Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, Explorer, Excursion, Expedition, and SporTrac Rollover Accident Representation.

Ford Trucks and SUV's are more likely to rollover when compared to other vehicles.  Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) crash data shows that for the '94 through 2000 model-year vehicles registered in Florida, the Explorer rolls over twice as much as all other SUVs in single-vehicle, non-tire-related accidents.   This is not unlike the data from other states.

And next, Mr. Chairman, I must say -- and this is not easy for me to say as well -- but there is something wrong with the Ford Explorer . The testing and accident data we have submitted prove it. When I was here last year, I said to all of you that you could take all our tires off the Ford Explorer and the Ford Explorer would continue to roll over. And unfortunately, that's exactly what's happening. But it didn't have to be this way. We at Firestone asked Ford to work with us so that we together could look at the tire, and we looked at the tire a lot, but at the vehicle as well and the tire-vehicle interaction. But Ford refused, and we had no choice; we had to go it alone. Ford left us no other option.  Mr. Chairman, these are the facts.

-  John Lampe, President and CEO, Bridgestone/Firestone Corporation, before the Protection Subcommittee of the House Commerce & Energy Committee on June 19, 2001, as it examined the problems with detreading of the Firestone tires on the Ford Explorer

Notice the lack of damage to the vehicle's sides, front and rear, yet the tremendous roof intrusion.  This is likely due to the weak roof structure that Ford insisted on using in these trucks.

Here you can see that when crash tested, the Ford's passenger compartment folds up significantly which leads to serious likely injuries for the occupants.

Ford's F-Series pickup trucks are extremely popular, with the F-150 regularly showing up on the top of the sales list each year.  Millions of Americans have purchased or traveled in an F-Series pickup or Ford SUV completely unaware of the design defects that are allegedly present in these vehicles.  Unfortunaltely, by the time many folks learn of the F-Series and Ford SUV's inherent weaknesses, it is too late.

Much of the problems pertain to the Ford F-Series models code named "PN-96."  For instance, in 1997, Ford offered the Regular cab, SuperCab (extended cab) and SuperCrew (a crew cabintroduced for 2001) body styles cater to passenger-carrying requirements. A choice of standard or Flare side bed styles are offered (except on SuperCrew - standard bed only) and trim levels consist of base XL, midlevel XLT and plush Lariat F-150. Then in 2004 Ford introduced the Ford F150 with a total of five solid trims: XL, STX, XLT, FX4 and Lariat. Three cabs are offered: regular cab, extended cab and crew cab. For 2004, all cabs now have four doors and are six inches longer and four inches taller. Regular cabs and extended cabs have rear-hinged back doors; crew cabs have four full doors.

The defect allegedly present on Ford pickup trucks and SUV's are even more dangerous because they tend to build on each other.  For instance, the vehicles' higher rate of rollover means that the weakened roof structure in the vehicles will be relied upon all too often.  Once there is an accident, the door latch failures these vehicles are prone to can compound the problem even further.

"Built Ford Tough"

FORD F-SERIES (F150, F250, F350) AND SUV ROLLOVER PROBLEMS

The trucks such as the F-150 and SUVs such as the Explorer have high centers of gravity as is often the case with trucks and SUVs.  This problem, though is worsened by the FSeries' and Ford SUV's suspension systems which make them prone to rolling over when emergency vehicle manuevers, such as avoiding a deer or obstacle in the road, are performed. 

Everyone has seen the commercials where a Ford pickup or SUV is barrelling through an off road coarse at high speed with mud flying everywhere.  Although the F150 truck is designed to be driven off the road, it does not have a roll bar, cages or other roof crush or occupant protection. And to make matters worse, few SUVs, vans or trucks meet the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) roof support safety standard (FMVSS 216)

Most F150 and Ford Explorer and SUV rollover accidents occur when the driver is forced to take an emergency or evasive action after steering in one direction and then rapidly correcting in the opposite direction, such as a typical avoidance maneuver with a road hazard, a deer, a dog, pothole or another vehicle in their path. This evasive action often results in a rollover either on the initial steering input or when the driver tries to correct a skid.

FORD F150 ROOF CRUSH - ROOF PILLAR COLLAPSE

The roof structure of most regular cab pickups including the two door Ford F150 regular cab is comprised of a roof, two A-Pillars and two B-Pillars. On the Ford F150 SuperCrew cab, there are 4 doors, two A- Pillars, two, B-Pillars and two C-Pillars and a roof structure.

On the four door F-150 Supercab, an obvious problem exists - there is no B-pillar between the 2 doors on each side. This is because the "suicide doors" on the pickup were designed in a fashion whereby the B-pillar was excluded from the vehicle.  The problem is simple physics - a longer span will support less weight than a shorter span of equal strength and thickness.  In the absence of a B-pillar, in a rollover the roof often crushes down on the top of the doors and crushes down much more severely than it would have if a pillar existed between the doors to act as a roof support. This additional force or pressure on the door latch can allow the door lock or door latches to open during a rollover or a side collision. exposing the driver and passengers to untold dangers, injuries and death.

FORD F150 DOOR LATCH FAILURES

Ford F Series pickups and Ford Explorer and other SUV's also have problems with their door latches disengaging prematurely which can lead to serious injury or death as well as compound roof crush problems. 

The door locks in the 1997 through 2000 models of the F-150 truck may contain a manufacturing defect in the outside handle which may make the handle non-compliant with FMVSS 206 and dangerous to the consumer. As required by the (FMVSS 206) all vehicle door latch systems, including both the inside and outside door handles, are required to withstand certain pressures or forces to keep vehicle's door lock from opening during a typical rollover or accident. FMVSS 206 relates to the door latch and FMVSS 206 requires that the door handle and latch mechanism be able to withstand 30 g's of inertial loading in an accident. If the door lock or door latch fails to hold and opens at under 30 g's, then the door will open allowing the occupants to be ejected or face untold injuries from being partially ejected or hit by other objects and other vehicles.

 For more information, you might check out PBS's report on SUVs at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/rollover/

FORD POST COLLISION FUEL FED FIRES

The famous "Ivey memo" (Click Here for Details) shows how some car manufacturers have viewed the possibility of post collision fuel fed fires or other vehicle deaths due to design defects.  They simply view the horrific deaths that design defects cause as an accounting problem.  In other words, they'll pay out a certain number of claims when people die from preventable deaths in order to cheapen the safety structure of a vehicle and save money on the manufacturing end.  They do not place any value on human life in these equations.

Design defects related to fuel fed fires can involve several different vehicle systems, but often start when the fuel tank or filler hose is punctured by part of the vehicle itself. Fuel systems should be designed to maintain integrity during a rollover or other foreseeable accident. Fuel leakage as a result of an impact may result in fire, or as it is known in the industry, a PCFFF---a post-collision fuel fed fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ ) regulates crash testing of automobiles and has created regulations that set standards for fuel system integrity.

Jeremiah L. Johnson