Paying $1.7 billion hasn’t stopped new Ford Super Duty roof strength lawsuits from forming
Large Ford trucks can’t catch a break. Ford Super Duty roof strength lawsuits continue to plague the automaker even after it coughed up about $1.7 billion in punitive damages to make things right.
Ford Super Duty roof strength lawsuits are relentless
For years, Ford has been battling lawsuits related to Super Duty roof strength. One Ford Super Duty roof strength lawsuit was related to a wrongful death case filed back in 2014.
Ford ended up paying $1.7 billion in damages over allegations that the Super Duty trucks didn’t have enough roof strength to hold up in the event of a rollover crash.
The original roof crush lawsuit was filed in Georgia and Ford appealed it, but new lawsuits continue to be filed. Three of the lawsuits were consolidated into one in April 2024.
Lawsuits have been recently filed in the United States and Canada, with only one being dismissed. Ford argues that it adequately met the federal safety standards at the time, but the standards were later changed to address roof strength.
One lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California claims that the Super Duty trucks lack sufficient structural integrity in the roof structure to withstand hard and protect passengers during foreseeable roll-over accidents.
The plaintiff’s son, Anthony Contreras, lost control of his 2008 Ford F-350 while passing a semi-truck on the highway. As a result, he lost his life.
Allegedly, the truck had defective and unsafe restraint systems, allowing for occupant vertical movement in the event of a rollover accident.
Models from before 2009 were reportedly excluded from rising federal roof-crush requirements. Therefore, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) didn’t test their roof-strength performance.
But some of the trucks involved in lawsuits were built between 2019 and 2016 and were required to adhere to increasing safety standards.
Things are pretty messy with over 163 lawsuits on the board. There are also 83 reports of roof crush cases related to heavy-duty trucks built between 1999-2016.
In some cases, occupants weren’t wearing their seatbelts. In others, drivers equipped some models with the incorrect tires. However, these claims might not help Ford in the long run. Stay tuned for updates.
