Find a car defect lawyer in Chandler: keep the car and its data

If a part of your car failed in a Chandler crash, the car is evidence. Its event data recorder holds only about 30 seconds of data, or less. If police towed the car, the tow company will not release it without Chandler Police approval. A defect lawsuit generally has to be filed within 2 years.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (36)

Airbag, seat belt or car defect in Chandler? See if you are owed money.

$0 upfront. No fee unless you win.

Free to send, no obligation. A law firm that handles this type of case in your state reviews it. How this works
Road map of Chandler showing Frye Road, home of the Level I trauma center, and Chicago Street, where the police Downtown Precinct holds towed-car hearings
A car's data recorder may hold only 30 seconds of crash data. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What do I do with my car after a defect injury in Chandler?

  1. Leave the car as it is. Do not fix, sell or scrap it, and do not let a shop or an insurer start taking parts out.
  2. Photograph the airbag, the belt, the seat and the dashboard before anyone touches them.
  3. If police towed it, call Chandler Police impound at 480-782-4109 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  4. Go to the walk-in impound hearing at the Downtown Precinct, 250 East Chicago Street. The administrative fee is $150, and towing and storage go to the tow company.
  5. If a hearing officer releases the car, All City Towing holds it. Call 480-833-7278 to confirm where it is stored.
  6. Tell your insurer and the tow yard in writing that the car is evidence in an injury claim.

The tow company will not hand the car over without Chandler Police authorization. Moving it from a tow yard to a safe place should be a decision you make on purpose.

What does my car's data recorder show after a crash?

What it can showWhat the federal rule says
How long it recordsTypically 30 seconds or less
Seat beltsWhether the driver and passenger belts were buckled
Pedals and speedHow far the driver pressed the gas or brake pedal
What it takes to read itSpecial equipment and access to the car

A 30-second window means the last moments before impact are what you get. If the car sits in a yard and its battery or parts are disturbed, that picture can be lost.

How do I check my car for a recall in Chandler?

Type the 17-character vehicle ID number into NHTSA's recall search. You will learn if that specific car needs a recall repair. Do this even for a car you just bought used. A maker has to fix a recalled defect free of charge.

A recall is not the end of your options. The recall remedy is in addition to other legal remedies. The ID number is on the dashboard by the windshield and on the driver's door jamb.

What if a driverless car or its software caused my crash near Chandler?

Chandler calls itself the Autonomous Vehicle Capital of the World, and Waymo first brought its cars here in 2016. A December 2025 recall report to NHTSA covers 3,067 Waymo vehicles. It says the software could let a car that was stopping for a school bus with flashing red lights go again before the bus turned the lights off.

That recall was about software, not an airbag, but it shows these cars sit in the same recall system as any other.

After a crash with no human driver, Arizona law says the owner, or someone for the owner, must promptly contact police, or the vehicle must alert them. The company that files the state statement may be cited for traffic violations, and the vehicle must meet state insurance requirements.

Who can I sue for a defective car part in Chandler?

Often the maker, and sometimes the seller. If you sue a seller, the maker must in many cases cover the judgment. Each defendant pays only its own share of the fault.

Expect two defenses. The maker may say the design met the state of the art when the car was first sold. Or it may say someone changed the part in a way no one could have foreseen. If you were partly to blame, your award shrinks but your claim survives.

Arizona's high court struck down the old 12-year cutoff for product claims. No cap can be placed on injury damages in Arizona. Dignity Health Chandler Regional, 1955 West Frye Road, is a Level I trauma center if you were hurt and need a first visit.

Where do I get my Chandler crash report?

On a city street, Chandler Police handled it. Reports are online through crashdocs.org and BuyCrash.com. If you go direct, the fee is $5.00 for the first 50 pages. The report names the cars and drivers. It will not say a part failed, so write that down yourself and send it to your lawyer.

Questions

Can I report a bad car part without suing?

Yes. Call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. Your complaint goes into a public database with personal details removed.

Who owns the data in my car?

The owner, or the lessee if the car is leased. Others generally need consent or a court's authority to get it.

