Fort Worth car defect: what to save when an airbag or seat belt fails
If you think a part failed in your crash, the car itself is the key evidence. In Fort Worth, a police-towed car costs $22.85 a day to store. Its data recorder holds only about 30 seconds. For a defect claim, the usual Texas deadline is 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (33)
Where is my car after a defect crash in Fort Worth, and why does it matter?
It may be on a tow lot, and every day costs money. If police had it moved, you can search for it through AutoReturn or call 817-349-4022. The standard wrecker fee is $180, and storage is $22.85 a day.
Do not let the car be repaired, sold or crushed yet. A bent seat belt buckle or a failed airbag module is the proof. Once it is gone, the maker can say you cannot show what went wrong.
- Ask the lot, in writing, to hold the car and not release it to anyone else.
- Photograph the airbag, belt, steering wheel and dash before anything is moved.
- Tell your own insurer the car is evidence before they total it.
- Write down the VIN and mileage. You will need both for the recall search.
What does my car's data recorder know about the Fort Worth crash?
Most newer cars carry an event data recorder, and reading it takes special equipment and access to the car. AutoReturn, at 817-349-4022, can tell you where a police-towed car is held, so ask who can read the recorder before the car leaves. It records a short window, typically 30 seconds or less. Federal rules say it can show whether belts were buckled, pedal use and speed.
Under federal rules the data belongs to the car's owner or lessee. Anyone else needs your consent or court authority to read it. Texas courts say a duty to keep evidence starts when a claim is substantially likely. That is why you should ask the maker and any lot to keep the car as it is.
How do I check for a recall on my car in Fort Worth?
Look up your VIN on the federal recall search to see whether that exact vehicle needs a recall repair. The federal Vehicle Safety Hotline, 888-327-4236, is the phone option. Complaints go into a public database with no personal details.
Some airbag inflators have been recalled because they may explode. Airbags are meant to deploy only in moderate to severe crashes. A recall repair is free, and the maker has to do it without a charge. A recall does not replace your other legal options.
Who can I sue over a defective car in Fort Worth?
| Who | What Texas law says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Maker of the car or part | A design defect claim needs proof that a safer design existed. | Expect experts. The claim is about the part, not the driver. |
| Dealer or seller | A seller that did not make the product is usually not liable, unless it knew of the defect. | A dealer is a target mainly when it knew about a problem. |
| Standards the car met | Meeting mandatory federal safety standards gives the maker a presumption. | That presumption can be fought, but it raises the work. |
| The other driver | Fault is shared by percentage, and over 50 percent bars recovery. | A defect claim can sit beside a normal crash claim. |
How long do I have to sue over a car defect in Texas?
Generally two years for an injury lawsuit. A product claim must also start within 15 years of the date the defendant sold the product, with limited exceptions. A child's time as a minor is not counted toward the two years.
If a city or Trinity Metro vehicle was involved in the crash, a different clock applies. Fort Worth's charter requires written notice within 180 days.
Will the Fort Worth police report show a defect?
Probably not. Fort Worth Police investigated 15,673 crashes in 2025, and the report records who, where and when. It rarely says why a part failed. Buy it anyway, since your insurer and the maker will both read it. It costs $6 through TxDOT's CRIS site, and it can take up to 14 days to appear.
Who pays my bills while a Fort Worth defect case is open?
Your own coverage comes first. Texas drivers must carry at least $30,000 per person for injuries. Your policy must include uninsured motorist coverage unless you rejected it in writing.
Go to a hospital with a trauma team if the crash was serious. Fort Worth's Level I trauma centers are JPS and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.
Questions
Can I sue if the airbag did not deploy?
Possibly, but airbags are meant to deploy in moderate to severe crashes, so a missing deployment is not proof of a defect by itself. The recorder data and a recall search are the first steps.
Does a recall letter I ignored hurt my case?
It can raise questions, but a recall does not replace other legal remedies. Keep the letter and any repair record.
Do I need to prove the exact part that failed?
You need strong proof, and in a design claim you must show a safer alternative design existed. That is why the car and its parts matter.
Who can read my car's recorder?
Whoever owns or leases the car controls the data. In most cases anyone else needs the owner's consent or a court order.
Airbag, seat belt or car defect in Fort Worth? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (33)
- Fort Worth Police, Auto Pound, checked 2026-11-08. “Storage fee: $22.85 per day. Over 25 feet: $39.99 per day”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day 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”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.012(b), 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”
- 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 § 82.003, 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”
- Fort Worth Police, Auto Pound, checked 2026-11-08. “customer service at 817-349-4022”
- Fort Worth Police, Auto Pound, checked 2026-11-08. “Standard: $180.00”
- 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed”
- 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”
- 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”
- NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Your complaint will be added to a public NHTSA database after personally identifying information is removed.”
- 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”
- 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”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.005(a), checked 2026-11-09. “the burden is on the claimant to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that: (1) there was a safer alternative design”
- 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 § 82.008(a), checked 2026-11-09. “complied with mandatory safety standards or regulations adopted and promulgated by the federal government”
- 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 § 33.001, checked 2026-11-09. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”
- Fort Worth City Charter, Chapter XXVII, Section 25, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty (180) days after the same has been sustained, unless good cause is shown”
- TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by Investigating Agency, checked 2026-11-08. “FORT WORTH PD 107 110 468 555 2,668 3,567 2,314 3,643 9,519 32,438 597 2,356 15,673”
- Fort Worth Police, FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “for $6.00. If your search for a report returns no results, the report has not been approved.”
- Fort Worth Police, Get a Copy of My Accident Report, checked 2026-11-08. “It can take up to 14 days from the date of the crash for your crash to appear in the search results.”
- Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072(a-1), checked 2026-11-08. “(1) $30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision; (2) $60,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in one collision, subject to the amount provided by Subdivision (1) for bodily injury to or death of one of the persons; and (3) $25,000 for damage to or destruction of property of others in one collision.”
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101(b)-(c), checked 2026-11-08. “unless the insurer provides uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage in the policy or supplemental to the policy. (c) The coverage required by this subchapter does not apply if any insured named in the insurance policy rejects the coverage in writing.”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “JOHN PETER SMITH HOSPITAL 11/1/2028 E FORT WORTH 76104”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “TEXAS HEALTH HARRIS METHODIST HOSPITAL FORT WORTH 1/1/2029 E FORT WORTH 76104”