Crashworthy Lawsuits: SUV Rollovers, Tire Failure, Car Fires, & Seatbelt Failure

SUV Rollovers - Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) cause more fatalities than any other kind of motor-vehicle. SUVs also had the highest rollover rate for passenger vehicles in injury crashes. Engineers and safety experts agree that the best way for manufacturers to make SUVs more stable or less likely to roll over is to lower the center of gravity and widen the wheel track. Yet, these fundamental changes to an SUV design are costly. Unfortunately, automakers choose less expensive design modifications.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers some tips to reduce the risk of rollovers: Do not lose control of your vehicle. Conditions include under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving while sleepy, and speeding. Maintain tires and replace when wear and tear requires. Don’t panic; stay calm if you drive off the road. Don’t speed ever but especially on rural roads that might not be as maintained as highways. Load vehicles properly; since SUVs have a higher level of gravity, extra weight can make the vehicle tip over more easily.

Are you or a family member the victim of a SUV Rollover? Consult the Pennsylvania law firm, Anapol Schwartz to find out if you have a SUV rollover lawsuit.

Tire Failures - According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there are more than 8,000 traffic accidents every year resulting in death or serious injuries due to tire failure. While some tire failures may be prevented because of driver error, some tire failures are the direct result of a manufacturing defect or design defect. Most tire manufacturers have known about the dangers of the tires for years but have failed to properly warn of the risks.
One of the most common types of tire failure is due to a tread separation. Tread separation is the result of the plies of a tire separating from one another. When tires are built there are different layers. Tread separation possibility becomes greater as the speed of the vehicle increases.

Another type of tire failure that can occur is when a multi-piece wheel is used. OSHA guidelines require using a safety cage during tire mounting operations, but after the wheel is removed from the safety cage, accidents still happen. Posters that were designed for the education program are now in most service stations and tire shops, but now the liability of the tire failures become the business' responsibility, as well as employers and injured employees. Tire manufacturers are able to avoid complete liability now because of the educational program.
A single piece wheel has been around for decades that would avoid multi-piece rim explosions, yet the design has not been incorporated.

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When tires are being inflated the sidewall of the tire can explode, causing a sidewall zipper failure. Sidewall zipper failures occur because the sidewall design and manufacturing. Deflating a tire can add stress when the tire is re-inflated and cause a blowout. Manufacturers deal with this tire failure by issuing warnings instead of changing the tire designs. Tire failures can occur when there is a high-speed spin-off failure, happening when one of the two rear wheels is stationary and the other wheel can spin without restraint due to a design defect. Ozone cracking is an uncommon tire failure, but small cracks on the rubber's surface due mainly to atmospheric ozone breaks down tire sidewalls. Tire failures can be prevented with the proper maintenance but some tire design flaws make that challenge difficult.

Are you or a family member the victim of a tire failure injury or death? Consult the New Jersey law firm, Anapol Schwartz to find out if you have a tire failure lawsuit.

Car Fires - Ford Motor Company does not have sufficient parts to repair 1.25 million cars recalled for a potential fire hazard of cruise control switch systems. In August 2007, Ford recalled 3.6 million cars and trucks for more than a dozen 1992 to 2004 models for Lincoln, Ford, Mercury, and Taurus. Since 1999, Ford has recalled more than 10 million vehicles because of engine fires linked to cruise control systems across a range of trucks, SUVs, and vans. Ford blamed the problem of insufficient parts on fire hazard frenzied owners rushing to get their vehicles fixed which is causing the demand to exceed the supply. For now the needed parts will not be available until later in 2007. Owners may take their vehicles back to the dealer to have the cruise control deactivated until the parts arrive.

