Airbag or seat belt failed in an El Paso crash: find the car and save its data
If an airbag or seat belt failed in an El Paso crash, find your car first. Police may have towed it to the city's Municipal Vehicle Storage Facility. Its event data recorder can show whether belts were buckled. You generally have 2 years to sue, and a product claim ends 15 years after the sale.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (38)
Where is my car after an airbag or seat belt failure in El Paso?
It may be in a city lot. El Paso Police can tow a car that was in an accident or looks unsafe to drive. The Municipal Vehicle Storage Facility is at 11615 Railroad Drive, open 24 hours, and the phone is (915) 212-0205.
The city changed its towing ordinance, Chapter 12.54, on June 1, 2026. Ask what fees and time limits apply before you leave the car there. Do not agree to a scrap or salvage release until someone has looked at the airbag, the belt and the seat.
Once a claim is substantially likely, Texas law expects the people involved to keep the evidence. That includes you. Keep the car, the belt, the airbag cover and any torn parts.
How do I get the black box data from my car in El Paso?
- Find out if the car has an event data recorder. Reading one takes special equipment and access to the car or the recorder.
- Act fast. It records a short window, typically 30 seconds or less, so it holds the crash itself.
- Know what it can show: whether the driver and passenger belts were buckled, and how hard the pedals were pressed and how fast the car was going.
- Give written consent only to someone you trust. The owner of the car owns that data, or the lessee when the car is leased. Anyone else generally needs consent or authority from a court.
- If your insurer calls the car a total loss, ask in writing that it hold the car until the data is read.
How do I check for an airbag or seat belt recall on my car?
Search your VIN on the federal recall site. It shows whether your specific car needs a recall repair. A recall that has already been repaired will not appear in the search. The Vehicle Safety Hotline is 888-327-4236.
A maker has to fix a recalled defect without charge. Certain recalled inflators may explode, and that can cause serious injury or death. Airbags are built to go off in moderate to severe crashes, so one that stayed shut in a hard hit is worth a close look.
Who can be responsible for a failed airbag or belt in El Paso?
| Who | When it can fit | What Texas law says |
|---|---|---|
| Car or part maker | The airbag, belt or seat was flawed in design or build | You must prove a safer alternative design existed |
| Dealer or seller | It sold the car but did not make it | Usually not liable unless it actually knew of the defect |
| The other driver | Their driving caused the crash | Your award drops by your share of blame, and above 50 percent you recover nothing |
If the maker met mandatory federal safety standards, the law presumes in the maker's favor. That is a rule a defect lawyer in El Paso will weigh early.
Where a part was made is on the recall notice or the part, not a guess. The Dallas Fed calls Ciudad Juárez a critical manufacturing hub directly across the border. If a part maker does turn out to be in Mexico, serving papers goes through Mexico's Central Authority, with translations.
Who pays my bills in El Paso while a defect claim is sorted out?
- Your own personal injury protection pays you and your household reasonable expenses.
- The other driver's liability policy must cover at least $30,000 per person.
- Your uninsured motorist coverage applies if the other driver has too little insurance.
- UMC, El Paso's Level 1 trauma center, may send a hospital lien. It only attaches if you were admitted within 72 hours.
Get the crash report either way. A crash on a city street gets an EPPD report for $6.00 from the Records Division on North Raynor Street. County Sheriff reports are also $6.00. Over 40% of the most severe crashes here happened on a state road such as I-10, Dyer or Zaragoza.
Questions
Can I sue if my airbag did not open in El Paso?
You may have a claim against the maker if a defect caused your injury, but Texas makes you prove a safer alternative design. Time limits apply, so ask a lawyer soon.
Does a recall stop me from suing?
No. A recall repair does not replace your other legal options.
What if the car belonged to the City of El Paso?
A crash with a City of El Paso vehicle needs a sworn notice to the Mayor within 90 days, or 6 months with good cause.
Where do I send the notice for a city vehicle crash?
Use the Mayor's mailing address, Post Office Box 1890, El Paso 79950, or email it.
Airbag, seat belt or car defect in El Paso? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (38)
- El Paso Police Department, Vehicle Towing, checked 2026-11-08. “City Of El Paso Municipal Vehicle Storage Facility 11615 Railroad Drive El Paso, Texas 79934 (915) 212-0205 Open 24 hours”
- El Paso Police Department, Vehicle Towing, checked 2026-11-08. “Involved in an accident or deemed unsafe to drive”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.012, checked 2026-11-09. “a claimant must commence a products liability action against a manufacturer or seller of a product before the end of 15 years after the date of the sale of the product by the defendant”
- 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, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “the recall remedies are in addition to other available legal remedies”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.005, checked 2026-11-09. “there was a safer alternative design”
- El Paso Police Department, Vehicle Towing, checked 2026-11-08. “Chapter 12.54 (Towing Regulations and Fees), effective June 1st, 2026”
- Brookshire Bros. v. Aldridge (Tex. 2014), checked 2026-11-09. “a party knows or reasonably should know that there is a substantial chance that a claim will be filed”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal”
- 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.”
- 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. “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. “generally designed to deploy in moderate to severe crashes and may deploy in even a minor crash”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.003, checked 2026-11-09. “A seller that did not manufacture a product is not liable for harm caused to the claimant by that product unless the claimant proves”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.003, checked 2026-11-09. “the seller actually knew of a defect to the product at the time the seller supplied the product”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.008, checked 2026-11-09. “complied with mandatory safety standards or regulations adopted and promulgated by the federal government”
- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, checked 2026-11-09. “a critical manufacturing hub directly across the border from El Paso”
- U.S. Department of State, checked 2026-11-09. “Mexico is a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters.”
- Texas Insurance Code 1952.151, checked 2026-11-09. “provide for payment to the named insured in the policy, members of the insured's household”
- Texas Transportation Code 601.072, checked 2026-11-09. “$30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision”
- Texas Insurance Code 1952.101, checked 2026-11-09. “protects insureds who are legally entitled to recover from owners or operators of uninsured or underinsured motor vehicles”
- UMC El Paso, 2024 Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “UMC Receives Reverification as Level 1 Trauma Center”
- Tex. Prop. Code § 55.002, checked 2026-11-09. “For the lien to attach, the individual must be admitted to a hospital not later than 72 hours after the accident.”
- El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “EPPD RECORDS DIVISION 911 N. Raynor St El Paso, TX 79903”
- El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident or Crash Reports $6.00”
- El Paso County Sheriff, Criminal / Accident Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Crash Reports - $6.00”
- City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “Over 40% of the most severe crashes in El Paso occurred on a state roadway, resulting in 371 deaths or serious injuries”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall within 90 days or within 6 months for good cause shown from the date the damage occurred or the injury was received, give notice in writing to the mayor”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be sworn to by the person claiming damages or by someone authorized by him to do so on his behalf”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Office of the Mayor P.O. Box 1890 El Paso, Texas, 79950”