Ford Wants Class-Action Lawsuit Thrown Out

February 8, 2014 — Toyota might be the automaker known for unintended acceleration lawsuits, but Ford is fighting its own battles over claims of alleged unintended acceleration issues.

Ford was sued last year after complaints of possible unintended acceleration in over 35 models of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. The lawsuit includes plaintiffs from over 30 states and alleges the affected vehicles made from 2002-2010 were defective from the start.

The plaintiffs allege the electronic throttle control system is the problem and that Ford should have manufactured the vehicles with a brake-throttle override system.

Ford wants the case dismissed because of numerous issues, including the fact that many plaintiffs admit they never experienced any unintended acceleration incidents. These Ford owners say they are afraid to drive their vehicles because of the mere possibility the problem might occur.

Further, plaintiffs say they wouldn't have purchased their vehicles or paid as much as they did if they knew of the alleged problem.

Ford says those people don't have a case because saying a problem might occur in the future is not the same as saying it will, or that any injury would result. Ford also says that just because an older vehicle doesn't have a certain safety feature doesn't mean the vehicle is defective.

Ford did add a brake override system in vehicles starting in 2010, but other automakers added that system earlier. For example, Nissan added a brake override system on certain models in 2002 and made it standard on every Nissan vehicle for model year 2005.

The lawsuit was filed March 28, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia - Huntington.