Common Mechanical Failures That Lead to Car Accidents & Legal Recourse

When your vehicle or your loved one’s vehicle fails, it’s natural to feel frustrated, scared, and uncertain about what happens next. The reality is that most mechanical failures aren’t random acts of fate. They’re predictable results of corporate cost-cutting, negligent maintenance, and willful ignorance of safety standards. The ten most common mechanical failures that cause serious accidents are:

1. Tire malfunctions that cause catastrophic blowouts and loss of control at highway speeds
2. Brake system failures that eliminate stopping power when you need it most
3. Steering and suspension breakdowns that steal vehicle control during critical moments
4. Engine and powertrain seizures that lock up drivetrains and cause sudden power loss
5. Lighting and visibility system failures that make vehicles nearly invisible to other drivers
6. Electrical system malfunctions that disable critical safety features and create fire hazards
7. Fuel system problems that create explosive dangers and sudden power loss
8. HVAC system failures that compromise driver alertness and visibility
9. Exhaust system leaks that introduce deadly carbon monoxide into passenger compartments
10. Safety system defects that turn airbags, seatbelts, and electronic controls into dangers

At SHKLaw, we’ve dedicated our practice to understanding these complex cases because we know how devastating they can be for families. There’s a significant difference between accepting “it was just a mechanical failure” and uncovering the real truth about what caused a car accident. You deserve to know the truth about what happened, and you deserve an advocate who will fight to uncover it.

1. Tire Malfunctions: When the Road Becomes Your Enemy

Tire Blowouts: The Terror of Losing Control

If you’ve experienced a tire blowout at highway speed, you know the sheer terror of suddenly losing control of your vehicle. When your tire explodes without warning, you have less than a second to react—and there’s often nothing you can do to prevent what happens next.

The forces involved are catastrophic: when a tire operating at 32-35 PSI releases that pressure instantaneously, it creates an explosion beneath your car that can send you careening across multiple lanes of traffic.

What many people don’t realize is that most tire blowouts are entirely preventable. When we investigate these cases, we often uncover:

• Manufacturing defects in tire construction that should have been caught during quality control (NHTSA: Tire Safety)
• Negligent installation by tire retailers who failed to match tires to your vehicle’s specifications
• Deferred maintenance by fleet operators who ignored load ratings and age limits
• Known design flaws that manufacturers failed to address or warn consumers about

The tire industry knows when their products are likely to fail, but often calculates that paying settlements is cheaper than preventing the failures. When this corporate decision-making puts families at risk, we work to hold them accountable.

Worn Treads: When Safety Gradually Disappears

Worn tire treads create a dangerous situation that develops slowly over time. You may not realize how compromised your safety has become until it’s too late. When tread depth falls below 2/32 of an inch, your vehicle’s stopping distance increases by up to 40%, and hydroplaning can occur at speeds as low as 35 mph on wet pavement.

Commercial operators are subject to strict federal regulations about tire tread depth because the risks are well-documented. When these rules are ignored to save money, innocent families often pay the price.

Improper Tire Pressure: The Silent Threat

Underinflated tires generate excessive heat that leads to catastrophic failure, while overinflated tires can’t maintain proper contact with the road. Modern vehicles include Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) specifically because tire pressure failures are both dangerous and common.

When fleet operators disable these warning systems or instruct drivers to ignore them, they’re making a conscious choice to prioritize profits over safety. We’ve represented families whose lives were changed forever because a trucking company decided TPMS warnings were inconvenient.

2. Brake System Failures: When Your Safety Net Disappears

Worn Brake Pads: The Warnings That Go Unheeded

If you’ve been in an accident caused by brake failure, you may be wondering how this could have been prevented. Brake pads are designed to give clear warnings before they fail completely—that metallic squealing sound is literally a built-in safety system designed to prevent accidents.

These warnings can persist for thousands of miles before catastrophic failure occurs. When vehicle owners or fleet operators ignore these obvious signs, they’re making a conscious decision that puts everyone on the road at risk.

Common warning signs that indicate brake problems:

• Squealing or grinding noises during braking
• Increased stopping distances
• Brake pedal vibration or pulsing
• Visible brake pad wear during inspections
• Brake warning lights on the dashboard

Brake Fluid Leaks: The Gradual Loss of Protection

Brake fluid leaks create a gradual loss of braking power that should be detected during routine maintenance. You have every right to expect that when you take your vehicle in for service, critical safety systems will be properly inspected.

