Sport Utility Vehicles, or SUVs, have long been marketed as a larger and safer vehicle that can meet the needs of a growing family, a sports enthusiast and someone who wants a vehicle that handles well and looks good doing it. The Ford Explorer was the most popular SUV in its class and it wasn’t until disturbing reports of rollovers became evident that people began to question their purchase of the world’s most popular SUV. Likewise, when people paid upwards of $30,000 for the upscale Hummer H2 they thought they were getting the best of all worlds, an expensive status symbol and the safety and stability of a vehicle used in combat (although made slick and stylish for the roads). When safety concerns were raised in relation to the Hummer H2 as well, it makes you start to think about what kind of design and testing really goes in to SUVs.
The Ford Explorer has been in the limelight in recent years over a number of safety concerns. First and foremost, the vehicle has an indisputable tendency to rollover – at least in the earlier models. In one lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. by the parents of a boy who was killed in a Ford Explorer roll-over accident, Ford engineers testified that they were aware of the design flaw as early as1989 and that they knew the Ford Explorer’s chassis needed to be lowered and substantially widened for it be safe. Ford worked hard to shift the blame to the tire manufacturer Bridgestone-Firestone and specifically to the Firestone tires that had a product problem which caused tread separation on tires that should still have been perfectly functional. In fact, Bridgestone-Firestone agreed to pay a $240 million settlement to Ford Motor Co. for their product liability. It was documented that more that 270 people were killed and several hundred more were injured in SUV accidents involving Firestone tires, specifically the ATX and AT.
Meanwhile another expensive SUV, the Hummer H2 has been the focus of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as well for safety concerns involving its wheels and its brake assemblies. Four Hummer H2 drivers and at least one Hummer H2 test drivers reported a problem with the steering knuckle on the Hummer H2, specifically a fracture of this mechanism that controls the steering of the vehicle. These drivers all reported that while driving the Hummer H2 in normal conditions with no adverse wear and tear on the vehicles that a wheel literally fell off the car. In each case, the drivers lost control of the SUVs and were forced to veer into traffic or off the road at substantial risk to their safety. Additionally, GM was forced to issue a recall of a great number of its cars based on a brake assembly safety concern. The Hummer H2 was a member of this recall because of the Bosch hydro-boost brake assembly which was cracking and leaking hydraulic fluid, making vehicles hard to stop and control or in some cases shattering and offering a safety hazard to drivers and technicians.
In both of these instances, many individuals have successfully secured compensation for their physical injuries or financial losses. If you have been hurt by an SUV rollover accident or a different SUV malfunction, call a qualified product liability attorney today.