Ford Hit With 1.7 Billion Verdict on F250 Roof Collapse

Preceded by the J. Nassar Aero F150's extended cab personal use "accordions" from the early 2000's





Subaru legacy sedan, same test


 
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Not just Ford. And yeah I know no one whats to hear it. But still after all the hoopla every air bag in every car, is unsafe. Why? Because they refuse to make the inflator's strong enough and out of thick enough material, and refuse to use an over pressure relief valve of some sort on them.
Yes its still happening.
And read down to this statement.
A BMW report to NHTSA in 2017 reported the inflator was susceptible to rupture due to impaired gas flow causing excessive internal pressure.

 
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Two things strike me on this:

1) how these trucks can be so poorly made that this can be the case. Especially for how expensive they are. This isn’t hard stuff. Shame on the truck makers, and the useful idiots paying premiums to drive these vehicles with such a flaw.

This was being addressed with the 94 new Ram.

561B6487-88D0-496E-8F43-C161EDAE1161.jpeg


Though nothing is to say that they’re any better (modern Dodge/Ram vs Chevy vs ford vs Toyota… let alone older models).


2). I couldn’t believe it when I read this: “ Under Georgia law, the state gets 75% of the awards granted by the courts. The only way the plaintiffs would get the full amount of punitive damages is if there is a settlement reached between the two sides, Butler said”.

What the heck does the state need 75%?!? And how will they apply it prudently to this safety flaw and outcome?!?
 
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Just a 'sourball' point: If the industry and consumers could get their heads out of the sand and accept the fact that stylishness of trucks (trucks, for Heaven's sake) eats the resources for other things like safety and build quality, we'd be better off.

Consumers and VW could not just admit or accept that diesels are slower than gas powered cars. Emission limits had to be ignored.
Will Ford offer 6 year warranties as VW did to revive sales?

I don’t get your point. Stylishness can be had while a bit more high strength steel added in the right spots around the cab to provide crush resistance.

Your point about diesels is also flawed. People generally accept that diesels are slower. The emissions BS is divergent from achieving minimal CO2/total tonnage.
 
No it's not. Diesels make their dirt and VW wanted to sell performance diesels. How? by ignoring emissions.
They didn't break the rules to help the environment. They broke the rules to sell zippy cars in a zippy manner.
 
No it's not. Diesels make their dirt and VW wanted to sell performance diesels. How? by ignoring emissions.
They didn't break the rules to help the environment. They broke the rules to sell zippy cars in a zippy manner.
Riiight.. because the bulk of vehicles that got caught up in it were 140hp 4cyl diesels for folks chasing 50MPG. Most sales weren’t v10 Touareg suvs by a loooong shot.

My brother had a golf tdi. Got almost as much as he paid for it when he traded it back with over 100k miles. Didn’t want to take the hit on mpgs with the silly mods they would do.

Diesels aren’t as clean. I’ll give you that. Trying to appease CA for their NOx issue, and reduce soot massively is a fools errand. There was a happy medium and the bureaucrats ruined it. No different than idiotic splitting of hairs on gas emissions that reduce net MPGs, and raise gross tonnage of CO2 in the interest of parts per million/billion of NOx and other trace pollutants. Utter idiocy. It’s how you get an 8mpg excursion to be a “partial zero” emissions vehicle, and a 50MPG Jetta be a “gross polluter”. Stupid.

The net pollution reduction would have been to make marginally cleaner diesels without massive unreliable claptrap, and save lots more in not making new cars. It’s why the hummer was net cleaner for the environment than a prius at one point in time.

When it comes to full-size pickups, back on point… smartly made diesels with less emissions BS, in half ton trucks could benefit many. I know a few people who absolutely love their dodge and GMC half ton diesels, but they’re overly complex and expensive. They could have made more power, with higher fuel economy if not for a few ppm of NOx.
 
