Defective Vehicle Equipment Claims in Michigan

When a vehicle suddenly fails—brakes give out, an airbag doesn’t deploy, a tire blows apart at highway speed—the shock is immediate. Then comes the fear. The anger. The sick realization that what just happened should never have happened at all.

Many of these crashes are not “accidents.” They are preventable product failures caused by defective vehicle equipment that never should have been on the road in the first place.

Defective vehicle equipment claims are not the same as ordinary car accident cases. These cases aren’t about who ran a red light—they’re about corporations that designed, built, tested, or sold unsafe products and put profits over people.

Under Michigan law, manufacturers, suppliers, and sellers can be held accountable when defective vehicle equipment causes serious injury or death. But these cases are complex, aggressively defended, and require a legal team that knows how to take on powerful companies and win.

Michigan Product Liability Law

Product liability claims arise when a product is unreasonably dangerous due to:

• Defective design
• Manufacturing errors
• Inadequate warnings or instructions

In the automotive context, these defects can turn ordinary driving into a life-threatening event.

Strict Liability vs. Negligence Claims

Defective vehicle equipment cases may involve:

• Strict liability, where the focus is on the condition of the product—not the manufacturer’s intent
• Negligence claims, which examine whether a company failed to act with reasonable care in designing, testing, or warning about risks

Both paths are powerful tools when used correctly—and both are fiercely contested by corporate defense teams.

Manufacturer’s Duty to Design, Test, and Warn

Under Michigan law, manufacturers have a duty to:

• Design products that are reasonably safe
• Properly test vehicle components before release
• Warn consumers about known or foreseeable dangers

Cutting corners, ignoring test data, or failing to warn the public can expose manufacturers to serious liability.

How Michigan Law Protects Consumers

Michigan product liability law is built on a simple principle: people should not be injured by products they are entitled to trust. When defective vehicle equipment causes harm, the law provides a path to accountability—if the case is handled correctly and aggressively from the start.

Types of Defects Recognized Under Michigan Law

Design Defects – Unsafe from the Beginning

A design defect exists when a vehicle or component is dangerous by design, even if it was manufactured exactly as intended.

Examples include:

• Braking systems that fail under normal driving conditions
• Fuel systems prone to fires during foreseeable collisions
• Vehicles with high rollover risks due to flawed design choices

In design defect cases, the danger is built in. Every consumer who uses the product is exposed to the same risk.

Manufacturing Defects – Errors During Production

Manufacturing defects occur when something goes wrong during the production or assembly process.

Common examples:

• Faulty airbag inflators
• Defective welds or fasteners
• Contaminated brake fluid or improperly cured tires

Here, the design may be safe—but the specific product that caused the injury was not.

Failure to Warn – Inadequate Instructions or Warnings

Even a well-designed product can be dangerous if users are not properly warned.

Failure-to-warn claims may involve:

• Missing or unclear safety warnings
• Failure to disclose known risks
• Instructions that don’t reflect real-world use

Manufacturers have a legal duty to warn consumers of known or foreseeable dangers, especially when those dangers aren’t obvious.

How These Defects Apply to Vehicle Equipment Claims

Vehicle equipment claims often involve multiple defects at once—for example, a poorly designed component that was also improperly manufactured and sold without adequate warnings. Michigan law allows injured people to pursue accountability on all applicable grounds.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Defective Vehicle Equipment Case?

One of the biggest myths in defective equipment cases is that responsibility stops with the driver or the car owner. In reality, liability often runs up the corporate chain.

Potentially Responsible Parties Include:

• Vehicle manufacturers
  Companies that design and assemble vehicles have a duty to ensure their products are safe for real-world use—not just laboratory conditions.
• Parts and component manufacturers
  Many failures involve third-party components like brakes, airbags, tires, steering systems, or electronic sensors.
• Distributors and wholesalers
  Entities that move defective products through the supply chain can share responsibility.
• Dealerships and retailers
  Sellers may be liable for putting defective vehicles or parts into the hands of consumers.
• Repair shops or maintenance providers (when applicable)
  When improper installation, repair, or inspection contributes to a failure, service providers may also be accountable.

The Role of Federal Safety Standards and Recalls

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)

The FMVSS set minimum safety requirements for vehicles and components sold in the United States. Manufacturers often point to compliance as a defense.

