Volkswagen of America, Inc. v. Young

The vehicle of plaintiffs' decedent was struck in the rear by a Ford negligently driven by William Benjamin Benson. Immediately upon collision the car driven by plaintiffs' decedent was propelled forward and the seat assembly unit, seat frame, seat bracing pieces, seat adjustment mechanism, seat reinforcements and metal tracks to which the seat itself was fastened, failed to withstand the impact against the rear of the vehicle with the direct and proximate result that the driver's seat separated from the floor of the car causing it and James C. Young, deceased, to be thrown violently into the rear portion of said car where his head, body and torso impacted into and was impacted by various inadequate and defectively designed passenger compartment structures, surfaces and protrusions.

In order to avoid tort liability under a theory of negligence an automobile manufacturer does not have to design a crash-proof car. A manufacturer must, however, use reasonable care in the design of a vehicle in order to avoid subjecting a user to an unreasonable risk of injury in a collision.

Products Liability | Design Defects