Thousands of passengers die each year because they fail to wear a seatbelt. These life-saving devices have protected countless individuals from serious injury or death in an accident, and should be worn at all times in an automobile.

However, using a defective seatbelt can sometimes be worse than not using one at all. Seatbelts that are improperly designed or defectively manufactured can cause serious injuries in the event of an accident, leading to permanent disability or death.

Vehicles using seatbelts with a release button over the front face of the buckle or that sticks out from the top can unintentionally disengage during a collision, leaving passengers as vulnerable as if they weren’t wearing a seatbelt at all. Crash test videos have shown that the auto industry was aware of this problem before releasing these defective seatbelts onto the market.

The Center for Auto Safety has called on Chrysler to recall the 14 million vehicles that were equipped with its faulty GEN 3 seatbelt buckle from 1993 until 2002. Because the release button on the GEN 3 seatbelt is raised above the cover, it can accidentally release during a crash, causing it to fail simple safety tests that other belt buckles pass.

Cars with rear or center seat lap-belt-only seatbelts can leave passengers at risk of serious injuries in the event of a crash. Even in a simple collision, these belts can cause a passenger to slide upwards in their seat, leading to spinal injuries, brain damage or other serious and potentially fatal injuries. Documents have shown that the auto industry was aware of seatbelt safety problems with lap belts since the 1960s, but only began equipping car with front and rear shoulder belts in the late 1980s.

Vehicles with door-mounted automatic belts—which use only a shoulder belt—or those with non-integrated shoulder harnesses—which require passengers to manually secure the lap belt—can also lead to serious injuries. In the event of an accident, the torso can slip under the shoulder harness, causing the head or neck to catch on the belt. This can lead to broken necks, spinal injuries or death.

Seatbelt failures can also lead to serious injuries when the belt fails to tighten in the event of a crash. Belts with tension relieving devices which allow for extra slack during travel can lead to dangerous head impacts to the steering wheel or windshield and can increase the risk of being thrown from the car during a crash.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of an auto accident involving seatbelt failure, contact attorney Sam Levine to ensure that your legal rights are protected. You can call toll-free at
(888) 404-LAWYER, or by filling out our online contact form.