Riiight.. because the bulk of vehicles that got caught up in it were 140hp 4cyl diesels for folks chasing 50MPG. Most sales weren’t v10 Touareg suvs by a loooong shot.

My brother had a golf tdi. Got almost as much as he paid for it when he traded it back with over 100k miles. Didn’t want to take the hit on mpgs with the silly mods they would do.

Diesels aren’t as clean. I’ll give you that. Trying to appease CA for their NOx issue, and reduce soot massively is a fools errand. There was a happy medium and the bureaucrats ruined it. No different than idiotic splitting of hairs on gas emissions that reduce net MPGs, and raise gross tonnage of CO2 in the interest of parts per million/billion of NOx and other trace pollutants. Utter idiocy. It’s how you get an 8mpg excursion to be a “partial zero” emissions vehicle, and a 50MPG Jetta be a “gross polluter”. Stupid.

The net pollution reduction would have been to make marginally cleaner diesels without massive unreliable claptrap, and save lots more in not making new cars. It’s why the hummer was net cleaner for the environment than a prius at one point in time.

When it comes to full-size pickups, back on point… smartly made diesels with less emissions BS, in half ton trucks could benefit many. I know a few people who absolutely love their dodge and GMC half ton diesels, but they’re overly complex and expensive. They could have made more power, with higher fuel economy if not for a few ppm of NOx.
I digress.
Problem with VW TDI is that they were trying to catch up by cheating. They fell behind pushing pumpe-duse technology. Only way they could catch up with BMW, FCA etc. in common rail game was a. huge investment, b. Cheating. They choose cheating.
On US market to pass NOx requirements, like OTHERS did, they would have to not only install SCR but change suspension to fit DEF tanks etc. Others did it, but VW didn’t want to invest.
So, they broke the law! Negligence here is that more of them did not end up in prison.
 
Two things strike me on this:

1) how these trucks can be so poorly made that this can be the case. Especially for how expensive they are. This isn’t hard stuff. Shame on the truck makers, and the useful idiots paying premiums to drive these vehicles with such a flaw.

This was being addressed with the 94 new Ram.

View attachment 118437

Though nothing is to say that they’re any better (modern Dodge/Ram vs Chevy vs ford vs Toyota… let alone older models).


2). I couldn’t believe it when I read this: “ Under Georgia law, the state gets 75% of the awards granted by the courts. The only way the plaintiffs would get the full amount of punitive damages is if there is a settlement reached between the two sides, Butler said”.

What the heck does the state need 75%?!? And how will they apply it prudently to this safety flaw and outcome?!?
My friend hit F250 in ATL with BMW 325 E46. F250 ran through red light and he t-boned truck. Truck got obliterated. Totaled. He fixed BMW.
These companies sell aura of “toughness.” But taking into consideration performance (braking, handling) and obvious structural issues, it is hard to find less safe vehicles.
 
If they make them too strong they cost too much and last way too long and the company will go bankrupt.


That e30 drop was painful to watch. I put a lot of miles on mine. Saab did make a good car. Loved my 9-3 and would have still had it if it had a bit more rear legroom to fit rear facing child seats.

Having just done a lot of driving on the E6 in northern Norway, I understand the Scandinavian focus on safety. I suspect the Swedish roads are much the same, and the chance of a head on offset collision at speed are much higher than the US. And rollover has always been an issue everywhere…
 
My friend hit F250 in ATL with BMW 325 E46. F250 ran through red light and he t-boned truck. Truck got obliterated. Totaled. He fixed BMW.
These companies sell aura of “toughness.” But taking into consideration performance (braking, handling) and obvious structural issues, it is hard to find less safe vehicles.

Thing is, weight in many situations overcomes other design issues. I guess that and overall width helps provide safety despite the flaws.
 
That e30 drop was painful to watch. I put a lot of miles on mine. Saab did make a good car. Loved my 9-3 and would have still had it if it had a bit more rear legroom to fit rear facing child seats.

