Earlier this week, a federal appeals court reinstated a California lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. that argues the auto maker’s Focus sedans had defective rear suspensions that caused premature tire wear and other safety hazards.
Four customers filed the suit in 2011 as a proposed class action on behalf of everyone who bought or leased new Focus vehicles from Ford dealerships in California between 2005-11, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.
The plaintiffs said they needed new rear tires earlier than expected – between about 12,000 and 20,000 miles – because of an alignment defect, the newspaper reported, adding that they said the same problem affected steering and braking, made it harder to control the car on wet or snowy roads, and created a risk of catastrophic tire failure.
“Ford denied selling defective vehicles and said customers could avoid safety problems by routinely monitoring their tires. But the plaintiffs quoted a message Ford had sent to its dealers saying some 2005-11 Focus cars ‘may exhibit premature front/rear tire wear and/or a vehicle drift condition when driving on wet or snow-packed roads,’” the Chronicle reported.
A federal judge in Sacramento had dismissed the suit, but that ruling was overturned by an appeals court.
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