Find a car defect lawyer in Scottsdale after an airbag or seat belt failure
If an airbag or seat belt failed in a Scottsdale crash, the car is your best evidence. Scottsdale Police write city-street reports, and a police tow can cost $53.50 a day in storage. Find the car first, then ask in writing that nobody sells, repairs or crushes it. For a defect case, the usual deadline to sue is 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (33)
Who writes the crash report when an airbag fails in Scottsdale?
It depends on the road. On interstates and state highways, DPS troopers handle the report. On city streets, Scottsdale Police respond. Scottsdale sells collision reports online through CARFAX CRASHDOCS, and you need an involved person's last name, the crash date, the DR number and a credit card.
You can also go in person to the Lou Witzeman Public Safety Building at 8401 E. Indian School Road. For a DPS report, wait at least 14 days before you check.
Tell the officer at the scene that the airbag or belt did not work, and make sure it is written down. A police report does not prove a defect. It does fix the date and the facts early. ADOT counted 4,219 crashes in Scottsdale in 2024, and 1,421 of them involved injuries.
Where is my car after a Scottsdale police tow, and what does it cost?
Call All City Towing at 480-833-7278 to find the lot. Every day in storage adds up, so check these numbers before you decide who moves the car.
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tow | $65 |
| Storage, ordinary tow list | $53.50 a day |
| After-hours or weekend pickup | Can add $150 |
| Storage, 20-day impound list | $25 a day |
| Impound hearing | $150 money order or cashier's check |
Hearings are walk-in only. Ask for one at Scottsdale Police McKellips Station, 7601 E. McKellips Road, Building A. Do not let a yard release a wrecked car to a salvage buyer before your own expert has looked at it.
What can my car's data recorder show after a Scottsdale crash?
- Whether the driver and passenger belts were buckled.
- How far the driver pressed the gas or brake pedal.
- A short window only, typically 30 seconds or less.
The data belongs to the owner or, for a lease, the lessee. Others generally need the owner's consent or court authority to read it. That works in your favor. Do not let a shop, insurer or tow yard unplug the module or clear the car.
How do I check for an airbag recall on a car from a Scottsdale crash?
Enter the VIN into the federal recall search. The result tells you whether that car still needs a recall repair. It will not show a recall that was already fixed. The Vehicle Safety Hotline, 888-327-4236, is another way to ask.
Certain recalled inflators may explode, causing serious injury or death. An airbag fires in less than 1/20th of a second, so there is no second chance. A recall repair is free for the owner, but a recall notice does not replace your right to sue.
Who can I sue for a bad airbag or seat belt in Arizona?
Sometimes more than one company. Arizona's product law reaches sellers, including wholesalers, distributors and retailers. In many cases the maker must cover the seller. Under several liability, a defendant pays only for its own share of fault.
Age is not a bar. Arizona's high court struck down the 12-year cutoff on product claims. Your own fault can still reduce an award. A basic Arizona policy pays only $25,000 for one injured person, so a defect claim against a maker can matter when the bills are large.
Questions
Can the insurer take my wrecked car apart?
Not without you. The recorder belongs to the owner or lessee, and others generally need consent or court authority. Tell the insurer in writing to hold the car as is.
What if a City of Scottsdale vehicle caused the crash?
The notice of claim must go in within 180 days. The city's Safety and Risk Management Division provides the form on request, and the City Clerk is at 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
Can I still sue if my car is old?
Usually yes. The 12-year cutoff was struck down, but the 2-year clock still runs.
Where can I report a possible defect?
Call the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. A report helps others, but it does not start or stop your legal deadline.
Airbag, seat belt or car defect in Scottsdale? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (33)
- 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.”
- Scottsdale Police, Vehicle Impound Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “Storage fee: $53.50 per day”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- Scottsdale Police, Vehicle Impound Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “Call All City Towing at 480-833-7278 to verify where your vehicle is stored”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
- 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. “you'll learn if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “A safety recall that has already been repaired.”
- 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”
- Scottsdale Police, Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “The Scottsdale Police Department has partnered with CARFAX CRASHDOCS.org to provide our collision reports online for convenience and secure access.”
- Scottsdale Police, Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “You will need the last name of an involved party, date of collision, the departmental report number (DR#) and a valid credit card”
- Scottsdale Police, Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “In Person: Police/Fire headquarters (Lou Witzeman Public Safety Building)”
- Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
- ADOT, 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Scottsdale | 4,219 | 15 | 1,421 | 2,783 | 15 | 2,113 | 226 | 6 | 128 |”
- Scottsdale Police, Vehicle Impound Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “Storage fee: $25.00 per day”
- Scottsdale Police, Vehicle Impound Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “A $150.00 money order or cashier's check payable to the City of Scottsdale”
- Scottsdale Police, Vehicle Impound Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “Scottsdale Police McKellips Station 7601 E. McKellips Road, Building A”
- 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”
- 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”
- NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “Call 888-327-4236”
- 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. “less than 1/20th of a second”
- 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”
- A.R.S. § 12-681, checked 2026-11-09. “including a wholesaler, distributor, retailer or lessor”
- A.R.S. 12-684, checked 2026-11-09. “the manufacturer shall indemnify the seller for any judgment rendered against the seller”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
- 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”
- 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”
- 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.”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- City of Scottsdale, Safety and Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “will provide a Notice of Claim form upon request”
- City of Scottsdale, City Clerk, checked 2026-11-08. “3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd Scottsdale, AZ 85251”