Vehicle Safety News

Sacramento Bee, "Plaintiffs say Ford deceived auto buyers about Explorer safety"

In a case that puts more than $2 billion in Ford Motor Co. profits at stake, plaintiffs' lawyers told a Sacramento judge Tuesday that the automaker deceived consumers by marketing its rollover-prone 1990s-era Explorers as safe replacements for family station wagons. Ford's lawyers countered that the Explorer was the safest vehicle in its class, with positive ratings from safety agencies and consumer magazines.

Plaintiff lawyer Elizabeth Cabraser of San Francisco told the judge he had broad powers to craft a remedy if he finds Ford deceived its customers. The judge could order Ford to give up more than $2 billion or the portion of those profits earned from rushing the Explorer to production, Cabraser said. He also could order restitution of what plaintiffs' experts estimate is the $1,100 to $1,300 in extra profits Ford earned through its alleged wrongdoing on each of 415,000 Explorers sold in California, she said.