Vaccine manufacturers are indemnified, at least in the US. If car manufacturers were, I'd wonder if the powers that made it so had something to hide, too.
The Ford Pinto had a serious safety issue where rear-ending it would lock the doors and explode. They knew about the issue but did not recall it because the cost-benefit analysis told them not-recalling was the most profitable move
So, car manufacturers weren't exactly indemnified, but the costs of doing wrong continue not to be great enough to matter.