Opinion ID: 785703
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Craftsmen, Ford, American Coach, & the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Text: 3 Craftsmen is a closely held corporation owned by Robert Haswell and Marc Haswell. Since it began in the late 1980's, Craftsmen has converted many automobiles, including Ford's Lincoln Town Cars, into limousines. Like other coachbuilders, Craftsmen creates limousines by cutting a base vehicle in half and adding structural pieces of varying lengths in the middle. Craftsmen sells from an inventory of pre-built units and also offers conversion services on vehicles already owned by the end-users. American Coach, one of the largest manufacturers of limousines in the United States, is one of Craftsmen's direct competitors. 4 Ford does not make limousines. Instead, it manufactures base vehicles that are later converted into limousines by independent coachbuilders like American Coach and Craftsmen. During the relevant time period in this case, approximately sixty percent of the six thousand limousines produced each year were converted from Ford's Lincoln Town Cars. 5 The limousine industry is regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration promulgates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards with which limousine manufacturers must comply. Coachbuilders are responsible for self-certifying that their vehicles meet the federal safety standards. This self-certification can be in the form of engineering analysis, computer analysis, or other valid documentation. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determines that a coachbuilder's limousine fails to comply with federal standards, it has the authority to fine the coachbuilder and recall the limousine. 6 In 1992, upon the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's request, Craftsmen submitted data identifying its limousine conversion techniques. Craftsmen did not provide engineering analyses to demonstrate compliance with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards requirements. Instead, it claimed its vehicles were safe based on the construction techniques employed and the fact that none of its customers ever returned a limousine out of a concern for safety. 2 At the time, no engineers worked for Craftsmen, and the company had not contracted an independent engineer to test the safety of its vehicles. 7 After receiving Craftsmen's data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted an inspection of Craftsmen's limousines. The investigation resulted in the recall of some of Craftsmen's vehicles. One recall required Craftsmen to put a placard in its limousines instructing passengers that they had to unlock door and pull door latch to exit the vehicle. Another required Craftsmen to replace tires on approximately twenty of its limousines. Craftsmen complied with the recall orders and was not fined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.