Defective Vehicle Accident Lawyers

Defective Car Door Latches and Lift Gates

Vehicle doors and car door latches and lift gates should be designed to not only keep occupants safe and protected during normal operation of a motor vehicle, but to adequately cushion and protect occupants in the event of a crash, rollover or other kind of accident. If the car doors or car door latches fail to function properly upon impact, and the doors fly open, occupants can be ejected from the vehicle causing extreme injuries and often death.

Defective car doors, car door latches, lift gates and/or lift gate latches create an extreme hazard. Doors, car door latches, and lift gates should be designed to stay closed and intact even in the event of an accident, yet despite the technology available to create safer vehicles, most manufacturers have neglected to upgrade their door safety features.

Ford Car Door Latches and Lift Gates

According to The Associated Press, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Ford Motor Company in connection with accidents that involved doors flying open and occupants being thrown from vehicles, resulting in horrific injuries and numerous fatalities. The Ford defective car door latch injuries may have been preventable, because there is evidence that Ford was well aware of the problem for quite some time. In fact, Ford initially issued a recall on the door handles, but then changed its mind when they realized the recall cost would be over $500 million dollars. Many Ford customers have paid for that decision with their lives and the lives of family members. In November of 2004, a series of class action lawsuits were filed alleging that defective car door latches on 4.1 million Ford Motor Co. vehicles caused doors to fly open in crashes. Attorneys for the car accident victims point to an error on drawings that Ford sent to Magna Donnelly Corp, who manufactured the door handle spring. Vehicles with defective car door latches that are too weak to hold the doors closed in the event of a collision include: Ford F150, Ford F-150 Super Crew, Ford F250 Super Light Duty, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator SUV, and the Lincoln Blackwood Pick-up. There may be over 3,000,000 vehicles with Ford defective door latches.

GM Type III Latches

Over 100 people have been killed or injured as a result of being ejected from their GM vehicle because of GM Type III car door latch failures. GM knew that their door latches were defective, but decided against a recall in light of the cost. It is outrageous to think that General Motors knowingly allowed people to die in accidents to improve their own bottom line, but this is indeed what happened. Clear evidence exists that GM knew their car door latches were substandard, that the car door latches failed their own crash tests, and that their own engineers predicted that the latches would fail and doors would fly open in the event of a collision; however, the company determined it would cost them less to settle lawsuits than it would to issue a recall.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi was also found guilty of concealing evidence about its knowledge of car door latch failures in its vehicles. The trial court found Mitsubishi's concealment of evidence "deliberate and intentional" and labeled their conduct as a "fraudulent use of the judicial system".

Better Late Than Never . . . For Some

Finally, in 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed the upgrading of doors and door locks in light of ongoing door latch problems. They now feel it is important to improve "door latch integrity, mainly to prevent ejection in a crash" and particularly in light of the current high incidences of rollover crashes with SUVs and other vehicles. The good news is that something will finally be done. The bad news is that this will not change the heartbreaking story of the eight-year-old boy ejected onto a highway due to a defective rear lift gate latch, nor the 35-year-old who was thrown from his Chevrolet Blazer and is now a paraplegic, nor the countless other injuries and deaths that have resulted from defective doors and defective car door latches. Perhaps the $150 million jury verdict against General Motors Corporation in the Chevy Blazer case and other similar verdicts will make the auto industry think twice before choosing profits over human lives in the future.

If you or someone you know has been in a vehicle accident in which the doors or door latches failed, resulting in ejection, injury or death, please call our defective door latch accident Injury lawyers for more information.

The law firm of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor, P.A. has a long history of jury verdict awards and has been nationally recognized as one of the top firms in jury verdicts and claims. Our attorneys specialize in product liability cases and settlements.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a defective vehicle car door latch or lift gate, please call or email our experienced defective car door latches and lift gates accident lawyers today. We'll evaluate your claim for free and help you get the justice you deserve.

To contact our defective car door latches and lift gates accident lawyers please call 888-435-7001 or email us today .

Levin • Papantonio • Thomas • Mitchell • Echsner & Proctor, P.A.
316 South Baylen Street, Suite 600 • Pensacola, FL 32502-5996