Ford Motor Company:
Legal Suppression of Information
In 2005, Ford successfully obtained a court order to seal critical evidence from the public that was used during the prosecution of a case involving its Explorer, proof in fact that Ford had made design changes that weakened the roof; a primary factor in the death of a 26-year old woman during a rollover accident. More to the point, the evidence revealed that Ford had extensive knowledge of how stronger roofs can save lives and prevent critical injuries, yet chose to disregard the evidence of its own testing.
During a series of tests on stock, unmodified vehicles, a Volvo XC90 suffers minimal intrusion into the cab (3.2 inches) while a Ford Explorer suffered severe intrusion (11.5 inches). Source: ABC NEWS 12/13/2006. This shows that manufactures have the technology and capability to produce much safer vehicles.
Citing Ford’s claim that the documents contained trade secrets coupled with the court’s ruling, the NHTSA pulled the evidence from public access despite the agencies plan to revisit the need for increased regulations and manufacturer standards regarding roof strength, all of which would be open to public review and comment. Public safety groups quickly accused the courts and the NHTSA of shielding vital information from the public’s eye by hiding the smoking gun after the shot.
Source: Public Citizen Press 12/01/2005
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