More Car Fires - Car fires are often the result of lack of maintenance and faulty car design. You have control over lack of maintenance but you are powerless about faulty car design. Between 1992 and 2003, Ford Motor Company installed a type of switch in millions of its vehicles. The $20.57 switch shuts off the cruise control when the driver firmly steps on the brakes. The switch is located under the hood of the vehicle and is attached to the brake master cylinder on one end and wired to the cruise control on the other. On most of its models, Ford designed the switch to be powered -- or hot -- at all times, even when the vehicle is off and the key is removed from the ignition.

Inside the switch, a thin film barrier separates brake fluid from the switch's electrical components. Fires can occur when the film cracks and brake fluid from the master cylinder seeps into the electrical side of the switch. Ford has already recalled more than one million vehicles in two separate recalls to replace the switch.

The first recall was in May 1999, affecting 279,000 Crown Victorias, Grand Marquises, and Town Cars for model years 1992 and 1993. The second recall, issued in January 2005, affected 792,000 vehicles, including model year 2001 F-Series SuperCrews and 2000 Expeditions, Navigators and F-150 pickups. The same or similar switch was installed in a total of 16 million vehicles, far beyond what was recalled. Those vehicles include:
-- Mark VII/VIII from 1994-1998
-- Taurus/Sable and Taurus SHO 2.3 L 1993-1995
-- Econoline 1992-2003
-- F-Series 1993-2003
-- Windstar 1994-2003
-- Explorer without IVD 1995-2003
-- Explorer Sport/Sport Trac 2002-2003
-- Expedition 1997-2003
-- Ranger 1995-2003

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an expanded investigation into more than 3.7 million of the vehicles and the continual stream of car fire complaints.

Are you or a family member the victim of a car fire injury or death? Consult the Pennsylvania law firm, Anapol Schwartz to find out if you have a car fire lawsuit.

Seatbelt Failures - Most seat belts help safe lives to reduce the risk of injury in many types of car crashes. Yet, seatbelts can and do fail. How?

During an accident, the seat belt retractor locks the seat belt webbing and holds the occupant in place. When the retractor fails to properly lock, excessive webbing results in seat belt slack. Sometimes as little as a few inches of slack determine the difference between no injuries and catastrophic or fatal injuries. In a frontal collision, a snug shoulder belt should restrain people in the seat and prevent injurious contacts with the steering wheel and windshield. A loosely fitting shoulder belt might allow the occupant to move forward and contact these objects.

The majority of seatbelts have the release button on the front face of the buckle. In some frontal collisions, rollovers, and side impacts, the release mechanism can be disengaged when the back of the buckle hits part of the seat structure or the body. This inertial release happens as a result of energy being applied to the back of the buckle in the form of the forward movement of the occupant into the buckle.

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Poor belt geometry can contribute to excessive movement, particularly in rollovers. The best location for seat belt anchors is on the seat itself, yet many vehicles have anchors located on the vehicle floor, often behind the seat. The resulting shallow belt angle can permit excessive movement toward the roof in a rollover.

Seatbelts help restrain the driver and passengers during accidents. It’s very important that seat belts are always worn, even in cars equipped with air bags.

Seat belts should always be worn with the lap belt low and snug across the hips and the shoulder belt across the chest. Shoulder belts should never be placed under the arm or behind the back. Front seat drivers and passengers should sit upright against the back of the seat. Passengers should adjust the seat as rearward as practical. Drivers should adjust the seat so they are positioned away from the air bag module, while maintaining the ability to safely operate the car controls. Moving the seat rearward, slightly reclining the seat back and/or tilting the adjustable steering wheel downward can change the driving position. The National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHSTA) recommends there must be at least 10 inches distance between the steering wheel hub, where the air bag is located, and the driver’s breastbone.

Pregnant women should always wear their seat belts. They should sit as far back as possible from the air bag with the lap portion of the belt correctly positioned over their hips (not their stomach) and the shoulder portion across the chest.

Are you or a family member the victim of a seatbelt failure injury? Consult the New Jersey law firm, Anapol Schwartz to find out if you have a seatbelt failure injury lawsuit.

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