Product Liability in Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi generally gives two years after a personal-injury or property-damage cause of action accrues to bring suit. A sales-warranty claim follows a different statute: ordinarily four years from breach, with warranty breach generally accruing at tender of delivery. Preserve the injury, discovery, delivery and warranty timeline because the applicable claim can change the clock.

What Is Product Liability Insurance?

Product liability can cover claims that a product you make, import, distribute or sell injured someone or damaged property. If your business handles products, describe every role in the supply chain and ask how the quote treats product damage and recall costs. Read the national Product liability guide.

What Should You Watch for With Product Liability Insurance in Hawaii?

  • Track when an injury claim accrued

    HRS § 657-7 sets a two-year period after accrual for actions seeking compensation for injury to a person or property. The statute itself says “accrued”; the factual accrual date can matter, so record when the harm and its possible cause became known and get claim-specific advice promptly. 1

  • Warranty claims can use a delivery-based clock

    Hawaiʻi’s UCC generally gives four years for a sales-contract claim. A warranty breach ordinarily accrues at tender of delivery regardless of the buyer’s knowledge; a warranty explicitly covering future performance is treated differently when discovery must await that performance. 2

  • Do not treat every theory as one deadline

    The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court has applied the sales-contract limitation to a personal-injury implied-warranty claim. An injury tort claim and a warranty claim may therefore have different clocks even when they concern the same product. 1,2

Which Product Liability Providers Have Hawaii License Records?

These providers publish a national listing for Product liability; the license records below name the licensed entities and roles. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Hawaii. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • Vouch

    Insurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28

    Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC

    Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 14

    Vouch lists product liability among the core coverages in its technology-company programs.

Who Regulates Insurance in Hawaii?

Hawaiʻi Insurance Division

The Insurance Division oversees insurance companies and producers, examines Hawaiʻi-based insurers, reviews rate and policy filings, and investigates insurance complaints. It is part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. 3,4,5

Surplus-Lines Tax and Stamping Office in Hawaii

Reported tax rate. 4.68% of premium when Hawaiʻi is the home state 6,7

Hawaiʻi applies a 4.68% tax when it is the insured’s home state. Surplus-lines coverage is placed with an unauthorized insurer, so do not assume the Hawaiʻi Insurance Guaranty Association protects the policy; confirm the insurer’s status and policy terms with your broker.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy Product Liability in Hawaii

  1. When did the injury or property damage occur, and when did the affected person first learn facts connecting it to the product?
  2. When was the product tendered or delivered, and does the written warranty expressly extend to future performance?
  3. Which products, sale dates, warranty versions and customer records can we identify if a claim involves an older unit?

Product Liability Insurance in Hawaii: Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the general Hawaiʻi injury period?

HRS § 657-7 provides two years after the cause of action accrues for actions seeking compensation for injury to a person or property. The accrual date depends on the facts and should be assessed for the specific claim. 1

Does a product warranty share the same deadline?

Not necessarily. HRS § 490:2-725 ordinarily allows four years from accrual for a sales-contract claim, and a warranty breach generally accrues on tender of delivery, subject to the statute’s future-performance exception. 2

Product Liability Insurance Guides for Other States

Other coverage in HawaiiEvery coverage guide for Hawaii, plus the regulator and surplus-lines details.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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