children—from unreasonably dangerous products. When a product causes injury because it is defective, unsafe, or improperly marketed, injured parties may have the right to seek compensation.

Strict Liability vs. Negligence

Defective car seat cases may be based on:

• Strict liability, where a company is responsible regardless of intent if the product was defective
• Negligence, where a company failed to act with reasonable care during design, manufacturing, or warnings

These claims often work together to expose corporate wrongdoing.

What a Plaintiff Must Prove in a Defective Car Seat Claim

To succeed, a plaintiff generally must show that:

• The car seat was defective
• The defect existed when it left the defendant’s control
• The defect caused or contributed to the child’s injuries
• The car seat was used as intended or in a foreseeable way

Design Defects vs. Manufacturing Defects

What Qualifies as a Design Defect

A design defect exists when a car seat is dangerous even when manufactured correctly. These defects affect entire product lines and often stem from:

• Inadequate crash testing
• Cost-cutting decisions
• Unsafe structural design

What Qualifies as a Manufacturing Defect

Manufacturing defects occur when something goes wrong during production, such as:

• Improper assembly
• Weak materials
• Missing or faulty components

These defects may affect individual units or batches.

How Testing, Recalls, and Safety Standards Come Into Play

Crash testing results, recall notices, internal safety data, and federal standards often reveal:

• What manufacturers knew
• When they knew it
• Whether they acted—or ignored the danger

Why Proving the Defect Type Matters

Identifying the type of defect helps determine:

• Which companies are liable
• What evidence is required
• The full scope of available damages

At Marko Law, we work with experts to uncover the truth manufacturers try to hide.

Failure to Warn and Inadequate Instructions

Manufacturer’s Duty to Provide Clear Warnings

Manufacturers must provide clear, accurate, and complete warnings about known risks. This includes proper usage, limitations, and dangers.

Missing, Misleading, or Insufficient Safety Warnings

Failure-to-warn claims arise when manufacturers:

• Minimize known risks
• Omit critical safety information
• Use vague or confusing language

Inadequate Weight, Height, or Age Guidance

Children are especially vulnerable when:

• Weight limits are unclear or inaccurate
• Age recommendations are misleading
• Growth-related risks are ignored

How Failure-to-Warn Claims Strengthen a Case

Even if a car seat meets basic safety standards, failure to warn can independently support liability—especially when manufacturers knew of dangers and stayed silent.

At Marko Law, we expose warning failures and use them to hold corporations fully accountable.

Federal Safety Standards and Compliance

Car seats sold in the United States must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)—a set of minimum safety requirements enforced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These standards address issues like crash performance, labeling, and basic structural integrity.

But here’s the hard truth: FMVSS sets a floor—not a guarantee of safety. Passing a test does not mean a car seat is safe in real-world crashes, across all vehicles, or for all children.

Why Compliance Does Not Automatically Protect Manufacturers

Manufacturers often hide behind “regulatory compliance” as a defense. Michigan law doesn’t accept that excuse at face value. A product can meet federal standards and still be:

• Unreasonably dangerous
• Poorly designed for foreseeable crashes
• Defective in manufacturing
• Sold without adequate warnings

Compliance is not immunity. If a car seat fails under normal, foreseeable use, manufacturers can still be held accountable.

How Companies Cut Corners Despite Regulations

We routinely see companies:

• Design to the test, not to real-world safety
• Rely on outdated standards
• Skip rigorous side-impact or rollover testing
• Use cheaper materials that degrade over time

When profits come before safety, children pay the price.

Proving a Defective Car Seat Injury Case in Michigan

Preserving the Car Seat as Evidence

The car seat itself is critical evidence. It should never be:

• Thrown away
• Repaired
• Altered

Preservation allows experts to analyze failure points and prove defect.

Accident Reconstruction and Expert Testimony

We work with:

• Crash reconstructionists
• Biomechanical engineers
• Product safety experts

They recreate the crash, analyze forces, and show how the car seat failed—not the parent.

Medical Records and Injury Documentation

Detailed medical evidence connects the defect to the injury, including:

• Emergency records
• Imaging and diagnostics
• Long-term prognosis and care needs

Crash Data and Product Testing Analysis

Vehicle data, black-box information, and product testing results help establish:

• Impact forces
• Seat performance
• Design or manufacturing failures

Damages Available in a Michigan Defective Car Seat Case

Medical Expenses (Past and Future)

• Emergency treatment
• Hospitalization and surgery
• Ongoing therapy and specialist care
• Future medical needs

Long-Term Care and Rehabilitation

• Physical and occupational therapy
• Assistive devices
• Home or vehicle modifications

Pain and Suffering (Child and Parents)

• Physical pain
• Emotional trauma
• Loss of normal childhood experiences

Loss of Future Earning Capacity

For catastrophic injuries, damages may reflect the child’s reduced ability to work and live independently in the future.

Emotional Distress

Parents may recover for the profound emotional harm caused by witnessing their child’s injury and enduring its aftermath.

Wrongful Death Damages (Where Applicable)

When a defective car seat causes a child’s death, families may pursue wrongful death damages for:

• Loss of companionship
• Funeral expenses
• The devastation no family should endure

Your Child’s Injury Was Not “Just an Accident”

Defective car seat injuries are preventable. They happen when manufacturers cut corners, ignore warning signs, or choose profits over safety. When a product designed to protect a child fails, the responsibility does not belong to the family—it belongs to the companies that put that dangerous product into the marketplace.

Manufacturers must be held accountable. Accountability brings answers. It forces change. And it helps protect other children from suffering the same harm.

Michigan law provides a clear path to justice for families harmed by defective car seats—but that path is time-sensitive. Waiting can weaken critical evidence, limit legal options, and allow corporations to escape responsibility.

If your child was injured by a defective car seat in Michigan, you may have legal rights—but strict deadlines apply, and early action matters.

Contact Marko Law for a Free Case Evaluation

📞 Phone: +1-313-777-7777
📍 Main Office: 220 W. Congress, 4th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226
🌐 Website: https://www.markolaw.com/