Car defect injury in Phoenix: save the car before it is fixed or sold

If a part failed and you were hurt in Phoenix, do not let the car be repaired or scrapped. Ask the tow company where it is. Its crash data recorder can show braking, speed and seat belts. The usual limit to sue the maker or seller is 2 years. Even if the car was recalled, you keep your right to sue.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (35)

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Road map of Phoenix showing the I-10 and I-17 split, the stretch where ADOT counted nearly six crashes a day
Keep the car: its data recorder holds 30 seconds or less. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where is my car after a crash in Phoenix?

Find it first. A defect case is often about the car itself, and a car can be fixed, sold or crushed fast. If a city contract tower hauled it, call that company to learn the storage lot and the bill, and ask if a mandatory impound applies. For an impound, Phoenix Police give release information at 602-495-2096.

  1. Call the tow company and ask where the car is and what you owe.
  2. If police impounded it, call 602-495-2096 for release information.
  3. Photograph the failed part, the dashboard and the inside of the car before anything moves.
  4. Write down the VIN, the mileage and any recent repair shop visit.
  5. Tell your insurer in writing that the car may be evidence, before it declares a total loss.
  6. Order the crash report. DPS handles freeways. Phoenix Police handle city streets.

What can my car's crash data recorder show?

What it recordsWhat it can show
Seat beltsWhether the driver and passenger belts were buckled
Pedals and speedHow far the gas or brake pedal was pressed, and speed
Time windowTypically 30 seconds or less around the crash
Who can read itOthers generally need the owner's consent or court authority

The owner owns the recorder data, or the lessee does if the car is leased. You cannot read it without special equipment and access to the car. That is another reason the car must stay as it is.

How do I check for a recall on a Phoenix car?

Type the VIN into the federal recall search. It tells you if that exact car needs a recall repair, but it will not show one that was already fixed. A search by year, make and model lists recalls, investigations and complaints.

The Vehicle Safety Hotline, 888-327-4236, also takes complaints. Your complaint goes into a public database with your personal details removed. Many similar complaints can point to a defect.

Who investigates a car fire in Phoenix?

Phoenix Fire investigators try to find where a fire started and why. The department no longer keeps its fire investigation reports. To get one, call Phoenix Police Public Records at (602) 534-1127.

If a battery was involved, Phoenix Fire also posts battery incident reports on its data page.

Who can I sue over a defective car part in Phoenix?

  • The maker, and in Arizona the seller too, including a wholesaler, distributor or retailer.
  • If a seller is sued, the maker may have to cover that seller.
  • Under Arizona's fault rules, each defendant pays only its own share of the loss.
  • Your award drops by your share of fault if the jury finds you partly to blame.

A maker can defend by showing the design met the state of the art when the product was first sold.

How long do I have to file a car defect claim in Phoenix?

For a defective-car suit against a private party, 2 years is the general limit. Arizona's high court struck down the old 12-year cutoff, so a long-owned car is not out of reach. If a government agency owned the car, file a notice of claim in 180 days. The suit against the agency then has a one-year limit.

Civil papers can be filed at the Superior Court counters at 201 W. Jefferson St. or 18380 N. 40th St. In Maricopa Superior Court, a dispute under $50,000 goes to compulsory arbitration. Some product cases land in the U.S. District Court's Phoenix Division.

Questions

Does a recall mean I can't sue?

No. A recall remedy comes on top of your other legal remedies. The repair is free, but taking it does not end your claim.

Can I sue if the car is more than 12 years old?

Often yes. Arizona's high court struck down the 12-year cutoff for product claims. The 2-year clock still starts when you are hurt.

Who pays my hospital bill while this is sorted out?

Your health plan or auto medical coverage may pay first. A hospital or ambulance can claim a lien on your recovery.

What if a driverless car hurt me?

Treat it like any other crash: get the report, photos and the company name. Phoenix airport rides now include driverless Waymo pickups at every terminal.

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

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Sources (35)

  1. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact the tow company to determine which lot they have stored your vehicle.”
  2. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened”
  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. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
  6. Driver Privacy Act of 2015, checked 2026-11-09. “may not be accessed by a person other than an owner or a lessee”
  7. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “A safety recall that has already been repaired.”
  8. 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”
  9. A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  10. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Contact the City of Phoenix Public Records and Services Unit to request release information at 602 495-2096.”
  11. 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”
  12. 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.”
  13. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal”
  14. 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”
  15. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed”
  16. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “you'll learn if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall”
  17. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “you'll get general results for recalls, investigations, complaints and manufacturer communications”
  18. NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “Call 888-327-4236”
  19. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Your complaint will be added to a public NHTSA database after personally identifying information is removed.”
  20. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “If the agency receives similar reports from a number of people about the same product, this could indicate that a safety-related defect may exist”
  21. Phoenix Fire Department, checked 2026-11-09. “to attempt to determine the origin and cause of fires and to identify factors or persons responsible for causing a specific fire.”
  22. Phoenix Fire Department, checked 2026-11-09. “Fire Investigation Reports are no longer maintained at the Phoenix Fire Department. Please contact Phoenix Police Department Public Records and Services Unit at: (602) 534-1127”
  23. Phoenix Fire Department, checked 2026-11-09. “Find battery incident reports from the Phoenix Fire Department”
  24. A.R.S. § 12-681, checked 2026-11-09. “including a wholesaler, distributor, retailer or lessor”
  25. A.R.S. § 12-684, checked 2026-11-09. “the manufacturer shall indemnify the seller for any judgment rendered against the seller”
  26. A.R.S. § 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
  27. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-09. “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”
  28. 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”
  29. Young v. DFW Corp. (Ariz. Ct. App. 1995), checked 2026-11-09. “the court found unconstitutional a statute of repose that barred product liability actions for injuries occurring more than 12 years after the product was first sold”
  30. A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
  31. Clerk of the Superior Court, Maricopa County, checked 2026-11-09. “18380 N. 40th St., Suite 120 (Phoenix location)”
  32. Maricopa County Superior Court, Compulsory Arbitration, checked 2026-11-08. “Compulsory Arbitration is a mandatory program for disputes valued under $50,000.”
  33. U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, checked 2026-11-09. “The Phoenix Division is comprised of the following counties: Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma, La Paz and Gila.”
  34. A.R.S. § 33-931, checked 2026-11-09. “is entitled to a lien for the care and treatment or transportation of an injured person”
  35. Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ride Share, checked 2026-11-08. “Waymo curbside pick-up and drop-off service to Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 curbs is offered at each terminal's rideshare location 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

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