When a defective consumer product injures someone in California, the manufacturer can be held responsible. Manufacturing flaws, design defects, and inadequate safety warnings can turn ordinary products into serious hazards, causing burns, fires, lacerations, and other significant injuries. Doyle APC represents California individuals and families harmed by defective consumer products under the state’s strict product liability laws.
For more than 28 years, Doyle APC’s attorneys have litigated defective product cases in California state and federal courts. The firm draws on this complex litigation experience to represent California individuals and families injured by defective consumer products, pursuing claims against manufacturers, distributors, and sellers under California law.
California Product Liability Law
California has some of the strongest product liability laws in the country. Under California’s strict product liability doctrine, a manufacturer or seller can be held responsible for injuries caused by a defective product without proof of negligence. A plaintiff generally must show that the product was defective when it left the defendant’s control, that it was used in a reasonably foreseeable manner, and that the defect was a substantial factor in causing the injury.
California recognizes three types of product defects.
Manufacturing defects. Errors that occur during production, causing a particular unit to deviate from its intended design.
Design defects. Flaws in the product’s design itself that make every unit unreasonably dangerous when used as intended.
Failure to warn. Inadequate warnings or instructions about a product’s foreseeable risks.
Defective consumer product claims in California may also implicate the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and the Unfair Competition Law, which give California consumers additional remedies when a company conceals known defects, overstates product performance, or markets a product for uses it cannot safely perform.
Recalled Products
Thousands of consumer products are recalled every year, and recalls often come long after manufacturers first learned of the underlying defect. A recall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or another federal agency is frequently the strongest public evidence of a known product danger. For consumers who were already injured before a recall was issued, the recall is often the starting point of a product liability claim, not the end of it.
Doyle APC investigates recalled consumer products to determine whether manufacturers knew about defects earlier than they disclosed, whether they failed to act on safety concerns, and whether California consumers injured by recalled products are entitled to compensation. The firm represents individuals injured by recalled products across product categories, including electronics, batteries, appliances, vehicles, and household goods.
For more answers to common questions about recalls and defective product claims, see our Defective Consumer Products FAQ.
Lithium Ion Battery Injuries
Lithium ion batteries power phones, laptops, electric bikes, electric scooters, power tools, hover boards, vaping devices, electric vehicles, and a growing range of other consumer products. When these batteries are poorly designed, manufactured with defective cells, or paired with inadequate safety controls, they can overheat, swell, vent, ignite, or explode. The resulting injuries are often severe, including third degree burns, smoke inhalation, eye and hearing damage, and house fires that cause additional personal and property losses.
Doyle APC represents California consumers injured by lithium ion battery failures and investigates claims against battery manufacturers, product manufacturers, and distributors who placed defective products into the California market.
Automotive Defects
Modern vehicles contain hundreds of safety critical components, and a defect in any one of them can cause a crash or transform a survivable crash into a fatal one. Doyle APC investigates and pursues product liability claims involving defective airbags, defective seat belts and restraint systems, sudden unintended acceleration, brake and steering failures, fuel system fires, tire defects, seat back collapse, and defects in advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems.
California’s product liability laws apply to manufacturers of vehicles, vehicle components, and the technology systems that increasingly control modern cars and trucks. The firm represents California drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and others injured by defective vehicles and vehicle components.
Other Consumer Products
Any consumer product can become dangerous when it is poorly designed, defectively manufactured, or sold without adequate warnings. Doyle APC also represents California consumers injured by defective appliances, defective power tools and equipment, defective children’s products, defective recreational and sporting goods, and other consumer products that caused unexpected harm.
If you were injured by a consumer product in California and are not sure whether you have a claim, the firm can review the facts and advise whether the product may give rise to a product liability case.
Defective Medical Products
This page covers injuries from defective consumer products. Defective medical devices, surgical implants, and dangerous drugs raise distinct legal and regulatory issues and are addressed on a separate page. See Doyle APC’s Defective Medical Products page for information about injuries caused by defective medical products.
Still have questions about defective product injury claims? Our Defective Consumer Products FAQ answers common questions about California product liability law, statutes of limitations, what to do after an injury, and who can be held responsible.
Free Case Evaluation
If you or a family member was injured by a defective consumer product in California, contact Doyle APC for a free, confidential consultation. There is no fee unless the firm recovers compensation on your behalf.
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