There’s more trouble on the horizon as the Ford F-250 faces a $1.7 billion fine. Ford has already struggled with an incredibly high amount of recalls this year, but now lawsuits are starting to stack up. Reportedly, the older Ford F-250 models had a defective roof, leading to a wrongful death case. 

Is the Ford F-250 safe? 

It’s safer than it used to be. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), the 2022 Ford F-250 is a safe truck. In fact, the new model has high ratings across the board. It earned five out of five stars in most crash simulations. 

But it’s a much older model that’s facing charges and safety standards were different back then. Allegedly, the 2002 F-250 has a defective roof and is responsible for the wrongful death of Marvin and Voncile Hill. They took a trip in 2014 and were killed in a rollover wreck. 

Their children, Kim and Adam Hill, were plaintiffs in this case. We can’t find the safety scores for the 2002 F-250, though, and large trucks have different safety regulations. Some safety scores for the F-150 date back to 2004, and they aren’t exactly good.

Does the F-250 have a weak roof? 

According to CBC, the Ford F-250 is facing a $1.2 billion verdict that was returned by a Georgia jury involving the lives of the Georgia couple that was killed in the rollover accident. But Ford is planning to appeal this verdict. 

Lawyer, James Butler Jr., shared that jurors in Gwinett County returned the verdict last week in a years-long civil case involving what they called dangerously defective roofs on Ford pickup trucks. 

Lawyers for the plaintiffs submitted 80 similar rollover wrecks involving the F-250’s roof being crushed and either injuring or killing motorists as a result. 

Bulter is shocked by the evidence and mentioned that he used to buy Ford trucks. He explained that he thought no one would sell a truck with such a weak roof. It’s useless and might as well be a convertible. 

Defense lawyer, William Withrow Jr., shared in a closing statement that Ford engineers acted willfully and wantonly, with a concise indifference to the safety of passengers in their trucks when they made decisions about roof strength. 

Gerald Davison, Butler’s co-consul, explained that more deaths and severe injuries are certain because millions of these trucks are on the road. 

Bulter noted that an award of punitive damages hopefully warn those riding in millions of those trucks Ford sold was the reason the Hill family insisted on a verdict. 

Ford is fighting back 

The expensive verdict for the Ford F-250 will be appealed. Ford shared that while its sympathies go out to the Hill family, they do not believe the verdict is supported by the evidence. 

Defense lawyer Paul Malek explained that the allegation about Ford being irresponsible and willfully making decisions that put customers at risk is simply not the case. 

Trucks have experienced a ton of changes since 2004, so it may be time to take a look at older engineering plans. Trucks have slowly been transitioning from steel to aluminum bodies but have the necessary reinforcements to keep people safe. 

For now, the Ford F-250 faces a tremendous verdict, but Ford’s appeal could change things. Stay tuned as this case continues to develop.