Customer Feedback, Product Quality, and Product Liability

This chapter provides (a) background on methods to obtain customer feedback, (b) product quality, (c) considerations in understanding product liability, and (d) basic information for a product engineer to communicate with a product liability lawyer. Customer feedback is sought during (a) vehicle specification development, (b) vehicle concept selection, (c) detailed engineering design, (d) verification of systems, (e) validation of vehicle prototypes, and (f) inspection clinics after vehicle purchase and use by the customer. Customer feedback is generally received by methods of communication through personal interviews, mail, or online surveys. The chapter also provides definitions of steps involved in product liability cases, terms and principles of negligence, strict liability and implied warranty, design and manufacturing defects, warning labels, and safety costs. The best way a manufacturer can prevent or defend such product liability cases is by manufacturing a reasonably safe and reliable product (or system) and by providing warning labels and instructions for its proper use. The key to achieving a reasonably safe and reliable product and to reducing the product liability exposure is to “build-in” product safety during the early design stages of the product. The chapter also presents a few vehicle design-related liability cases involving ergonomic considerations.