In the NHTSA's Pickup Truck Crash and Rollover Test for 2005 vehicles, the NHTSA gave its lowest rollover rating to the Ford Ranger 4x4 and its corporate twin, the Mazda B-Series 4x4.
Since the Ford Ranger's inception, it has been the centerpiece in lawsuits in regards to its propensity for rollover due to the truck's high center of gravity, poor steering and handling, seat belt issues, weak roof pillars, weak roof supports and high chance of roof crush.
Built to replace the Ford Courier pickup, which was manufactured by Mazda, the Ford Ranger has been plagued with design flaws and resulting lawsuits for 20 years. The suspension system in the Ford Ranger, the Twin I-Beam and Twin Traction Beam, has been the focus of many rollover lawsuits. These suspensions increase the height of the vehicle during evasive maneuvers, contributing to greater chances for rollovers.
The weak roof supports and pillars have also been noted as unsafe. Roof crush during a rollover in the Ford Ranger can lead to spinal and brain injuries. The roof design of the Ford Ranger has been tested, and the results show that Ford did not build the roof of the Ford Ranger to withstand the force of a rollover.
"In rollover tests, the Ford Ranger and the Mazda B-Series are the worst pickups with four-wheel drive. The trucks received two out of five stars and had a 30.6 percent chance of rollover, according to NHTSA." -consumeraffairs.com
Excessive slack of seat belts has also been a major cause of injuries caused by the Ford Ranger. In 1979, the NHTSA proposed to band the seat belt design which Ford used for the Ford Ranger. Eventually Ford agreed to limit the amount of slack in the Ranger's seat belts, but chose to post warnings instead of fixing the engineering design. Newer trucks do not include this same design; however the middle seating belt in the cab of the Ford Ranger has been known to allow enough movement in an impact to allow severe whipping motions during an impact.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a rollover or roof collapse related accident, contact Miller Weisbrod, LLP, for a free case assessment.
