This doctrine of law is making the manufacturers of defective products such as machines, automobiles, and drugs responsible for the damages caused by their dangerous products. If a product which presents an unreasonable degree of danger to the user is produced and sold, the manufacturer may be held liable for the defect in the design or manufacture of the product. Not only is the manufacturer of a defective product responsible under the theory that he should design it properly and produce it in a prudent manner, but the merchant who sells the product and warrants it to be fit for the purposes for which it is intended is also responsible, even though he had nothing to do with the manufacture of the product. When an automobile is manufactured in Detroit and shipped to a local dealer for sale, the dealer has a duty to inspect the automobile for possible defects. If the automobile is not inspected and a defective condition exists which causes injuries to the consumer, both the manufacturer and dealer may be held responsible for damages.
Many large corporations show a willful disregard for the safety and rights of the consumer.
These corporations would rather continue producing dangerous, deficient products than correct the inadequacy and experience a loss in their products. An example of this is the Ford Pinto situation where the industry was aware and had actual knowledge of numerous accidents that had horribly injured and killed people, but hid its knowledge from the consumer. Such callous indifference should be rectified by the strict liability doctrine. In the interest of consumer protection, the general public policy underlying the doctrine of strict products liability as adopted by the courts is intended to allocate the risk where it belongs with the person who makes the product, and stands to profit from it . The philosophy that these industries would like to use is the rationalization that if other manufacturers make their products just as shabbily and defectively, then none of them will be held responsible for the injuries caused.