In the case of Baxter v. Ford Motor Co. (168 Wash.
456, 12 P.2d 409 (1932)), the windshield of Baxter's car shattered, injuring
him. This was back in the day when if you wanted to sue for product
liability, you normally used contract law as a basis. But since Baxter
bought the car from a retailer, they were not in privity with Ford and
therefore had no standing to bring suit. However, they noticed that the
windshield had an express warranty that it would be
"shatterproof". Since it was obviously not shatterproof, Baxter sued
under tort law as fraud (by misprepresentation). The Court found that
Baxter could recover for product liability claims under tort law.
This case was read to only extend to express warranties.
It wasn't until Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc. that the idea
was extended to implied warranties.