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Ford''s dangerous door-latch defects: in a crash, a passenger''s chance of survival is greatly improved if he or she remains in the vehicle. Ford documents show that the company knew about a dangerous defect in its door latches but chose to ignore it.

Article Excerpt
Every day, millions of Americans ride in Ford vehicles that have been designed and manufactured with door-latch systems that may be detective. Unknowingly, these consumers subject themselves to the risk of serious injury from full or partial ejection when their vehicles are involved in accidents.

This article focuses primarily on the door-latch defects in Ford trucks and SUVs, but the automaker uses the same latch system in many other vehicles as well.

Typically, the tact pattern in door-latch cases involves a rollover or a side-impact crash, a door that opens during the event, a full or partial ejection, and a serious injury or death. The ejected occupant is often presumed unbelted; however, this is not always the case, and belted occupants can be partially ejected in these accidents.

Partially ejected occupants usually suffer the same fate as fully ejected occupants. Testing by Ford's experts demonstrates how a belted dummy can be partially ejected in a rollover test. (1)

It is a fundamental principle of sound automotive design that doors should stay closed during car accidents. Automakers have known for years that door design is a critical aspect of vehicle engineering and that doors are an integral part of the automobile restraint system. Internal Ford documents confirm that an occupant is four times as likely to die or suffer serious injury if ejected from a vehicle. (2) If the door opens in an accident, the occupant is 30 times as likely to be ejected. (3)

Vehicle manufacturers often cite seat belts as the panacea to avoid harm in all crashes, but internal documents contradict this assertion and show that the key to injury avoidance--at least in rollovers--is to avoid ejection. (4) If you stay in the vehicle during a rollover; belted or not, the chance of serious injury is drastically reduced. (5)

The problems with Ford door-latching systems fall into three general categories. Each has related subcategories, so it is important to consult with an expert in a door-failure case.

Crashworthiness

In most accidents, the vehicle sustains a certain amount of body damage, referred to as "crush." The body and doors should be designed to absorb crush, and the doors should stay closed.

Many Ford doors, such as those of the F-150 pickup, do not do so: They may open when a...