Just imagine this scenario. You’re driving your Ford Maverick, or your Ford Escape, and you need to slam on the brakes. Only you hit the brakes and you find that your gas pedal is sticking, so instead of slowing down you speed up, and the next thing you know, you’re the victim of a serious car accident.
As a Westwood accident lawyer, I’ve seen this happen far too often. Concerning Ford Motor Company vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 68 complaints about the Ford’s sticky gas pedals on its Escapes and Mavericks, which have caused 13 crashes, nine injuries and one death.
That’s why Ford is right now recalling almost 485,000 Escapes and Mavericks – vehicles from the 2001 to 2004 years that are powered by 3-liter V-6 engines. It’s the third recall in two weeks for the Escape, which is the top-selling Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the United States. Just one week ago, Ford recalled 11,500 of its 2013 models, because it found that the fuel lines can possibly crack and leak gasoline, which in turn can cause fires. And just a few days before that, Ford recalled 10,000 2013 Escapes so it could fix the carpet padding that could interfere with braking. This is an example of “defective products.”
Legally, defective products, whether they involve motor vehicles or a variety of much less expensive products, fall under a legal specialty known as “Product Liability.” With regard to defective products, if you’re like most people, you probably don’t realize that there are several kinds of product defects that can lead to an injury to the consumer. Here are the top three defects that can harm you.
• Design Defects – These occur before a product is made, and in the product planning stages.
• Marketing Defects – These occur when sellers of the product do not provide adequate warnings about the potential risks of injury. Or, they do not provide users with the proper instructions on how to use the product safely.
• Manufacturing Defects – These happen as the product is being manufactured. It only takes a small, minor flaw to make a product very dangerous.
As a Route 128 car accident lawyer, the current Ford recalls can trigger memories of Ford’s notorious problems in the 1970’s, when it introduced its Ford Pinto. The words “Ford Pinto” are now synonymous with one of the most famous examples of a defective product. The Ford Pinto caused many injuries and deaths due to a defectively designed and manufactured gas tank. Its defect? It exploded at the slightest, low-speed rear-end impact. In the aftermath of this debacle, Ford was sued over and over again for product liability and negligence. While the company paid out millions and millions of dollars in damages, the victims of these tragedies have doubtless never fully recovered. Money can’t buy new skin. It can’t bring back the dead.
If you have been injured in an accident involving a Ford Escape or Ford Maverick, you deserve financial compensation for your damages that only a very experienced Boston injury attorney can secure for you.