In Corpus Christi and across Texas, a repair shop or auto mechanic can be held liable for a car accident when faulty brake, tire, steering or other repair work caused the crash. The Burkett Law Firm explains how negligence claims against mechanics work, what you must prove, and how to preserve the evidence.
Most crash claims focus on the driver who ran a red light on SPID or followed too closely on I-37. Sometimes the real cause is a brake job done wrong, a wheel that was never tightened, or a steering part installed backward. When that happens, the shop that did the work can share responsibility for your medical bills, lost wages and other losses.
When is a mechanic responsible for a car accident?
A repair shop owes its customers a duty to perform work with the care a reasonably prudent mechanic would use. When the shop falls short and that failure causes a crash, the shop can be liable in negligence.
Vehicle defects are a real factor on Texas roads. According to TxDOT’s 2024 Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Facts, defective or slick tires were listed as a contributing factor in 3,975 crashes statewide, including 62 fatal crashes. Defective or missing brakes were a factor in 2,867 crashes, and a defective steering mechanism in 1,210. Not every one of those crashes involved a mechanic’s mistake, since many come from worn parts an owner never had serviced, but each type of defect is the kind of problem a repair shop is expected to fix correctly.
Common repair errors that lead to crashes include:
| Repair mistake | How it can cause a crash |
|---|---|
| Brake pads, rotors or calipers installed incorrectly, or brake lines not bled | Longer stopping distances or sudden brake failure |
| Lug nuts not torqued to specification | A wheel separating from the vehicle at highway speed |
| Wrong tire size, load rating or a damaged tire mounted | Blowouts and loss of control |
| Tie rods, ball joints or other steering and suspension parts left loose | Steering failure or the vehicle pulling into another lane |
| Recall repair skipped or done incompletely | The known defect remains and causes the failure the recall was meant to prevent |
| Obvious safety problem seen during service but not reported | The driver keeps using a vehicle that is not safe |
What do you have to prove in a claim against a repair shop?
A negligence claim against a mechanic rests on the same four elements as any Texas injury claim:
- Duty. The shop agreed to work on the vehicle and owed a duty to do that work with reasonable care.
- Breach. The shop did something a careful mechanic would not do, or failed to do something a careful mechanic would do.
- Causation. The faulty work was a proximate cause of the crash and your injuries.
- Damages. You suffered real losses, such as medical expenses, lost income, pain and mental anguish, or property damage.
Breach and causation usually require expert testimony from a qualified mechanic or engineer who can explain what the shop should have done and how the error led to the failure.
The shop’s own records often decide these cases. If the shop warned you in writing that a part needed replacement and you declined the repair, the shop will argue that you, not it, are responsible when that part fails. Keep every estimate, invoice and “declined service” note.
What other legal claims may apply?
Negligence is the main path for injury claims, but other legal theories can come into play.
Implied warranty of good and workmanlike repair
In Melody Home Manufacturing Co. v. Barnes (1987), the Texas Supreme Court held that repair services carry an implied warranty that the work will be performed in a good and workmanlike manner, and that this warranty cannot be waived or disclaimed, although the Court later held in Gonzales v. Southwest Olshan Foundation Repair Co. (2013) that a specific written warranty covering the same work can replace it. A breach of that warranty can be pursued under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The DTPA, however, generally does not apply to claims for bodily injury or death (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 17.49(e)), so injury claims are usually brought in negligence, with warranty claims covering the cost of the failed repair.
Product liability for defective parts
Sometimes the part itself was defective. Texas product liability law, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 82, generally protects sellers that did not manufacture the product. Under § 82.003, however, a seller can still be liable in certain situations, including when it installed the product and the harm resulted from that installation, or when it knew of the defect. A shop that installs a defective brake part may be one of several defendants alongside the manufacturer.
Liability for employees
Most mechanics work for a shop, dealership or fleet company. An employer is generally responsible for negligent work its employees perform on the job, so the claim usually runs against the business, which is more likely to carry insurance than an individual mechanic.
Who else can bring a claim against a mechanic?
The vehicle owner is not the only person who may be hurt. Passengers, other drivers and pedestrians can be injured when a poorly repaired vehicle loses its brakes at an intersection on Ocean Drive or drops a wheel on the Crosstown Expressway. Whether the shop owed a duty to a particular injured person depends on the facts, but a careless repair puts everyone on the road at risk.
How is fault divided between a driver and a repair shop?
Texas uses proportionate responsibility under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 33. A jury assigns a percentage of fault to each party, and in many cases a defendant driver will try to designate the repair shop as a responsible third party under § 33.004 to shift blame. A defendant found more than 50 percent responsible can be jointly and severally liable for the full amount of damages under § 33.013.
Your own share matters too. Under § 33.001, you cannot recover if you are more than 50 percent at fault, and any award is reduced by your percentage. If you ignored a dashboard warning light or a written warning from the shop, expect the insurer to argue about it. Our guide to the Texas 51% comparative fault bar explains how this works.
What about commercial trucks and company vehicles?
Maintenance failures are a frequent issue in commercial vehicle crashes. Federal regulations require motor carriers to systematically inspect, repair and maintain the vehicles they control (49 C.F.R. § 396.3) and to have commercial vehicles inspected at least once a year (49 C.F.R. § 396.17). Many trucking companies outsource that work, which can make the maintenance vendor a defendant alongside the carrier.
With heavy truck traffic moving between the Port of Corpus Christi, the Harbor Bridge on US-181 and I-37, brake and tire failures on big rigs can be catastrophic. Our Corpus Christi truck accident lawyers investigate maintenance records as part of every case, and our guide on what to do after a truck accident on I-37 covers the first steps.
Why do repair records matter more now?
Since January 1, 2025, House Bill 3297 has ended the annual safety inspection requirement for noncommercial vehicles in Texas. With fewer routine inspections, a shop’s work orders and the vehicle’s service history are often the best record of its condition before a crash.
How do you prove a mechanic caused the crash?
Evidence in these cases disappears quickly, so act early:
- Preserve the vehicle. Tell your insurer and the storage facility that the vehicle must not be repaired, salvaged or crushed. Brake parts, wheels and fasteners are the evidence.
- Collect the paperwork. Gather invoices, work orders, parts receipts, estimates and any written warnings from the shop.
- Get an independent inspection. Have a qualified expert examine the vehicle, not the shop that did the work.
- Get the crash report. Order the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System.
- Send a preservation letter. A lawyer can demand that the shop keep its records, old parts and surveillance video. Texas courts can impose remedies when a party destroys relevant evidence, as the Texas Supreme Court addressed in Brookshire Brothers v. Aldridge (2014).
How long do you have to file a claim?
Most personal injury and property damage claims in Texas must be filed within two years under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, and a DTPA claim generally has a two-year deadline under Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 17.565. Exceptions exist, which our Texas personal injury statute of limitations guide explains. Cases filed in Corpus Christi are typically heard in the Nueces County courts.
When should you call a lawyer about a mechanic’s negligence?
Call a lawyer when you suspect a recent repair played a role in your crash, when the shop or its insurer denies responsibility, or when the other driver is blaming a mechanical failure. These cases involve expert analysis and multiple insurers, and early action protects the evidence.
The Burkett Law Firm has handled injury claims in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend since 1960. Lead attorney David Burkett is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and our Corpus Christi car accident lawyers handle cases on contingency, so you pay no attorney’s fees or case costs unless we recover compensation for you.
To have a lawyer review the repair records and the crash, call The Burkett Law Firm at (361) 882-8822 or contact our office for a free consultation.
Reviewed by David Burkett, Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law – Texas Board of Legal Specialization
