Defective Products and Product Liability in Irvine

Defective Products and Product Liability in Irvine

• April 21, 2026
• Categories: Defective Products

Being injured by a product you trusted was safe is a jarring experience that can leave you injured, strapped with medical debt, missing work, and wondering if there is any way you can recover compensation for all you’ve suffered and lost.

California pioneered U.S. consumer protection laws to keep Americans safe from defective products. Over 60 years ago, the state became the first in the nation to hold manufacturers strictly liable for injuries caused by their products.

But while it’s easier to sue a manufacturer now than it was decades ago, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Neale & Fhima’s Irvine product liability lawyers know what it takes to hold manufacturers, distributors, and giant retailers accountable for putting defective products into the market.

What Injured Consumers in Irvine Should Know

• California’s strict liability doctrine means you do not have to prove a manufacturer was negligent to recover compensation for injuries caused by a defective product.
• Three types of defects can make a product unreasonably dangerous: design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure-to-warn defects.
• Product recalls reached an 18-year high in 2025, with injuries from recalled products continuing to rise each year.
• You have two years from the date of injury to file a product liability claim in California under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1.

What Makes a Product Legally Defective in California?

California law recognizes three categories of product defects. Each creates a different legal pathway to hold manufacturers accountable for injuries.

Design Defects

A design defect exists when the product’s blueprint itself is flawed. Even if the product is manufactured exactly as intended, the design makes it unreasonably dangerous for its intended use.

California courts use two tests to evaluate design defects. The consumer expectation test asks whether the product performed as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect. The risk-benefit test weighs the product’s risks against its benefits and asks whether a safer alternative design existed.

Manufacturing Defects

Manufacturing defects occur when something goes wrong during production. The product deviates from its intended design due to errors in assembly, substandard materials, or quality control failures.

These defects often affect only some units of a product line, not all of them. A single contaminated lot of food, a batch of tires with weak sidewalls, or an electronic device with faulty wiring can cause serious injuries.

Failure-to-Warn Defects

Some products carry inherent risks that proper warnings and instructions could lessen or eliminate. When manufacturers fail to provide adequate warnings about known dangers, they can be liable for resulting injuries.

This category includes products that lack safety instructions, contain hidden dangers, or fail to warn about dangerous interactions with other products or medications.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Defective Product Injury?

California’s strict liability laws extend beyond just the manufacturer. Anyone in the chain of distribution who placed the defective product into the stream of commerce can be held liable for injuries.

Potentially liable parties include:

• Product designers and manufacturers
• Component part manufacturers
• Wholesalers and distributors
• Retail stores that sold the product
• Online marketplaces in certain circumstances

This matters when the original manufacturer is a foreign company outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. California consumers can still pursue claims against domestic distributors and retailers who sold the product.

How Common Are Defective Product Injuries?

Defective products cause far more injuries than most consumers realize. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) tracks recalls and injuries nationwide, revealing troubling trends.

According to a U.S. PIRG Education Fund report, product recalls reached an 18-year high recently, with the CPSC issuing 420 recall announcements covering more than 40 million hazardous products. Reported injuries from recalled products hit 869 in 2024, a 58 percent increase over 2023 and more than double the number reported in 2020.

Common hazards that lead to product recalls include:

• Fire and burn hazards from lithium-ion batteries and electrical products
• Choking and suffocation risks in children’s products
• Fall hazards from unstable furniture
• Laceration injuries from defective tools and appliances
• Entrapment dangers in infant sleep products

Online shopping has increased these risks. U.S. PIRG Education Fund research found that products sold only online are twice as likely to violate federal safety standards compared to products sold in physical stores.

What Types of Products Cause Injuries?

Almost any consumer product can cause injury if it contains a defect. Irvine residents purchase products from major retailers, specialty stores, and online sellers. Price point and brand reputation do not guarantee safety.

Consumer Electronics and Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from phones to e-bikes. When these batteries overheat or experience thermal runaway, they can explode or catch fire. In 2024, 41 recalled products were linked to more than 500 fires, with 15 of those products containing lithium-ion batteries.

Home Appliances and Kitchen Products

Pressure cookers that fail to lock properly, ranges that turn on unexpectedly, and countertop ovens with doors that close without warning have all caused serious burns. Defective appliances caused hundreds of fires and burn injuries in recent years.

Children’s Products and Toys

Infant swings, sleep products, and toys present particular dangers. More than one-fourth of all recalls in 2025 involved children’s products. Small parts that pose choking hazards, unstable furniture that can tip over, and sleep products with entrapment risks require careful scrutiny.

Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals

Defective medical devices, including implants, surgical tools, and diagnostic equipment, can cause severe harm. Pharmaceutical products with undisclosed side effects or contamination issues also fall under product liability law, though these cases involve additional regulatory considerations.

How Do You Prove a Product Liability Claim?