The hydraulic brake systems in modern vehicles are designed with redundancy—which means total brake failure requires multiple points of failure or serious neglect. When we find evidence of either scenario, it often indicates a pattern of negligence that could have been prevented with proper care.

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) Malfunctions

ABS failures can be particularly confusing because the system may activate inappropriately, causing loss of control even when you’re driving carefully. When ABS sensors fail or become contaminated, the system can rapidly apply and release brakes in unpredictable patterns.

These cases often involve defective parts or improper repairs by mechanics who lack proper training on complex braking systems. When repair shops cut corners or use incorrect parts, they put every family on the road at risk.

3. Steering and Suspension: When Control Slips Away

Power Steering Failures: The Sudden Loss of Control

Power steering failures can be particularly frightening because they often occur without any warning. Modern electronic power steering systems can fail instantly, suddenly requiring 5-10 times more force to maintain control of your vehicle.

These failures are especially dangerous because:

• They often develop gradually, creating false confidence in your vehicle’s safety
• Warning signs are frequently missed during routine maintenance
• Complete failure typically happens at the worst possible moments
• The sudden change in steering effort can cause even experienced drivers to lose control

Suspension Component Failures: When Stability Disappears

Your suspension system does much more than provide a comfortable ride—it keeps your tires in contact with the road and maintains your vehicle’s stability during braking, acceleration, and cornering. When critical components fail, your vehicle becomes unpredictable, especially during emergency situations when you need control most.

Ball joint failures are particularly dangerous because they can cause the wheel to separate entirely from the vehicle. These components are designed to be inspected regularly, and they typically show clear signs of wear before complete failure—if someone is looking for them.

Worn Tie Rods and Control Arms: The Gradual Erosion of Safety

Tie rods and control arms give clear warning signs before they fail completely. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often dismissed as minor annoyances rather than the serious safety concerns they actually are.

Warning signs that should never be ignored:

• Loose or wandering steering
• Unusual tire wear patterns
• Clunking noises during turns
• Vibration in the steeringwheel

When these symptoms are overlooked during routine maintenance, preventable accidents become inevitable.

4. Engine and Powertrain: When Power Becomes Peril

Engine Seizure: The Preventable Catastrophe

Engine seizure rarely happens without warning, yet it continues to cause serious accidents. Modern engines include multiple warning systems—oil pressure lights, temperature gauges, and audible alarms—specifically designed to prevent these failures.

When these warnings are ignored by fleet operators or individual drivers, the engine will eventually seize, potentially locking up the drivetrain and causing sudden loss of control. These failures are particularly troubling because:

• They’re entirely preventable with basic maintenance (NHTSA: Vehicle Maintenance)
• Warning signs are clearly documented by the vehicle’s computer systems
• The consequences often affect innocent families who had no control over the maintenance decisions

Transmission Failures: When Technology Turns Against You

Modern automatic transmissions contain over 100 internal components controlled by sophisticated computer systems. When these systems malfunction, they can cause your vehicle to behave in terrifying and unpredictable ways:

• Sudden, unexpected acceleration
• Complete loss of power during critical situations
• Erratic shifting that makes the vehicle difficult to control
• Sudden lockup while driving

When manufacturers issue technical service bulletins about known transmission problems but fail to properly notify vehicle owners, it creates a situation where preventable accidents occur simply due to lack of information.

Cooling System Failures: When Multiple Dangers Converge

Cooling system failures create multiple dangers simultaneously. When radiators leak, water pumps fail, or cooling fans stop working, your engine can overheat and seize while producing clouds of steam that completely obscure your vision.

This combination of factors—sudden loss of power plus complete loss of visibility—makes cooling system failures particularly hazardous. These are maintenance items that should be identified and addressed during routine service.

5. Lighting and Visibility: When You Become Invisible

Failed Headlights and Taillights: The Invisible Danger

When vehicles become invisible to other drivers due to failed lighting systems, the resulting accidents often involve high-speed impacts that change lives forever. These aren’t just minor traffic violations—they’re serious safety hazards that put every family on the road at risk.

Commercial vehicles face stricter lighting standards because their size and weight make them more dangerous when they’re not properly visible (FMCSA Lighting Requirements). When fleet operators fail to maintain these basic safety systems, the consequences can be devastating for innocent families.

Malfunctioning Turn Signals: When Communication Breaks Down

Turn signals are how drivers communicate their intentions to others on the road. When these systems fail, it creates dangerous misunderstandings that can lead to:

• Intersection crashes from unclear intentions
• Lane-change accidents from failed signals
• Rear-end collisions from unexpected stops

These failures often involve simple electrical problems that should be caught during routine maintenance. When mechanics fail to properly check lighting systems, they’re missing critical safety issues that could prevent accidents.

