Reuters, "Connecticut urges probe into Jeep Grand Cherokee"

          Connecticut urged federal regulators on Tuesday to probe possible acceleration flaws in late-model Jeep Grand Cherokees after a 52-year-old man was run over and killed by one in a car wash.
          Connecticut authorities said they had received several reports of Jeep Grand Cherokees suddenly accelerating out of car washes while changing gears to drive from neutral. More...

Associated Press, "Stability Control Gear Cuts Auto Deaths, Study Finds"

          Ten thousand fatal automobile crashes a year, or nearly one-third of such accidents in the U.S., could be prevented if more vehicles were equipped with technology that helps to keep them from rolling over, the insurance industry says in a study released today. More...

Bloomberg News, "Chrysler Recalls Grand Cherokees for Seat Fires"

          DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler unit recalled 111,687 Jeep Grand Cherokees after some heated front seats on the sport utility vehicles caught fire.
          The carmaker received 32 reports of fires or overheating, with 15 injuries, said a spokesman at Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. He said at least six lawsuits had been filed by owners who were burned. The recall affects 2003 and 2004 models.
          Also, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Volkswagen was recalling 1998 through 2000 models of its Audi A6 and S6 models for a second time. A short circuit in dashboard wiring might not have been properly repaired after a 2004 recall, the agency said.

Detroit News, "But GM won't concede defeat in $18.6 million jury award to woman paralyzed in 1997 crash"

          It's been nearly nine years since Penny Shipler's spine was crushed when the roof of a 1996-model Chevrolet S-10 Blazer collapsed around her in a rollover accident. But it wasn't until last week that the paralyzed Nebraska woman apparently won her long legal battle against General Motors Corp.
          On March 10, the Nebraska Supreme Court unanimously upheld an $18.6 million jury award to Shipler, one of the largest court judgments linking vehicle roof-strength to severe injuries in rollovers. GM had appealed the 2003 verdict against the automaker as excessive, claiming that jury instructions and evidence allowed in the case were improper.
          But the Nebraska high court denied GM's appeal, bringing the day closer when Shipler, a 38-year old former waitress, can collect on her damage award. Paralyzed from the neck down, Shipler and her 10-year-old son live on about $800 a month in Social Security payments, disability checks and food stamps. "Her future medical care and assistance is estimated to cost $10 million," said Dan McCord, Shipler's attorney. "She desperately needs the money."
          But despite having lost at trial and now on appeal, GM doesn't appear ready to concede defeat on the case. GM spokeswoman Geri Lama said Thursday the automaker was "disappointed" with the Nebraska ruling. "GM will be taking all steps available to seek relief from the court's ruling," Lama said.

Bloomberg News, "Ford said risky tires were OK for SUV; Replacements for Explorer did poorly in rollover tests"

          Ford Motor Co. approved replacement tires for its Explorer sport utility vehicle that made it just as likely to roll over as the originals that Ford blamed for more than 200 deaths.
          Ford's test results of replacement tires, introduced as evidence last month in an Explorer trial in Mississippi, may support hundreds of pending lawsuits contending that the vehicle is unstable and can flip over amid evasive driving maneuvers. Ford has lost six Explorer rollover cases totaling $151 million in jury verdicts in the past year. In a 2000 government investigation into Explorer rollovers, the company blamed the original Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. tires for the accidents.
          "It wasn't just the tires," said Sean Kane, co-founder of Safety Research and Strategies. "This shows just how on edge the Ford Explorer is. In computer simulations used to test substitutes, the Explorer tipped onto two wheels -- a Ford indicator of rollover risk -- on tires made by Goodyear, Michelin's Uniroyal, Continental and other manufacturers, the records show.
          The company approved some failed tires as replacements, according to Ford documents. The Explorer tipped most frequently in the vehicle's two-wheel-drive model.

For more information on Ford Explorer rollovers and dangers and Ford Explorer rollover lawsuits, please visit our Vehicle Injuries.com Ford Explorer lawsuits page.

Bloomberg News, "Lawsuits cost Ford $255 million"

          Ford Motor Co.'s strategy of going to trial to fight vehicle-accident lawsuits cost the automaker more than $255 million in verdicts it lost last year.
          Ford, the No. 2 U.S. automaker, lost seven verdicts of $20 million or more last year in lawsuits claiming defects linked to rollovers and other accidents, compared with one award against the rest of the industry, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
          The number of large losses, higher than in the previous five years combined, may prompt Ford to reconsider its strategy of refusing to settle before trial, Stanford University law professor Robert Rabin said. The verdicts also may hurt Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford's effort to improve its safety image and regain market share, analysts said.

Detroit News, "Limited recall riles GM owners; NHTSA monitors brake callback in 20 states and D.C. as complaints mount"

          General Motors Corp. last year recalled 1.35 million trucks and SUVs in 20 states and Washington, D.C., to clean brake sensors that could malfunction and cause accidents.
          Despite the recalls, though, GM is struggling to move beyond questions about the anti-lock brakes on its best-selling Chevrolet Silverado pickup and seven other models.
          Reports continue to pour in from states not covered under the recall -- and some from states like Michigan that are included -- of accidents and near-misses from truck owners experiencing braking problems.