Having just done a lot of driving on the E6 in northern Norway, I understand the Scandinavian focus on safety. I suspect the Swedish roads are much the same, and the chance of a head on offset collision at speed are much higher than the US. And rollover has always been an issue everywhere…
If E30 had that structure at the top, it wouldn’t handle well. SAAB wasn’t the pinnacle of agility.
 
My friend hit F250 in ATL with BMW 325 E46. F250 ran through red light and he t-boned truck. Truck got obliterated. Totaled. He fixed BMW.
These companies sell aura of “toughness.” But taking into consideration performance (braking, handling) and obvious structural issues, it is hard to find less safe vehicles.
Got pictures of both ?
 
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That e30 drop was painful to watch. I put a lot of miles on mine. Saab did make a good car. Loved my 9-3 and would have still had it if it had a bit more rear legroom to fit rear facing child seats.

Having just done a lot of driving on the E6 in northern Norway, I understand the Scandinavian focus on safety. I suspect the Swedish roads are much the same, and the chance of a head on offset collision at speed are much higher than the US. And rollover has always been an issue everywhere…
Mine are all old (34, 20, 16 years old) but in very good - excellent condition with low miles, none have seen bad weather in many years, the Viggen doesnt even see rain. I use a Subaru outback for the winter, decent car but if totaled is no great loss, it is also a reasonably safe car.
 
For years, we installed roll bars on pickup trucks, due to weak roof designs that were easily crushed by the truck's own weight. They were not there because they looked cool, they were there because we wanted to drive like idiots and survive a roll over. Over time, these bed-mounted roll bars became fashion items, with limited usefulness. But the reason they existed remained unchanged.

hb350cg-ds-wwires_3_orig.jpg
That’s a “style bar” probably would be more dangerous
 
This was like in 2007 or so.
Every accident I've seen involving a Super Duty, the Super Duty won. Usually cars go underneath them, which clearly isn't going to end well. I posted a link to a tragic accident a few years back on here where a car (think it was a Toyota) full of kids was being driven erratically and they came around a bend on the wrong side of the road into the front of an F-250. Guy was scarred for life, as the car went right under the truck and killed everyone.
 
Every accident I've seen involving a Super Duty, the Super Duty won. Usually cars go underneath them, which clearly isn't going to end well. I posted a link to a tragic accident a few years back on here where a car (think it was a Toyota) full of kids was being driven erratically and they came around a bend on the wrong side of the road into the front of an F-250. Guy was scarred for life, as the car went right under the truck and killed everyone.
Did not happen here. I think he hit the front part or the rear. Cannot remember. And yeah, the truck ended up rolling.
I get that point. Still, I do not think there is less safe vehicle than a pickup truck. There are so many deficiencies that weight alone is not really an argument.
 
If punitive damages are upheld by higher courts, the Hill family and their attorneys will only get 25% of the award amount. Under Georgia law, the state gets 75% of the awards granted by the courts. The only way the plaintiffs would get the full amount of punitive damages is if there is a settlement reached between the two sides, Butler said.

Is this normal practice?
It is in about half the states.

Under Georgia law it's actually $250,000 or under certain circumstances it can exceed that where 25% plus attorney fees go to the plaintiff.
 
Did not happen here. I think he hit the front part or the rear. Cannot remember. And yeah, the truck ended up rolling.
Yes, that's often the case, the truck, having a higher centre of gravity, will roll over when hit from the side.
I get that point. Still, I do not think there is less safe vehicle than a pickup truck. There are so many deficiencies that weight alone is not really an argument.
There have been plenty of vehicles less safe than Pick-up trucks, lol.
- Chevy Cavalier
- Dodge Neon
- Honda CRX
- Nissan Pulsar
- Chevy/Geo Tracker
- Suzuki Sidekick

And then of course it depends on the type of collision. In a front-end or rear-end, pick-ups and truck-based/style SUV's tend to do extremely well against other vehicles. When hit from the side, they are more likely to roll-over.
 
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