Ducko v. Chrysler Motors Corp.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
639 A.2d 1204 (1994)
Wilma Ducko (plaintiff) bought a new car from Chrysler (defendant); about two months later, while driving under normal conditions, the car suddenly veered left with the steering and brakes locking, causing a crash and injuring her. Ducko sued on a strict-liability manufacturing-defect theory, but her own expert could not identify any specific defect in the vehicle. The trial court granted Chrysler summary judgment for lack of proof of a specific defect, and Ducko appealed.
Whether, in a manufacturing-defect suit, a plaintiff may prove a defect through evidence that a malfunction occurred, combined with evidence eliminating abnormal use or other reasonable causes, without identifying the specific defect.