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CASES & INVESTIGATIONS |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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The "Park to Reverse" Defect and
Faulty Transmission Lawsuits |
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| The "park to
reverse" defect is a flaw in a vehicle’s
transmission in which it is possible for the
driver unknowingly to place the transmission
shift selector into a position between park
and reverse during normal vehicle operations.
This shift position is also referred to as "false
park" or "illusory park." |
| The defect affects
over a million vehicles on the road today,
including 1988 through 2003 Dodge Dakotas,
certain 1988 through 2006 Dodge Rams, and
certain 1993 through 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees
as well as certain Ford vehicles. |
| When a vehicle is
in false park, it appears to the driver that
the vehicle is fully in park. However, the
transmission is neither in park nor in hydraulic
reverse. Instead, it is in an unstable position
between the two gears. |
| Slight movements can
cause the vehicle to self-shift into reverse.
When the vehicle is running, this will cause
the vehicle to move backwards unexpectedly
under power. If the driver exit the vehicle
with the engine running (to retrieve an item,
lock a house door, etc.), a vehicle in false
park can shift into powered reverse, running
over the driver or a bystander. |
| Lieff Cabraser, with
local co-counsel, has successfully litigated
two wrongful death cases against Chrysler on
the false park transmission defect. There have
been hundreds of accidents where people suffered
debilitating physical injuries when the Chrysler
vehicle suddenly moved into reverse. It is
likely that at least 13 person have died as
a result of the defect. Chrysler has refused
to accept legal responsibility for these injuries.
Instead, it regularly blames the driver for
the accident and denies its vehicle was defective. |
| In California in
2007, Lieff Cabraser attorneys obtained a $54
million verdict against DaimlerChrysler in
a wrongful death case (Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler).
The judgment included a $50 million award of
punitive damages. The jury found that the evidence
showed the vehicle at issue, a 1991 Dodge Dakota,
had a defective transmission and that DaimlerChrysler
acted with malice and with a conscious disregard
?for the health and safety of others. |
| In Louisiana in 2008,
Lieff Cabraser again prosecuted a wrongful
death case (Guillot v. DaimlerChrysler) against
Chrysler involving a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The jury held DaimlerChrysler liable for the
death of the infant, Colin Guillot, and returned
a $7.2 million verdict (including interest).
The jury found that the park to reverse defect
in the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s transmission
played a substantial factor in Collin Guillot’s
death and the severe injuries suffered by Mr.
and Mrs. Guillot and their daughter. |
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Transmission Recall Notices from DaimlerChrysler
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| Park-to-Reverse Case Documents
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Top Park-to-Reverse News Articles and Press Reports
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| Lieff
Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP represents persons
injured in vehicle accidents. Click
here to submit your
case. |
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| Lieff
Cabraser has participated
in thirty-five
$100 million-plus settlements & verdicts
since 1992. To read
a summary, click
here. |
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| While we are interested
in learning of park to reverse and transmission
issues in vehicles of any make, model or year,
whether or not the vehicle was manufactured by
Chrysler. We have profiled and have extensive experience
litigating park-to-reverse cases involving the
following DaimlerChrysler vehicles: |
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| In addition, we have
and are presently representing individuals
injured by Ford vehicles with similar park-to-reverse
problems to those found in certain DaimlerChrysler
vehicles. The above list is a list of vehicles
that have been recalled and/or investigated
for alleged park to reverse problems and is
not meant to imply these are the only vehicles
which may have this problem. |
| Persons who have been
injured in accidents involving faulty transmissions,
or family members of loved ones who have died,
should click
here to contact a lawyer at the
national law firm of Lieff Cabraser. |
| The park to reverse
or false park defect is sometimes described
in different terms such as unintentional rearward
movement, unintended rearward movement, unintentional
reverse, unintended reverse, unintentional
acceleration, unintended acceleration, powered
reverse, failure to hold in park, slipped gear,
inadvertent movement, inadvertent rearward
movement, jumped into reverse, kicked into
reverse, slipped into reverse, change gear,
changed gear, back over, backed over, roll
backwards, lurched backwards, roll back, rolled
back, rearward runaway, accidental shift, shift
alone, shift into reverse, shift out of park,
sudden shift, switch gears and went into reverse. |
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There
is no charge or obligation
for our
review of your case. |
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We
have a nationwide
team of experienced auto
defect and car accident
lawyers assigned
to our vehicle injury
cases. |
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We
have retained leading
national car crash
and auto defect experts. |
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We
have on staff a team
of
legal assistants, investigators
and nurses to assist
in the prosecution
of the claims of our
clients. |
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We
provide individual
attentive service.
Learn
more about our firm. |
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| Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, is a national law firm of over 50 lawyers
with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville.
Our attorneys are recognized for the successful
prosecution of lawsuits involving deaths, personal
injuries and property damage due to defective products,
including in the field of vehicle safety. |
| In 2007, in the case of Mraz
v. DaimlerChrysler, Lieff Cabraser
attorneys, with local co-counsel, obtained
the fourth largest verdict in California for
the year. At trial, plaintiffs showed that
a defective
transmission was responsible for making
a Dodge Dakota pickup shift into reverse and
run over Richard Mraz. |
| Currently, we are prosecuting
personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving
cars, vans, pickup trucks, SUVs, the Yamaha Rhino
and other vehicles. To learn more about the firm, click
here. |
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| Trademark Notice:
Vehicle Injuries.com is an electronic newsletter from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, a national personal injury attorney | lawyer law firm. |
| Lieff Cabraser is not
affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of any trademarks on
this site is for product identification and information purposes only. |
| About Lieff Cabraser:
Drivers and passengers injured in auto crashes and pickup truck and SUV rollover
accidents, or families of loved ones who died, may be eligible to file lawsuits
against other drivers at fault or against the manufacturer of their vehicle if
the accident was due to a safety defect. Safety defects can include a high risk
of rolling
over, tire tread
separation, seat
belt failures and other defects. Learn
more... |
| We have offices in San
Francisco, New York and Nashville.
Our car crash accident lawyers and auto accident attorneys have represented
clients in personal injury, auto accident, SUV rollover and vehicle safety defect
lawsuits across America, including persons living in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. |
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hiring of an auto accident lawyer is an important decision. Please read our attorney
advertising disclaimer. |
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| Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP |
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