The 3 Most Common Types Of Defective Products In Florida
Michael Babboni
Recalls
All businesses want to succeed by attracting customers, and they do that by creating a quality product that people want to use. However, no one is perfect, and there are times when products don’t work as intended. In some cases, this is inconvenient, and understandably, a customer may want a refund. But in other instances, the defect in a product is so serious that it causes harm or even death to customers.In these cases, customers rightfully want far more than just a refund on a purchase. Some products are more prone to harmful defects than others, and here’s a list of the most common types of defective products.
Toys
In the case of toys, defects may arise in a few ways. The “traditional defect” arises from a problem in manufacturing or design. Hasbro’s “Easy Bake Oven” for children is one example, where the slot for loading child-prepared cakes had a design flaw that could trap children’s hands. This sometimes resulted in second or third-degree burns and, in one tragic case, a partial amputation of a five-year-old girl’s finger.
In other cases, the defect comes not from a problem in manufacturing but from unanticipated product usage. For example, Bucky Balls are magnets manufactured in the shape of tiny balls. As a toy magnet, the product worked exactly as advertised.
However, for small children, the tiny balls also represented something that might taste good and created a serious choking hazard when smaller children swallowed them, despite not being a design intention.
Vehicles
Cars and trucks are made of a vast conglomeration of different parts and are impressive feats of mechanical engineering. However, that doesn’t mean that every vehicle rolls off the assembly line in perfect working order. Sometimes defective vehicles arise out of a problem built right into the actual design, such as the infamous Ford Pinto of the 1970s, where the fuel tank placement near the bottom rear of the car raised the risk of explosions during even low-speed collisions.
On the other side of the equation, defects could creep into vehicles at the manufacturing stage. The Takata airbag controversy is one example of this. Poor manufacturing created a defective airbag that, when exposed to specific heat and humidity conditions, made an explosive agent that would cause the airbag to act like a shrapnel grenade upon activation, injuring or even killing drivers and passengers instead of saving them from the violent forces of a collision.
Medication
A final product that can sometimes bring serious risks when defective is pharmaceutical products, such as medication. One such example was the Abilify class action lawsuit—in which Florida took part—in 2002. Abilify was initially prescribed as an antipsychotic medication that was prescribed to patients to help moderate some symptoms of psychosis. However, as more people diagnosed with mental illnesses were prescribed medicines around the country, it was found that, in some instances, it created new, worse behavioral disorders than what was supposed to control.
In the end, it was revealed that one side-effect of Ability was diminishing impulse control, which led to some patients giving into behaviors like compulsive gambling, shopping, or sexual activity. The class action lawsuit that eventually followed was carried out in both the United States and Canada, with the manufacturers choosing to settle out of court in the United States due to the grievances submitted and the accompanying evidence.
If a defective product has hurt you or someone you know, talk to a personal injury lawyer. This will give you the guidance you need to see if your next step should be taking legal action or negotiating directly with the product manufacturers to reach a settlement.