Ford sued, again, for defect in gas tank placement; Recall of other models

For years the Ford Crown Victoria, which is used by police agencies throughout the United States, has been linked to the deaths of police officers in fires after crashes. A few days ago, the family of an Ohio police officer has filed a product liability lawsuit against Ford, saying that the defective design of a Crown Victoria led to the officer’s death. Among other things, the complaint alleges that Ford the car is defective because its gas tank is placed in the vehicle’s rear crush zone. Wasn't this the same allegation that resulted in the Pinto fiasco in the 70s? Go here for the full story. In more bad news for Ford, the company has announced it has recalled 4.5 million vehicles due to a faulty cruise control deactivation switch, which may cause the vehicles to catch fire even when turned off. The recall is the largest recall in the company’s history, and the eighth recall connected to the cruise control deactivation switch. To date, 16 million vehicles have been affected by a Ford cruise control recall, making it the overall largest automotive recall in history. Go here for the full story.