Find a car defect lawyer in San Antonio: save the car before the lot sells it

If a towed car sits at the San Antonio impound lot at 3625 Growdon Rd., it can be sold at auction after 30 days. Save it first. Then check its VIN for recalls. In Texas 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)

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Road map of San Antonio showing the downtown loop and the west-side Growdon Road area where the city impound facility sits
A towed San Antonio car can be auctioned after 30 days. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What happens to my car after a bad wreck in San Antonio?

The car is your best proof, and it can disappear. A vehicle that is impounded or towed is handled by Alanis Wrecker Service at 210-881-8440. The San Antonio Impound Facility at 3625 Growdon Rd. is open 24 hours. Vehicles that no one claims for 30 days, after notice to the owner, can be sold at auction.

  1. Call the tow company and the impound lot and ask where the car is today.
  2. Do not sign off on repairs, a sale or a salvage payout yet.
  3. Take photos of the airbags, belts, dash and the spot where you sat.
  4. Ask a lawyer to send a written request to the insurer and tow yard to hold the car.

Under Texas law, a party must keep evidence once a claim is substantially likely. That helps, but it does not replace a written request.

How do I check for a recall on my car in San Antonio?

ToolWhat it showsLimit
VIN search on the federal safety siteWhether this exact car needs a recall repairWill not show a recall that was already repaired
Year, make and model searchRecalls, investigations and complaintsComplaints are public and have no personal details
Vehicle Safety Hotline888-327-4236Call from a number you can keep

A recalled defect must be fixed for free. Still, a repair does not close the door. Recall remedies do not replace other legal remedies, so you can fix the car and still ask for a claim.

What can the black box in my car show after a San Antonio wreck?

Many cars carry an event data recorder. It can show whether the belts were buckled, the pedal use and the speed. Its record covers only a brief window around the crash, usually 30 seconds or less.

You cannot read it with a phone. It needs special equipment and access to the car. Other people generally need consent or a court order to pull the data. So the car has to stay untouched.

Who can be sued if an airbag or seat belt fails in Texas?

Start with the maker. A store or dealer that only sold the product is usually not liable, unless it knew of the defect. You also have to show a safer design existed, and a car that met mandatory federal standards starts with a presumption in its favor.

Airbags are a known risk area. Some recalled inflators may explode, and an airbag that works as built can still hurt someone who sits too close. Which one happened to you is what an expert has to sort out.

How long do I have to sue over a car defect in San Antonio?

Two years from the injury is the usual rule in Texas. A product claim also ends 15 years after the sale. For a child, time as a minor does not count.

Fault is shared in Texas. If a jury puts you over 50 percent at fault, you cannot recover money. That is why proof that the part failed matters. Bexar County had 46,744 crashes in 2025, and 17,023 involved a distracted driver. Another driver is often the first suspect, so a defect has to be shown with evidence.

Where do I get the crash report and medical records in San Antonio?

  • SAPD keeps city crash reports, and they can take up to 14 days to reach the TxDOT system.
  • TxDOT sells the standard crash report online.
  • San Antonio Fire Department EMS reports are usually ready within a week, for a $10 fee.
  • University Hospital is a Level I trauma center, and its records line is 210-358-3532.

Questions

Can I sue if the car was already repaired for a recall?

Yes. A recall repair does not replace your other legal options. Keep the repair paper, because a VIN search will not show a recall that was already fixed.

Can I sue the dealer that sold me the car?

Usually not. A seller that did not make the product is generally not liable, unless it knew of the defect.

Who pays my medical bills while a defect claim is open?

Your health plan or your own car policy usually pays first, and a hospital may have a lien if you were admitted within 72 hours. Texas limits a medical award to amounts paid or owed.

Is a very old car covered?

A product claim ends 15 years after the sale. The VIN search will not show recalls over 15 years old.

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Sources (38)

  1. SAPD, Impounded Vehicles, checked 2026-11-08. “3625 Growdon Rd. San Antonio, TX 78227”
  2. SAPD, Impounded Vehicles, checked 2026-11-08. “Vehicles that remain unclaimed after 30 days, after the owner has been appropriately notified, are eligible to be sold at public auction.”
  3. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “you'll learn if a specific vehicle needs to be repaired as part of a recall”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. 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”
  6. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “typically 30 seconds or less”
  7. NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “the recall remedies are in addition to other available legal remedies”
  8. SAPD, Impounded Vehicles, checked 2026-11-08. “Vehicles that have been impounded or towed are handled by Alanis Wrecker Service, LLC.”
  9. 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”
  10. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “A safety recall that has already been repaired.”
  11. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “you'll get general results for recalls, investigations, complaints and manufacturer communications”
  12. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Your complaint will be added to a public NHTSA database after personally identifying information is removed.”
  13. NHTSA, Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls, checked 2026-11-09. “Call 888-327-4236”
  14. 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”
  15. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened”
  16. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal”
  17. 49 CFR 563.11, checked 2026-11-09. “special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed”
  18. Driver Privacy Act of 2015, checked 2026-11-09. “may not be accessed by a person other than an owner or a lessee”
  19. 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”
  20. 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”
  21. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 82.005, checked 2026-11-09. “there was a safer alternative design”
  22. 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”
  23. 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”
  24. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “serious or sometimes fatal injuries can occur if the driver or passenger is too close”
  25. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”
  26. 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”
  27. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “Bexar 182 190 644 759 6,904 9,470 5,782 9,534 30,872 85,376 2,360 11,962 46,744”
  28. TxDOT, 2025 Distracted Driver Crashes by County, checked 2026-11-08. “Bexar 31 31 203 235 2,468 3,374 2,158 3,537 11,305 32,349 858 4,211 17,023”
  29. City of San Antonio, Police Open Records Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “You may submit police records requests through San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), including crash reports.”
  30. City of San Antonio, Police Open Records Requests, checked 2026-11-08. “Reports can take up to 14 days to appear in the system.”
  31. TxDOT, Crash reports and records, checked 2026-11-08. “TxDOT is the custodian of crash records for the state of Texas”
  32. San Antonio Fire Department, EMS Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “typically available within a week after the incident”
  33. San Antonio Fire Department, EMS Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Processing Fee (Medical / Billing): $10”
  34. University Health, Trauma Care, checked 2026-11-08. “verified by the American College of Surgeons as both a Level I trauma center and a Level I pediatric trauma center”
  35. University Health, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “For medical records, please call us at 210-358-3532”
  36. 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.”
  37. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.0105, checked 2026-11-09. “recovery of medical or health care expenses incurred is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant”
  38. NHTSA, checked 2026-11-09. “Safety recalls that are more than 15 years old”

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