California’s strict liability doctrine simplifies what you need to prove. You do not have to show that the manufacturer acted carelessly or knew about the defect. You must establish four elements.

The elements of a product liability claim in California are:

• The defendant designed, manufactured, distributed, or sold the product
• The product contained a defect when it left the defendant’s control
• You used the product in a reasonably foreseeable way
• The defect caused your injuries

Evidence in these cases often includes the defective product itself, medical records documenting your injuries, expert testimony about the defect, recall notices or safety alerts, and similar complaints from other consumers.

What Damages Can You Recover in a Product Liability Case?

California law allows injured consumers to recover both economic and non-economic damages. The goal is to compensate you for all losses caused by the defective product, including lost wages and reduced earning capacity.

Economic damages cover measurable financial losses:

• Medical expenses, including future treatment costs
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Rehabilitation and therapy costs
• Property damage caused by the defective product

Non-economic damages address the human impact of your injuries:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and mental anguish
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Disfigurement or permanent disability

In cases involving particularly egregious conduct, such as when a manufacturer knew about a dangerous defect and failed to act, punitive damages may be available to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct.

How Long Do You Have to File a Product Liability Claim in California?

California’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases (Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1) gives injured consumers two years from the date of injury to file a product liability lawsuit. This deadline applies to claims for personal injury and wrongful death.

The discovery rule can extend this deadline in cases where the injury was not immediately apparent. The clock starts when you knew or reasonably should have known that a defective product caused your injury.

Property damage claims have a three-year statute of limitations. If a defective product caused both personal injury and property damage, you should file within two years to preserve all claims.

What Should You Do After Being Injured by a Defective Product?

If you have already received medical attention for your injuries, there are several steps you can take to protect your legal claim.

• Contact a lawyer. Product liability cases involve technical evidence and often multiple defendants. An attorney can begin investigating immediately while the evidence is still available.
• Preserve the product. Do not throw away, repair, or alter the product that injured you. Store it safely. The product itself is often the most important piece of evidence.
• Keep all medical appointments. Consistent medical treatment creates documentation of your injuries. Gaps in treatment can be used against you.
• Document everything. Take photos of the product, your injuries, and the scene. Keep receipts, packaging, and instructions. Write down what happened while the details are fresh.
• Check for recalls. Search the CPSC recall database to see if the product has been recalled. A recall can strengthen your case by showing the manufacturer knew about the defect.

What If You Bought the Defective Product Online?

Online shopping presents unique challenges for product liability claims. When products are sold through third-party marketplaces, determining who is legally responsible can be difficult.

Large platforms like Amazon have historically argued they are merely facilitators connecting buyers and sellers, not retailers subject to strict liability. However, California courts have increasingly recognized that these platforms exercise substantial control over transactions and can bear responsibility for defective products.

Foreign manufacturers who sell through online platforms may be outside U.S. jurisdiction. In these cases, identifying domestic distributors or the online platform itself becomes essential to pursuing compensation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Product Liability Claims in Irvine

Do I need to be the person who purchased the product to file a claim?

No. California law protects anyone injured by a defective product, not just the purchaser. If you received the product as a gift, borrowed it from a friend, or were simply a bystander injured by someone else’s defective product, you can pursue a claim.

What if I modified or misused the product before I was injured?

California follows comparative fault rules. If you share some responsibility for your injuries, your compensation may be reduced proportionally. However, manufacturers are still liable for defects even if the consumer’s use was not perfectly careful, as long as the use was reasonably foreseeable.

Can I still file a claim if the product has a disclaimer or warranty limitation?

Disclaimers and warranty limitations often cannot protect manufacturers from strict liability claims for physical injuries. California courts have found many such disclaimers unenforceable when they attempt to limit liability for personal injury caused by defective products.

How long does a product liability case typically take?

Timeline varies depending on case complexity, the number of defendants, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Simple cases may resolve in months. Complex cases involving multiple defendants or expert testimony can take longer.

What if the manufacturer is a company in another country?

Foreign manufacturers may be difficult to sue directly in California courts. However, domestic distributors, wholesalers, and retailers who sold the product can be held strictly liable under California law. An attorney can identify all parties in the chain of distribution who may be held accountable.

Let Neale & Fhima Help You Hold Manufacturers Accountable

Product recalls hit an 18-year high in 2025. Injuries from defective products rose 58 percent in a single year. Yet when consumers get hurt, manufacturers still respond the same way: deny responsibility, blame the victim, and wait for people to give up. At Neale & Fhima, our Irvine product liability lawyer knows how to fight back against these tactics.

California law is on your side. You do not have to prove a company was careless or that anyone knew the product was dangerous. If you were injured by a defective product, you may have the right to pursue compensation under California law.

You should not have to fight a billion-dollar company alone. Contact Neale & Fhima today for a free consultation to discuss your case.