Milwaukee, WI: (Apr-03-08) Several class action lawsuits were brought against Ford Motor Co., by over 40,000 WI and CT owners of 1992-2001 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car models, alleging that the cars are at risk for explosions and fires in high-speed rear-end collisions. The suit stated that Ford Crown Victorias are popular among law enforcement agencies across the country.
Company officials said that in 2002 Ford voluntarily agreed to build rubber and plastic shields around the gas tanks of more than 300,000 Crown Victoria police cars; following cases where nearly a dozen officers died and others suffered burns when the gas tanks of the cars exploded in flames after high-speed rear-end collisions. In earlier negotiations, Ford had refused to provide the safety upgrades to privately owned vehicles for free but had offered to sell the device to private owners willing to pay for the installation. The company claimed that police vehicles are more likely to be pulled over on the side of the road and subject to high-speed rear-end collisions than civilian cars.
Sources on both sides stated that the company had agreed to settle with the plaintiff class, in which it agreed to offer free safety devices for their cars. Company spokespersons stated that a similar case brought in California was dismissed earlier without the adjustments being ordered. The company agreed to the deal in the states of WI and CT ending several years of protracted litigation. The deal was approved by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Hansher. [
