Car defect injury in Glendale, AZ: what to do when an airbag or seat belt fails
If an airbag or seat belt failed in a Glendale crash, protect the car first. Storage at an impound is capped at $25 a day, and the crash recorder holds typically 30 seconds or less. A defect claim generally has a 2-year deadline in Arizona. If the city shares the blame, its claim notice is due in 180 days.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (47)
Is it a defect if the airbag did not open in my Glendale crash?
Not always. Federal safety officials say airbags are generally built to open in moderate to severe crashes, and they may open even in a minor one. A closed bag after a light tap proves little. A closed bag in a hard head-on hit, or a belt that came unlatched, deserves a closer look.
Airbags inflate in less than 1/20th of a second, and a driver or passenger sitting too close can be seriously hurt.
Ask one more question: did a shop ever replace this airbag? Recalled Takata inflators may explode, and cheap replacement inflators have caused deaths and injuries in the United States.
How do I keep my car from disappearing after a crash in Glendale?
- Find out where the car is. Glendale's Towing Administrator works 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.
- Know who can free it. Only Glendale Police can release an impounded vehicle.
- Watch your mail. Police send notices to registered owners and lien holders, and owners can ask for a post-storage hearing.
- Count the cost. Storage is capped at $25 a day, plus a $150 fee paid by cashier's check or money order. As an example, 30 days is $750 in storage before the fee.
- Do not let anyone repair, sell or scrap the car until an expert has looked at the airbag, belt and crash recorder.
Tell your insurer in writing that the car is evidence.
What does a car's crash recorder show, and who can read it?
| What it can record | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Whether the driver and passenger belts were buckled | Answers the carmaker's first defense |
| How far the gas or brake pedal was pressed | Shows what the driver did before impact |
| A short window, typically 30 seconds or less | Why the car must be kept as it is |
Reading it takes special equipment and access to the vehicle. The data belongs to the owner, or the lessee on a lease. Everyone else generally needs the owner's consent or a court order. Do not let a tow yard, body shop or insurer pull it without a plan.
How do I check for a recall on a car from a Glendale crash?
Type the VIN into NHTSA's search. It shows whether that car needs a recall repair, but not one that was already fixed. The Vehicle Safety Hotline, 888-327-4236, takes the same question by phone.
A recalled defect must be fixed free of charge. A complaint you file goes into a public database with your personal details removed.
Who pays if a defect hurt me in Glendale?
| Who | What to know |
|---|---|
| The other driver's insurer | Most Arizona policies must cover at least $25,000 per person for injuries |
| Your uninsured motorist coverage | Insurers must offer it in writing |
| The carmaker | A claim for injury from a product can be brought against a maker or seller |
| The dealer or seller | The law covers wholesalers, distributors, retailers and lessors |
Expect these defenses. The design met the state of the art when first sold. Someone changed the part after the sale in a way nobody could foresee. Each defendant pays only its own share, and your award drops by your share of the blame. The maker may have to cover a seller who is sued.
What deadlines apply to a car defect claim in Glendale?
Generally 2 years to sue. The product statute still shows a 12-year cutoff from first sale, but Arizona's Supreme Court declared that cutoff unconstitutional. Act early.
If a city road defect or city vehicle played a part, send a notice of claim within 180 days. File with Glendale's City Clerk, 5752 W. Glenn Dr. The suit against that agency then has a one-year deadline. No state cap limits what a Maricopa County jury can award for a defect injury.
Where do I get the Glendale crash report for a defect claim?
On city streets, Glendale Police handle the crash. Fill out the online records request form. Glendale gives no fixed wait, and Records is at 6835 N. 57th Drive. On Loop 101 or Loop 303, which the city says run through it, Arizona DPS investigates. Wait at least 14 days, then expect a $9.00 mail fee.
Hard-hit intersections matter too. 51st Avenue and Camelback Road ranks 2 of the region's 100 highest-risk intersections, with 174 crashes from 2018 to 2022.
Questions
Does a recall mean I have a case?
Not by itself, but it can help. A recall repair does not replace your other legal remedies. You still have to link the defect to your injury.
Can I still sue if I was not wearing my belt?
Maybe. Arizona's belt law does not say how skipping a belt affects a claim. A court can lower your award by your share of the blame.
