Ford Motor Company is set to face another legal battle after a multi-million dollar class-action lawsuit alleged that up to 400,000 Ford vehicles in Canada had been fitted with faulty door latches that could lead to serious injury or death.

The Canadian law firm of Will Barristers filed a suit in the Ontario Superior Court on behalf of defendant Maurice Poulin.

The claim argues that faulty door latches on Ford pickups and sport utility vehicles have caused the doors to open in side-impact crashes and rollover accidents, resulting in increased chances of, and actual case of, death or serious injury for occupants.

Will Barristers is seeking punitive damages of about $403 million and the costs to replace all the faulty parts on the Canadian sold vehicles.

The lawsuit further alleges that senior management at Ford new about the problems but ignored in house advice to recall the vehicles, choosing instead to leave the vehicles as they were and to cover up the issue.

In reply, Ford argues that the door latches are safe and adhere completely with government and industry standards. The company further stated that it had investigated the issue fully to ensure compliance was met.

The Canadian case is not the first Ford has had to deal with with regard to faulty door latches. Several cases have been files in the US including a current case in which Will Barristers is assisting the South Carolina law firm of Motley Rice. Lawyers in similar cases have attested that Ford has been prepared to settle claims relating to the door latch problem.

Source: Datamonitor