Recalls: Helpful, But Not Required

A vehicle recall can strongly support a defective equipment claim, especially when it:

• Confirms the existence of a defect
• Shows the manufacturer had prior knowledge
• Demonstrates delayed or inadequate corrective action

However, a recall is not required to bring a successful claim. Many dangerous defects never result in recalls at all.

Liability Without a Recall

Manufacturers may still be legally responsible when:

• A defect causes injury before a recall is issued
• The company fails to recognize or disclose known risks
• The product is unsafe despite regulatory compliance

Proving a Defective Vehicle Equipment Claim

Legal Elements That Must Be Established

To succeed, an injured person must show:

• A defect existed in the vehicle or component
• The product was unreasonably dangerous
• The defect directly caused the injury
• The product was used as intended or in a reasonably foreseeable way

Each element is aggressively challenged by corporate defense teams.

Why Expert Testimony Is Often Required

These cases often hinge on:

• Engineers
• Accident reconstructionists
• Materials and safety experts

Experts explain how and why the product failed, and why that failure was preventable.

Preserving the Vehicle and Parts Is Critical

One of the biggest mistakes injured people make is repairing, selling, or disposing of the vehicle.

Evidence that should be preserved includes:

• The vehicle itself
• Failed components
• Maintenance and repair records
• Event data recorder (“black box”) information

Once evidence is gone, manufacturers gain the upper hand.

Evidence Used in Defective Equipment Cases

Defective vehicle equipment claims are won on evidence, not assumptions. From the moment a crash happens, manufacturers and insurers begin building defenses. That’s why preserving and analyzing the right evidence is critical—and why these cases demand immediate legal action.

Key Evidence in Defective Vehicle Equipment Claims Includes:

• Vehicle inspections and forensic analysis
  Specialized inspections can reveal fracture patterns, failed components, and design flaws that explain how and why the equipment failed.
• Black box / event data recorder (EDR) data
  Modern vehicles record critical information like speed, braking, steering input, and airbag deployment in the seconds before impact. This data can expose equipment failure and eliminate false blame on the driver.
• Engineering and mechanical expert opinions
  Engineers and safety experts analyze components and testify about defects, foreseeable risks, and safer alternative designs.
• Maintenance and repair records
  These records help prove proper upkeep and defeat claims that poor maintenance caused the failure.
• Recall notices and internal manufacturer documents
  Recalls, service bulletins, and internal communications can show prior knowledge of defects—or attempts to hide them.
• Crash reconstruction evidence
  Reconstruction experts connect the mechanical failure to the crash itself, showing how the defect directly caused or worsened the injuries.

Damages Available in Michigan Defective Vehicle Equipment Claims

When defective vehicle equipment causes injury, the damage goes far beyond the crash scene. Michigan law allows victims and families to pursue compensation for the full scope of their losses.

Recoverable Damages May Include:

• Medical expenses
  Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, future medical treatment, and long-term care needs.
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
  Income already lost—and income you may never be able to earn again due to permanent injuries.
• Pain and suffering
  Physical pain, emotional trauma, anxiety, and the daily toll of living with serious injuries.
• Permanent disability and disfigurement
  Life-altering injuries that affect mobility, independence, and self-worth.
• Loss of enjoyment of life
  The inability to participate in activities, hobbies, and relationships that once defined your life.
• Loss of consortium
  Compensation for the harm done to spousal and family relationships.
• Wrongful death damages (when applicable)
  Funeral expenses, loss of financial support, and the devastating emotional loss suffered by surviving family members.

When Vehicles Fail, Accountability Matters

When a vehicle fails, the consequences are immediate and devastating. These crashes are not unavoidable accidents—they are often the result of defective equipment that never should have been allowed on the road. And when corporations cut corners, ignore warning signs, or prioritize profits over safety, real people pay the price.

What makes these cases urgent is that time is not on your side. Critical evidence can be lost, vehicles can be altered or destroyed, and strict legal deadlines can quietly close the door on accountability. The sooner the right legal team steps in, the stronger the case can be built.

Here’s the truth: corporations can be held accountable—but only when they’re confronted by lawyers willing to fight them head-on. At Marko Law, we don’t flinch. We prepare these cases for trial from day one, because that’s how justice is forced.

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/