Ford Unintended Acceleration

A multistate lawsuit filed Thursday says 2002-10 Ford Motor vehicles contain a “design defect” in the electronic control of the gas pedals, making them susceptible to sudden, unintended acceleration.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Ford owners in 14 states is seeking class-action status and goes into great detail about the alleged defect in the models named in the lawsuit that don’t have brake override technology. That technology stops the car if both the brake and the gas pedal are activated at the same time. Ford began installing it, known as “brake over accelerator,” in all vehicles it makes in 2010.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages for the lost value of the affected cars — the difference between what they paid for the cars vs. the value of the defective vehicles. The lawsuit also asks Ford to “fix the problem.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the southern district of West Virginia. It cites a 2011 report by the Transportation Department’s inspector general that showed Ford had the same number of deaths and injuries from these electronic throttle controls as Toyota: 374 from 2003 through 2009. Ford had 22% of all complaints of unintended acceleration during that period, more than any of the other major auto manufacturers, the report said.

If you believe you have been injured due to such a design defect, please contact Bache & Lynch for assistance.