Defective Wipers: When Weather Becomes Your Enemy

Windshield wipers that fail during storms can reduce your visibility to zero in seconds. Modern wiper systems include sensors that automatically respond to rainfall, and when these systems fail during bad weather, you can suddenly find yourself unable to see the road ahead.

Continuing to drive with obviously defective wipers during storms puts everyone at risk (Consumer Reports: Wiper Blades). Yet many accidents occur because drivers feel they have no safe alternative but to continue their journey.

6. Electrical System Failures: When Modern Technology Fails You

Battery and Alternator Failures: More Than Just Inconvenience

Modern vehicles depend on electrical systems for critical safety functions, and when these systems fail while you’re driving, the results can be terrifying. Battery and alternator failures can cause:

• Loss of power steering assistance
• Failure of electronic stability control systems
• Engine stalling in dangerous locations
• Complete loss of lighting systems

Wiring Harness Defects: The Hidden Fire Hazard

Defective wiring harnesses can cause electrical fires, short circuits that disable critical systems, or intermittent failures that are difficult to diagnose. These problems often result from:

• Poor manufacturing quality control
• Inadequate protection from road debris and moisture
• Improper repairs by unqualified technicians
• Age-related deterioration that wasn’t identified during inspections

When electrical fires occur while driving, they create immediate life-threatening situations that often result in total vehicle loss and severe injuries to occupants.

Electronic Control Module Failures: When the Computer Brain Dies

Modern vehicles rely on dozens of electronic control modules to manage everything from engine performance to safety systems. When these modules fail, they can cause your vehicle to behave in dangerous and unpredictable ways:

• Sudden acceleration or deceleration
• Loss of stability control
• Airbag system failures
• Complete engine shutdown

The software in these modules is frequently updated to address known problems. When manufacturers fail to properly notify vehicle owners or when dealers don’t perform required updates, preventable accidents can occur.

7. Fuel System Malfunctions: When Danger Becomes Explosive

Fuel Pump Failures: Stranded in Harm’s Way

Fuel pump failures often occur at the most dangerous possible moments—when you’re merging onto highways or climbing steep grades. When fuel pumps fail gradually, they can cause engine hesitation and stalling that creates hazardous situations for following traffic.

Fuel Line Leaks: The Fire Hazard Beneath You

Fuel line leaks create immediate fire hazards and can cause engines to run poorly, leading to overheating and potential seizure. These leaks are often caused by:

• Corrosion from road salt and chemicals
• Damage from road debris
• Poor manufacturing or installation
• Age-related deterioration

When mechanics fail to identify fuel leaks during inspections, they’re missing potentially life-threatening safety issues.

Fuel Injection System Failures: When Computers Control Your Speed

Modern fuel injection systems are computer-controlled and can fail in ways that cause sudden acceleration, engine stalling, or rough running that makes vehicles difficult to control. These systems require specialized diagnostic equipment that not all shops have or know how to use properly.

8. HVAC System Failures: When Comfort Becomes Critical Safety

Defrosting System Failures: When You Can’t See the Road

When defrosting systems fail during cold weather, your windshield can fog or ice over completely, leaving you unable to see where you’re going. These failures often occur gradually, with drivers initially able to see through small clear areas before complete vision loss occurs.

Air Conditioning Failures: More Than Just Discomfort

In extreme heat, air conditioning failures can cause driver fatigue, dehydration, and loss of concentration that leads to accidents. For commercial drivers who spend long hours on the road, functioning AC isn’t a luxury—it’s a safety requirement.

Ventilation System Contamination: The Invisible Threat

Contaminated HVAC systems can introduce carbon monoxide or other dangerous gases into your passenger compartment, causing drowsiness, confusion, or unconsciousness while you’re driving. These cases often involve defective exhaust systems that allow dangerous gases to enter the ventilation system.

9. Exhaust System Failures: The Silent and Deadly Threat

Carbon Monoxide Leaks: The Invisible Killer

Exhaust system leaks can introduce carbon monoxide into your passenger compartment without you realizing it. Because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, you often don’t know you’re being poisoned until it’s too late. The symptoms—drowsiness, confusion, and eventually unconsciousness—make it impossible to drive safely.

Catalytic Converter Failures: When Environmental Systems Become Hazards

Failed catalytic converters can cause your engine to run poorly, overheat, or stall unexpectedly. They can also create fire hazards when they overheat and ignite nearby combustible materials.

