Ford hit with class action lawsuit over spontaneous acceleration

Ford has been hit with a class action lawsuit by its customers across fourteen states due to an issue with certain models subject to spontaneous acceleration with no way to stop. The lawsuit specifically concerns Ford cars from 2002 to 2010, with claims that the manufacturer deliberately hid the issue from buyers, resulting in the sale of vehicles that aren't worth as much as the consumers paid.

Says the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal Huntington, West Virginia court on Friday: "Ford could have and should have prevented the dangers presented by these foreseeable incidents by including [a fail-safe system or brake-override feature]. Ford affirmatively concealed from plaintiffs and the other class members the defect."

Specific models listed in the lawsuit include the 2002 to 2005 Mercury Cougar, the 2005 to 2010 Ford Mustang, and the 2004 through 2010 Ford Explorer. There are 19 plaintiffs listed that represent owners from 14 states across the US, ranging from Florida to New York and a bunch between. They hope to have representatives from every state by the time trial starts.

For those interested, this is case Belville v. Ford Motor Co., 12-cv-06529, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia (Huntington). Earlier this month, Ford recalled nearly 200,000 vehicles due to an issue that could potentially cause a sudden engine stall, which also posed a safety risk, although no crashes had been reported due to the issue.

[via Bloomberg]