Ford Settles Explorer Rollover Lawsuit.
Ford Claims the Explorer SUV is Safe. Ford cites Rollover Rate Study

July 19, 2001
WASHINGTON - Ford has reached an out of court settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of two teenaged girls who were killed when the Explorer they were riding in rolled over. The accident happened nine years ago. The settlement is worth $22 million US.

Lawyers for the families argued that the Explorer was prone to rollover accidents because its centre of gravity was too high. In this case, a 1992 Explorer rolled over after the driver's side rear wheel well was struck by a Plymouth Sundance while traveling about 90 kilometres per hour on an expressway in Chicago. Four teenaged girls were thrown from the Explorer. Two died and two were seriously hurt. The vehicle was equipped with Michelin tires, not the Firestone tires that used to be standard equipment on most Explorers. The lawyer for the families notes that the accident did not involve a tire losing its tread.

An official with Ford defended the safety of the Explorer. "Safety data show that Explorer is one of the safest vehicles on the road in all accident types,'' said Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes. ``The Explorer is 27 per cent safer than a passenger car and is 19 per cent safer than other compact SUVs in a rollover accident.''

Written by CBC News Online

Explorer Rollover Rate
Tire Tread Separation
Explorer Recall Notices
NHTSA Explorer Report
Safety Concerns
Roof Collapse
Defective Tires
Tire Tread Recall
Stability Formula
Airbag / Rollover
Window Ejection
Fuel Fed Fires
Airbag Failures
Rollovers -Roof Crush
Fuel Fed Fire
Crashworthiness
Gas Tank Explosion Seat Belt Buckle Release
Defective Seatbelts
Lap Only Belts
Seat Back Collapse Failure
Door Latch Opening
Rollover Deaths & Injuries
Seat Belt Failure

Wrongful Death Lawsuits
Serious Head Injuries
Spinal & Nerve Injuries
Quadriplegia
Paraplegia
Paralysis
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
Closed Head Injuries
Anoxic Brain Damage
Rollover Suffocation
Roof Crush Injuries
Neck & Back Fractures