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more_legal_areas suvIn December 2002, a national $51.5 million settlement was reached with Ford Motor Co. The automobile company''s popular SUV Explorers were linked to rollover accidents, as well as 271 deaths and 700 injuries nationwide. The SUV rollover case alleged the auto maker''s advertising misled consumers about the vehicle''s handling abilities, its safe cargo handling capacity, and the quality of replacement tires sold as original equipment.
The SUV rollover case settlement announcement came from the Attorney General Christine Gregoire who said that Ford''s advertising misled consumers into thinking the SUVs handle like cars, however this sales motivated campaign did not portray the higher propensity for SUV rollover cases. In the SUV rollover case agreement, Ford was prohibited from making misrepresentations about SUV cargo capacity, safety, and handling characteristics, or the purpose of any recall or recommended inspection. Reliable, scientific evidence was required to back up claims that involved SUV safety, performance, or durability, and safety information about cargo loading and vehicle handling had to be given to each consumer purchasing a Ford SUV.
Ford''s highly publicized SUV rollover case was able to place a greater emphasis on the need for SUV safety implementations, however when SUV rollover ratings came out shortly after the Bridgestone/ Firestone reports in 2002, none of the SUVs included received a 4 or 5 star rollover rating. The known dangers of SUVs, including SUV rollover has been well documented for years, yet little was done to improve it and the Public Citizen consumer group has been aggressively pushing for better enforcement of safety programs.
In the beginning of December 2003, the consumer group issued a press release regarding the automobile industry''s announcement that a voluntary program of safety tests would be implemented in order to lead to increase vehicle compatibility in SUVs. The consumer group believes a voluntary program is not adequate enough to address the dangers of SUV rollover cases and is a "diversionary tactic to stave off meaningful federal regulation and standards that consumers can rely on." Public Citizen addressed the need for a federal standard which would allow for public participation in its developments, require conformance with specific published tests and inform the public about the vehicle''s safety performance, and require all U.S. sold vehicles be certified for compliance by manufacturers.
SUV rollover cases are expected to continue. Despite the safety changes that automobile manufacturers have been slowly adding to SUVs, Public Citizen questions their commitment to safety. The group believes if the industry were so determined to reduce the risks of SUV rollover they would not be fighting so hard against a federal standard. SUVs are currently one of the most popular vehicles despite all the negative press on SUV rollover cases they have received. According to the NHTSA, an occupant riding in an SUV is three times more likely to die as a result of a rollover than if in a passenger car.
A California court of appeals ordered Ford Motor Company to pay a jury award of $82.6 million to a woman left paralyzed after a rollover accident in 2002.
In June 2004, Benetta Buell-Wilson and her husband were awarded $369 million, including ...
The first Congress attempt to mandate a standard for SUV rollover protection was in the mid-1980s right after SUVs began to grow in popularity. The auto industry has been able to block any SUV rollover standard thus far, though pressure for congressio...
A San Diego County jury awarded $369 million to a woman left paralyzed when her Ford Explorer rolled over, marking one of the largest personal-injury awards ever against an automaker.
Benetta Buell-Wilson was awarded $246 million in puniti...