A Ford Super Duty truck roof lawsuit alleges occupants are injured and killed in rollover crashes because the truck roofs are weak and dangerous.
The class action lawsuit includes 1999-2016 Ford F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks that allegedly have roofs that cannot handle the weight of the trucks in rollover incidents.
Even if the crash impact leaves truck occupants unscathed, the roofs allegedly collapse onto the occupants as the trucks roll over.
Ford truck roof-crush class action lawsuits began being filed following a Georgia court case where the jury awarded $1.7 billion to the family of two 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck occupants.
The crash was allegedly caused by a Pep Boys service shop that installed the wrong size tire on the Ford F-250, which caused the tire to blow out. The truck rolled, which caused the roof to collapse.
The class action alleges the Ford Super Duty trucks are built around steel frames which should maintain the form and structure of the trucks to keep occupants safe.
But the plaintiffs assert the Super Duty steel frames aren't strong enough to support the weight of the trucks, which causes the roofs to collapse onto occupants in rollover crashes.
"The Roof Defect has caused serious injury, paralysis and death to vehicle drivers and occupants. Ford has repeatedly been found liable for injuries and deaths resulting from the Roof Defect in the over 160 wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits that have been filed against it regarding the Defect," according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further alleges that with more than 5 million Super Duty trucks equipped with defective weak roofs, Ford has allegedly admitted more than "80 incidents of roof crush resulting from the Defect."
According to the plaintiffs, the allegedly weak defective roofs also affect safety features such as the Safety Canopy System, which is advertised as a way to increase safety in rollover crashes.
Those plaintiffs also claim their 1999-2016 Ford Super Duty trucks have lost their resale values because of the roofs.
According to the Super Duty roof class action lawsuit, "Ford must buy back these dangerous Vehicles or reimburse Plaintiffs and Vehicle Owners and Lessees for the serious risk inherent in continuing to drive them."
The Ford Super Duty truck roof lawsuit was filed by these plaintiffs:
- Curtis Bright, Washington, 2000 Ford Super Duty Extended Cab
- William P. Griffitt, Oklahoma, 2000 Ford F-250 Lariat Super Duty
- Desmond Rains, Oregon, 1999 Ford F-350 Super Duty
- Ivan Tellez, California, 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty
- Kevin Thomas, Kentucky, 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty
The Ford Super Duty roof class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco Division): Bright, et al., v. Ford Motor Company.
The plaintiffs are represented by Keller Rohrback L.L.P.
