The area of products liability law refers to a doctrine of law which holds manufacturers accountable for injuries caused by the dangerous characteristics of the products they sell. It is an area of law which varies tremendously state to state, due thanks in large part to legal "reforms" which the manufacturing lobby has sought to shield itself from having to bear responsibility for the injuries their products cause. Nonetheless, there are three basic theories in product liability law:
Manufacturing defect: this theory applies when the product was safe as designed, but was manufactured or assembled in defective way or with defective components;
Design defect: the product was designed in a way which rendered it unreasonably dangerous when used in its intended or foreseeable manner; and
Failure to warn: when a product contains dangers which are known to the manufacturer, the manufacturer has an obligation to give warnings of the dangers in a way which will effectively communicate the dangers of the product to those at risk.