What if the car was a City of Chandler vehicle?

Serve a notice of claim on the Chandler City Clerk within 180 days. The claim has to name a specific settlement amount. A late claim is barred.

Does Arizona cap what I can recover for a defect injury?

No. Arizona's constitution does not let a law cap what a jury may award for an injury.

Airbag, seat belt or car defect in Chandler? See if you are owed money.

A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.

See if I’m owed money

Sources (36)

  1. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
  2. Chandler Police, Vehicle Impounds, checked 2026-11-08. “The towing company will not release your vehicle without the authorization of release from the Chandler Police Department”
  3. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  4. NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “the recall remedies are in addition to other available legal remedies”
  5. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-663, checked 2026-11-08. “makes the owner's name and address and the registration number of the vehicle available”
  6. Chandler Police, Vehicle Impounds, checked 2026-11-08. “For More Information: 480-782-4109”
  7. Chandler Police, Vehicle Impounds, checked 2026-11-08. “Hearings are handled on a walk-in basis only”
  8. Chandler Police, Vehicle Impounds, checked 2026-11-08. “Those charges include an administrative fee of $150.00”
  9. Chandler Police, Vehicle Impounds, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact All City Towing at 480-833-7278 to verify where the vehicle is stored”
  10. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened”
  11. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal”
  12. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed”
  13. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “you'll learn if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall”
  14. 49 U.S.C. § 30120, checked 2026-11-09. “shall remedy the defect or noncompliance without charge when the vehicle or equipment is presented for remedy”
  15. City of Chandler, A Stroll Down Chandler's AV Lane, checked 2026-11-08. “Waymo first brought its autonomous vehicles to the area in 2016.”
  16. NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report 25E084, checked 2026-11-09. “Total number of potentially involved: 3,067”
  17. NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report 25E084, checked 2026-11-09. “Waymo vehicles that were stopped or stopping for a school bus with its red lights flashing and/or the stop arm extended would proceed again before the school bus had deactivated its flashing lights”
  18. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-9702, checked 2026-11-08. “the person who submits the written statement for the fully autonomous vehicle may be issued a traffic citation”
  19. A.R.S. 12-684, checked 2026-11-09. “the manufacturer shall indemnify the seller for any judgment rendered against the seller”
  20. A.R.S. 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
  21. A.R.S. 12-683, checked 2026-11-09. “conformed with the state of the art at the time the product was first sold”
  22. A.R.S. 12-683, checked 2026-11-09. “an alteration or modification of the product that was not reasonably foreseeable”
  23. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  24. Arizona Supreme Court, Cronin v. Sheldon (1999), checked 2026-11-09. “Hazine declared unconstitutional the same statute of repose that Bryant upheld”
  25. Ariz. Const. art. 18, § 6, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount recovered shall not be subject to any statutory limitation”
  26. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “1955 W. Frye Rd., Chandler, AZ 85224 07/01/25 07/01/28”
  27. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report you are requesting was the result of a collision that occurred on a town, city or county road, contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.”
  28. Chandler Police, Request a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “The Chandler Police Department has partnered with crashdocs.org and BuyCrash.com to provide accident reports online.”
  29. Chandler Police, Request a Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Additional pages at $0.15/page”
  30. NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “Call 888-327-4236”
  31. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Your complaint will be added to a public NHTSA database after personally identifying information is removed.”
  32. Driver Privacy Act of 2015, checked 2026-11-09. “is the property of the owner, or, in the case of a leased vehicle, the lessee”
  33. Driver Privacy Act of 2015, checked 2026-11-09. “may not be accessed by a person other than an owner or a lessee”
  34. City of Chandler, Law Department, checked 2026-11-08. “you must serve a notice of claim on the Chandler City Clerk”
  35. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “The claim shall also contain a specific amount for which the claim can be settled and the facts supporting that amount.”
  36. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “is barred and no action may be maintained thereon”

Editorial policy

See if I’m owed moneyNo fee unless you win
AccidentsCitiesStatesGuides
See if I’m owed money