Ford Transmission Park to Reverse Defect

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, has extensive experience litigating Park-to-Reverse cases (also called "inadvertent rearward movement" or "delayed reverse engagement") involving Ford vehicles.

These vehicles allegedly include Ford rear wheel-drive vehicles (including the Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis, Ford F-150, 250, and 350 pick-ups, Ford SUVs such as the Explorer, and other Ford vehicles with substantially similar transmissions such as the Econoline) and Ford front-wheel drive vehicles such as Ford Areostar minivans.

Park-to-Reverse accidents are frequently assumed by unsuspecting victims and others to be the result of leaving the car in reverse. In fact, such accidents frequently occur as a result of a defect in a vehicle's shift and transmission system which allows the vehicle to be placed in what appears to be park. The vehicle will then move unexpectedly under power, without the operator moving the shift lever, in reverse after a delay of a few seconds to several minutes.

News Update: $40 Million Faulty Park Transmission Verdict Against Ford

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that on April 29, 2009, a jury in Georgia awarded Jessica Mundy $40 million in damages because a transmission defect in her 2004 Ford Explorer led to her paralysis. The verdict includes $30 million in punitive damages, $9 million in compensatory damages to Ms. Mundy and $1 million to her husband. In the lawsuit, Ms Mundy said she had exited the Explorer to mail a package and then the vehicle ran over her, fracturing her spine.

Contact Lieff Cabraser

We are currently actively investigating numerous false park or park-to-reverse incidents, and if you believe you have information on a park-to-reverse event you can contact Lieff Cabraser. We will review your claim free of charge and without any obligation.

Lieff Cabraser's False Park Lawsuits

In Louisiana in 2008, Lieff Cabraser prosecuted a wrongful death case (Guillot v. DaimlerChrysler) against Chrysler involving a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The jury held Chrysler liable for the death of the infant, Colin Guillot, and returned a $7.2 million verdict (including interest). The jury found that the park to reverse defect in the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s transmission played a substantial factor in Collin Guillot’s death and the severe injuries suffered by Mr. and Mrs. Guillot and their daughter.

One year earlier in California, Lieff Cabraser attorneys obtained a $54 million verdict against Chrysler in a wrongful death case (Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler). The judgment included a $50 million award of punitive damages. The jury found that the evidence showed the vehicle at issue, a 1991 Dodge Dakota, had a defective transmission and that Chrysler acted with malice and with a conscious disregard for the health and safety of others.

Mraz Case Update - 2009

On September 24, 2009, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court overseeing the Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings approved the payment of $24 million for the wrongful death of longshoreman Richard Mraz. The settlement is believed to be one of the largest ever of an individual wrongful death action involving an auto manufacturer. The settlement occurred while the case was on appeal from a verdict finding Chrysler's disregard of consumer safety led to the death of a Southern California father of three children. "We're gratified that the Bankruptcy Court has approved the settlement, and the action has been resolved," stated Lieff Cabraser attorney Robert J. Nelson, who served as lead trial and appellate counsel. "We hope that the new Chrysler Corporation will never put short-term profits ahead of the safety of its customers." Learn more....

Ford Vehicles and the Park to Reverse Defect

We are interested in learning of your experience with park to reverse and transmission issues in vehicles of any make, model or year, whether or not the vehicle was manufactured by Ford. That said, please contact us if you have experienced a transmission defect with any of these Ford vehicles:

We have and are presently representing individuals injured by Ford vehicles with park-to-reverse problems. The above list is a list of vehicles that have been recalled and/or investigated for alleged park to reverse problems and is not meant to imply these are the only vehicles which may have this problem.

Contact Transmission Defect Attorneys | Lawyers

People who have been injured in accidents involving faulty transmissions, or family members of loved ones who have died, whether in Chrysler vehicles or ones made by other manufacturers, should click here to contact a lawyer at the national law firm of Lieff Cabraser.

Terminology

The park to reverse or false park defect is sometimes described in different terms such as unintentional rearward movement, unintended rearward movement, unintentional reverse, unintended reverse, unintentional acceleration, unintended acceleration, powered reverse, failure to hold in park, slipped gear, inadvertent movement, inadvertent rearward movement, jumped into reverse, kicked into reverse, slipped into reverse, change gear, changed gear, back over, backed over, roll backwards, lurched backwards, roll back, rolled back, rearward runaway, accidental shift, shift alone, shift into reverse, shift out of park, sudden shift, switch gears and went into reverse.