Should I repair the car first?
No. A repair can destroy the proof. Keep the car as it is until an expert has inspected it and the recorder is read.
Airbag, seat belt or car defect in Glendale? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (47)
- Glendale Police, Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound, checked 2026-11-08. “Storage fees are limited to a maximum of $25.00 per day.”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- 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”
- Driver Privacy Act of 2015, checked 2026-11-09. “may not be accessed by a person other than an owner or a lessee”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “A safety recall that has already been repaired.”
- NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “the recall remedies are in addition to other available legal remedies”
- A.R.S. § 12-681, checked 2026-11-09. “including a wholesaler, distributor, retailer or lessor”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “generally designed to deploy in moderate to severe crashes and may deploy in even a minor crash”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “less than 1/20th of a second”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “serious or sometimes fatal injuries can occur if the driver or passenger is too close”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “subject to recall due to a safety defect that may cause them to explode and result in serious injury or death”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Substandard, dangerous air bag inflators manufactured in China have caused deaths and injuries in the United States.”
- Glendale Police, Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound, checked 2026-11-08. “Vehicle releases for vehicles impounded under ARS §28-3511 are issued during normal business hours by appointment only.”
- Glendale Police, Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound, checked 2026-11-08. “Only the Glendale Police Department can release your vehicle.”
- Glendale Police, Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound, checked 2026-11-08. “The Glendale Police Department will mail out notices of impoundment to registered owners and lien holders”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “you'll learn if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall”
- NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “Call 888-327-4236”
- 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”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Your complaint will be added to a public NHTSA database after personally identifying information is removed.”
- A.R.S. § 28-4009(A)(2)(b), checked 2026-11-08. “(i) $25,000 because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident. (ii) Subject to the limit for one person, $50,000 because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident. (iii) $15,000 because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
- A.R.S. § 20-259.01(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Every insurer writing automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies shall make available to the named insured thereunder and by written notice offer the named insured and at the request of the named insured shall include within the policy uninsured motorist coverage”
- A.R.S. 12-681, checked 2026-11-09. “means any action brought against a manufacturer or seller of a product for damages for bodily injury, death or property damage”
- A.R.S. § 12-683, checked 2026-11-09. “conformed with the state of the art at the time the product was first sold by the defendant”
- A.R.S. 12-683, checked 2026-11-09. “an alteration or modification of the product that was not reasonably foreseeable”
- A.R.S. 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
- A.R.S. § 12-2505(A), 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”
- A.R.S. § 12-684, checked 2026-11-09. “the manufacturer shall indemnify the seller for any judgment rendered against the seller”
- A.R.S. 12-551, checked 2026-11-09. “more than twelve years after the product was first sold for use or consumption”
- Arizona Supreme Court, Cronin v. Sheldon (1999), checked 2026-11-09. “Hazine declared unconstitutional the same statute of repose that Bryant upheld”
- City of Glendale, City Clerk, checked 2026-11-08. “623-930-2252, Option 1”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- Ariz. Const. art. 18, § 6, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount recovered shall not be subject to any statutory limitation”
- 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.”
- Glendale Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “To obtain a copy of a Traffic Accident or Incident Report fill out an online records request form”
- Glendale Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Once the report is approved for release and redacted, Records will mail it to the requestor or call to inform the requester the report is ready for pickup.”
- Glendale Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Glendale Police Department Main Station 6835 N. 57th Drive Glendale, AZ 85301 (623) 930-3100”
- City of Glendale, Municipal Airport Strategic Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “The City of Glendale is bisected by two major Arizona State Highways, Loop 101 and Loop 303.”
- Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”
- Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
- Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Paper report via U.S. Mail - $9.00 for the first nine pages; $0.10 for each additional page”
- Maricopa Association of Governments, Top 100 Intersections 2018-2022, checked 2026-11-08. “| 2 Glendale/ Phoenix | Glendale | 51ST AVE & CAMELBACK RD | 174 | 0.406 | 0.939 | 0.736 | 0.755 |”
- A.R.S. § 28-909(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Each front seat occupant of a motor vehicle that is designed for carrying ten or fewer passengers [...] shall either: 1. Have the lap and shoulder belt properly adjusted and fastened while the vehicle is in motion.”