Defectively designed products can be any type of product a consumer purchases or uses, such as poorly designed vehicles, flawed child products, inadequately designed safety equipment, etc. These claims involve products where the design itself is flawed, as is often the case with medical devices or shoddy lithium-ion batteries in e-cigarettes.

A manufacturing defect is an error that occurred when the product was being made and can make the product dangerous for use, such as a faulty airbag or smoke detector. Manufacturing defects differ from design defects in that there is nothing wrong with the product’s design; rather, there is an error in manufacturing that makes the product dangerous to consumers. Using substandard parts to save costs is a common reason manufacturing defects occur.

A product that is not properly labeled or missing important instructions about how to use the product may result in the manufacturer being held liable. Failure to warn the consumer about potential hazards or include recommendations for the correct usage of a product can lead to serious or catastrophic injuries and even wrongful death. This can include failure to warn against foreseeable misuse. These types of claims are why you often see tags stating “do not put in water” on electrical devices.