Associated Press, "Design changes reduce deaths in vehicles struck by SUVs, pickups; Fatalities drop nearly by half when SUVs are lower in height, with impact-absorbing bumper bars"

          Design changes in sport utility vehicles and pickups have reduced deaths in cars struck by the large vehicles, a study says. The number of deaths of drivers in cars caught in side-impact crashes with SUVs dropped nearly 50 percent when automakers lowered the height of SUVs or added impact-absorbing bars below the front bumpers, said the report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
          Automakers agreed in 2003 to improve the compatibility of vehicles amid concerns that SUVs or pickups dangerously ride up atop cars in crashes and threaten passenger compartments. The study was the first to examine death rates in cars involved in crashes with SUVs and pickups that comply with the agreement versus vehicles that do not yet meet the guidelines. "It looks like these changes are going to reduce the risk to car occupants, but it's too early to say exactly how much," said Adrian Lund, president of the Institute, which is funded by the insurance industry.
          Fifteen automakers, representing nearly all of the U.S market, voluntarily agreed in 2003 to improve compatibility between vehicles by September 2009. The changes involved redesigning the front-end of SUVs and pickups to better match up with the bumpers of passenger cars, and improving head protection by installing side air bags.

ConsumerAffairs.com, "Recalled Trucks Burn As Ford Fiddles; Massive Recall Moves Slowly as New Fires Break Out"

          Despite a massive recall announced in September, Ford trucks are continuing to catch fire and burn -- some of them covered by the recall, some not. The September 2005 recall involved an estimated 3.8 million Ford trucks from the 1994-2002 model years; it included the Ford F-150 pickup as well as the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Bronco SUVs.
          But the recall is moving slowly. Ford says replacement parts are not yet available. Meanwhile, trucks continue to burst into flames and -- in many cases -- Ford representatives stonewall the affected consumers despite the recall, according to reports filed with ConsumerAffairs.Com. Adding fuel to the flames, recent fires suggest additional Ford trucks are afflicted by the flaw that led to Ford's reluctant and long-delayed recall.

Wikipedia.org, "Mazda Navajo was 'essentially' a Ford Explorer"

          The Mazda Navajo was a 2-door SUV introduced in 1991. Available only as a four wheel drive, two-door vehicle, the Navajo was essentially a rebadged Ford Explorer. It was only sold in the United States.
          To set the two apart, the Navajo had a different grille, taillights and wheels. Inside, it was even harder to tell one from the other, as seat fabrics and the steering wheel hub were the only apparent differences. Two trim levels for the Navajo were offered, base and LX. The base version wasn't exactly stripped down, as power windows/locks/mirrors were standard. The LX added features such as extra interior illumination and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. An optional premium package loaded up the Navajo with luxuries including air conditioning, a stereo system with cassette deck, cruise control, sport seats with power lumbar adjustment and a pop-up/removable moonroof.
          A rear wheel drive Navajo was available for 1992, geared towards people who liked the sporty image of an SUV, but did not need four wheel drive. Base models were now called the DX, more in keeping with the Japanese manufacturer's way of referring to their base versions (such as Mazda's own 626 DX).
          Otherwise, the Navajo changed so little that most of the photography used in the 1991 brochure was reused for the 1992 brochure. As expected, the 1993 Navajo picked up the same mechanical upgrades as the Explorer, such as increased power for the V6 engine and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Unlike the Explorer, however, the only other change was an optional CD player. New five-spoke alloy wheels for the Navajo LX were the only change for 1994, which was the Navajo's last year. Sales were poor, and the Navajo was eventually replaced with the Mazda Tribute in 2001, 7 years after the Navajo was discontinued. The Navajo was Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year for 1991.

The Los Angeles Times, "Low Scores for SUVs, Pickups; Only six vehicles earn the insurance institute's top rank in rear crashes."

          Head restraints in several sport utility vehicles and pickups poorly protected test dummies from neck injuries in a simulated rear crash at 20 mph, the insurance industry reported Sunday.
          Only six of the 44 SUVs and none of the 15 pickups tested earned top scores.
          Automakers said their vehicles were safe and met federal standards. Some contended that variations in the crash could produce different ratings for the same vehicle.
           "Manufacturer advertising often emphasizes the rugged image of SUVs and pickups," said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry-funded group. "However, the institute's evaluations show seats and head restraints in many models wouldn't do a good job of protecting most people in typical rear impacts," Lund said. More...

Associated Press, "Study Shows Children No Safer in SUVs"

          Children are no safer riding in sport utility vehicles than in passenger cars, largely because the doubled risk of rollovers in SUVs cancels out the safety advantages of their greater size and weight, according to a study.
          Researchers said the findings dispel the bigger-equals-safer myth that has helped fuel the growing popularity of SUVs among families. SUV registrations climbed 250 percent in the United States between 1995 and 2002.
          "We're not saying they're worse or that they're terrible vehicles. We're challenging the conventional wisdom that everyone assumed they were better," said Dr. Dennis Durbin, a pediatric emergency physician who took part in the study, published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics. More...