A manufacturing defect claim alleges the product deviated from the manufacturer's own specifications during production or assembly. The design itself is not challenged.
Because the standard is the manufacturer's specification, proof often requires comparing the failed unit to an exemplar or to design documentation.
Alternative Names:
Production Defect, Fabrication Defect
Why it Matters?
Manufacturing defect claims are narrower and generally more defensible than design claims, because they implicate one unit rather than the product line and do not open the same design history discovery. The evidentiary problem is that the defective unit is often destroyed in the incident, which is why plaintiffs sometimes rely on the malfunction theory permitting an inference of defect from a product failing during ordinary use.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How is a manufacturing defect proven if the product was destroyed?
Does a manufacturing defect claim require expert testimony?
