NAFTA and the Mexican Products Liability System

The increased trade and contact among nationals of Canada, Mexico, and the United States since NAFTA was enacted requires greater uniformity in the laws of each country. Products liability legislation in the three countries is no exception. While each countrys laws do address civil liability for product defects, they approach this regulation in different ways. Mexicos laws in this area lag far behind those of the United States and Canada in offering consumer protection. As a result, Canadian and U.S. manufacturers and distributors face much less of a risk of liability when they introduce inferior products into the Mexican market than Mexican manufacturers and distributors encounter in the Canadian and U.S. markets. Mexicos producer- friendly laws encourage manufacturers in all three countries to produce poor-quality products for the Mexican consumer. This Dissertation argues for the improvement of Mexican products liability laws to bring these laws more in line with those of the other NAFTA countries.