California Injury Blog
Ford Motor Co. is recalling almost 1.2 million vans, sport utility vehicles and heavy-duty pickup trucks because of a faulty engine sensor that could cause sudden stalling and cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles, according to a news report in the watchdog Web site Consumeraffairs.com.
The automaker reported to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) that these defective vehicles could stall without a warning very likely causing a crash, the Web site article said. It also cited an NHTSA report that says that the Ford vehicles’ camshaft position sensor located on the engine could function intermittently and lead to an engine stall and potential auto accident. The sensor in question is an electrical component that helps control the fuel flow into the engine.
This most recent recall reportedly includes vehicles built between 1997 and 2003. Among the recalled vehicles are Ford’s E-Series full-size van, the Excursion SUV and the F-450 Super Duty pickup truck. This hardly comes as a surprise to our personal injury law firm, which has been conducting independent and expensive crash tests on Ford vehicles for many years now. At Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys, we’ve tested Explorers, Expeditions and Excursions and found that these vehicles have dangerous defects.
In fact, we’re currently in trial in an auto product liability lawsuit. Our client, Gloria Lavesque, a teacher, was paralyzed after the Expedition SUV in which she was a passenger rolled over several times. The roof caved in causing her permanent head and spinal injuries. That trial is currently ongoing in a Los Angeles court.
Throughout, Ford has maintained that there is nothing wrong with their SUVs, but we know now that they chose not to make their vehicles safer for drivers and passengers. They chose profits over people.
We’re always glad when defective products are recalled. These recalls take dangerous products off consumers’ hands – be it automobiles, toys or drugs. But in Ford’s case, the admission of defects is usually too little too late. They have been in denial for way too long.