Product defect

A product defect is any characteristic of a product which hinders its usability for the purpose for which it was designed and manufactured.

Product defects arise most prominently in legal contexts regarding product safety, where the term is applied to "anything that renders the product not reasonably safe".[1] The field of law that addresses injuries caused by defective products is called product liability.

A wide range of circumstances can render a product defective. The product may have a design defect or design flaw, resulting from the product having been poorly designed or tested, so that the design itself yields a product that can not perform its desired function. Even if the design is correct, the product may have a manufacturing defect if it was incorrectly manufactured, for example if the wrong materials are used. A product may also be considered legally defective if it lacks appropriate instructions for its use, or appropriate warnings of dangers accompanying normal use or misuse of the product.[1]

A product that is defective in some way that does not render it dangerous might still be sold, with a discounted price reflecting the defect. For example, where a clothing manufacturer's inspection discovers that a line of shirts have been made with slightly uneven sleeves, the manufacturer may choose to sell these shirts at a discount, often through an outlet store and with the label cut off to indicate that the quality is not intended to reflect on the brand.[2] For some products, rework is appropriate.

See also

References
  1. Patricia A. Robinson, Writing and Designing Manuals and Warnings (2009), p. 234.
  2. Ellen Ruppel Shell, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture (2009).
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