Can I still sue even if I’ve made changes to my car after I bought it?

As long as the vehicle had not been substantially changed from the condition in which it was originally sold, your claim will most likely not be affected by any minor alterations to the car.

What is a lemon law?

A lemon law protects the purchaser of a new or almost-new car from the risk that the car is defective. Under a lemon law, you may return a new car that was leased or sold with a manufacturer’s warranty that cannot be repaired in a reasonable number of attempts or at all. Most lemon laws also apply to used cars that are still under full warranty and that meet the mileage and time requirements.

What kinds of things affect a vehicle’s “crashworthiness?”

The vehicle’s size, design, and safety features (including seat belts, airbags, and crumple zones) all affect its crashworthiness.

How does the fact that a driver may have caused an accident affect a crashworthiness action?

The doctrine of crashworthiness centers around the enhancement of injuries caused by a motor vehicle defect. The issue becomes whether the defect increased the injuries, and fault of a person injured does not prevent recovery on a crashworthiness action. The fault issue may arise when the court or jury weighs the comparative fault of the individual causing the accident with the fault of the manufacturer, so that a reduction in the amount of damages you are entitled to may result.

What is “crashworthiness?”

Crashworthiness is the ability of a vehicle to prevent injuries to the occupants in the event of a collision.