Muffler and Exhaust Pipe Damage: The Road Hazard Below

Damaged exhaust systems can drag on the ground, creating sparks and fire hazards, or break loose entirely and become dangerous obstacles for other vehicles. These are visible problems that should be identified and addressed during routine inspections.

10. Safety System Failures: When Protection Becomes Peril

Airbag System Malfunctions: When Safety Turns Dangerous

Airbag systems that deploy inappropriately or fail to deploy when needed can turn what should have been a minor accident into a life-threatening situation. The massive Takata airbag recalls demonstrated how defective safety systems can actually increase injury severity rather than providing the protection you expect.

Seatbelt System Failures: When Your Last Line of Defense Fails

Seatbelt pretensioners, buckles, and webbing can fail due to manufacturing defects or age-related deterioration. When seatbelts fail during accidents, the results are often catastrophic because you’re not properly restrained during the impact.

Electronic Stability Control Failures: When Computers Make Things Worse

Electronic stability control systems are designed to prevent skids and rollovers, but when they malfunction, they can actually cause the accidents they’re designed to prevent. These systems rely on multiple sensors and can fail in complex ways that are difficult to diagnose.

Understanding Your Rights After a Mechanical Failure Accident

Why “Maintenance” Isn’t Always the Answer

If you’ve been told that your accident was caused by “poor maintenance,” you deserve to know whether that’s actually true. The automotive industry often blames accidents on deferred maintenance because it shifts responsibility away from manufacturers and onto vehicle owners.

The reality is that many mechanical failures occur despite proper maintenance because of design defects, manufacturing flaws, or inadequate service procedures. When we investigate these cases, we examine:

• Manufacturer service schedule compliance (NHTSA: Recalls & Maintenance)
• Inspection record accuracy and completeness
• Warning sign documentation in service records
• Mechanic training and certification standards
• Manufacturer knowledge of defects and their failure to warn consumers

When Warning Systems Fail You

Modern vehicles provide multiple warning systems to alert you to developing problems, but these systems can also fail or provide false warnings that you learn to ignore over time. When warning systems malfunction, they can create a dangerous false sense of security.

Our investigation process includes:

• Analyzing your vehicle’s computer data for any ignored warnings
• Establishing proper care standards through manufacturer recommendations (National Safety Council: Vehicle Maintenance)
• Working with expert witnesses to prove what could have been prevented
• Documenting the full extent of damages caused by negligence

The Limitations of Vehicle Inspections

Many states require periodic vehicle inspections, but these inspections often miss critical safety defects that could prevent accidents. When inspection stations pass vehicles with obvious safety problems, they may share responsibility for the accidents that result.

Common inspection problems include:

• Superficial checks that miss complex mechanical problems
• Inadequate testing of critical safety systems
• Mechanics who lack proper training on modern vehicles
• Falsified records that hide negligent inspection practices

How We Can Help You Navigate This Difficult Time

We understand that dealing with a mechanical failure accident is overwhelming. Not only are you dealing with injuries, medical bills, and possibly the loss of your vehicle, but you’re also trying to understand how something like this could have happened.

At SHKLaw, we’ve dedicated our practice to understanding these complex cases because we know how devastating they can be for families. We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial, which gives you the strongest possible position when dealing with insurance companies.

Our comprehensive approach includes:

• Forensic analysis of failed components by certified experts
• Complete investigation of manufacturing and maintenance history
• Thorough review of all service and inspection records
• Research into recalls and known defects
• Pattern analysis to identify similar failures in other vehicles
• Expert testimony to explain complex mechanical issues to juries

We limit our caseload so we can give each client the attention they deserve. This isn’t just about getting you compensation—it’s about finding the truth about what happened and holding the right parties accountable.

You Don’t Have to Face This Alone

If you’re reading this because you or someone you love has been injured in a mechanical failure accident, we want you to know that you don’t have to navigate this alone. These cases are complex, but you have rights, and you deserve answers.

You deserve to know:

• Whether the failure was truly unavoidable or the result of someone’s negligence
• Who bears responsibility for the defect or maintenance failure
• What compensation you may be entitled to receive
• How to protect your rights while dealing with insurance companies

Insurance companies count on you not having strong representation. They know that mechanical failure cases are complex and that most attorneys don’t have the expertise to fight them properly. That’s exactly why we’ve made these cases our specialty.

When you’re ready to talk, we’re here to listen. There’s no obligation—just honest answers to your questions and a clear explanation of your options.